The Spartan Assault Tank was a large heavy tank designed during the Horus Heresy to carry a full squad of Terminator-armored Marines through the 'Ring of Death' surrounding the city of Aries Primus on Mars. The standard Land Raider at the time could not transport Terminators[1]. The design is based off the famous Land Raider.[2]
The original Spartan had the standard Land Raider armament of the day, two twin-linked lascannons (heavy bolters were not standard then) but also mounted either a heavy bolter or heavy flamer on a turret on top. It was widely spread after the Heresy, but disappeared when the standard Land Raider was re-designed to carry Terminators[1]. The Spartan design used today features the twin hull-mounted heavy bolters seen on contemporary Land Raider designs, as well as a pair of sponsons fitted with a quad-lascannon battery each. It is able to transport 25 Space Marines in power armour. Additionally, it is considerably faster than other Land Raider variants despite its increased size, due to its reactor-driven motive drive systems[2]. It is unknown whether this is intended to be a different pattern to the original Spartan, or whether it has replaced it entirely in canon.
Images
Original Spartan design featuring Ultramarines livery, Rogue Trader era
Related articles
Sources
- 1: White Dwarf 119 (1989) Spartan, by Rick Priestley
- 2: Forge World - SPARTAN ASSAULT TANK