Storm Eagle Assault Gunship
The Storm Eagle Assault Gunship is an aircraft used by Space Marines.[1]
Contents
Overview
The Storm Eagle dates back to the Great Crusade, designed to be a smaller attack craft to compliment the larger Stormbirds and Thunderhawks.[2]
The legendary mobility of the Adeptus Astartes has won planet-spanning conflicts with a single strike; providing the precise application of deadly force at the point where it proved most decisive. A Chapter's fleet of attack craft is the keystone that makes this possible, and it is the iconic Thunderhawks and Drop Pods that are at the forefront. Craft such as the Storm Eagle Assault Gunship follow close behind to lend their weapons to the devastating assault.[Needs Citation]
A formidable gunship, the Storm Eagle mounts fearsome firepower for a vehicle of its size and is capable of transporting twenty Space Marines directly into the thick of an assault. The exact provenance of the Storm Eagle is unknown, but it bears clear similarities to the Stormravens employed by the Blood Angels and Grey Knights. Certain sources place the principal manufacture of the Storm Eagle upon Tigrus and Anvilus IX, both primary-grade Forge Worlds that suffered catastrophic damage during the Horus Heresy.[1]
In recent decades the number of Storm Eagles in active service has begun to increase, especially amongst those Chapters known to have favourable relations with the Adeptus Mechanicus. But despite its increase in production, the Storm Eagle has yet to be deployed as widely as the Storm Raven.[4]
Armaments
The Storm Eagle generally has the following weapon systems -
- A hull-mounted set of either twin-linked heavy bolters, twin-linked multi-meltas or a typhoon missile launcher
- A hull-mounted Vengeance launcher
- A pair of twin-linked lascannon or a set of four hellstrike missiles
Technical Information
| Type | Orbital Dropship | Operational Ceiling | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Name | Storm Eagle | Max Speed | 2000 kph approx. |
| Forge World of Origin | Unknown | Range | 30,000 km in atmosphere |
| Known Patterns | Unknown | Main Armament | Vengeance launcher |
| Crew | Pilot | Secondary Armament | twin-linked Heavy Bolters |
| Powerplant | 2x combination rocket/afterburning turbofans | Main Ammunition | 48 missiles |
| Weight | 68 tonnes | Secondary Ammunition | 2000 rounds |
| Length | 18 m | Armour | |
| Wingspan | 11.8m | Superstructure | 45 mm |
| Height | 7.2m | Hull | 55 mm |
Variants
Fire Raptor
The Fire Raptor is a dedicated gunship version of the Storm Eagle
Roc Pattern
The Roc Pattern Storm Eagle is used primarily by the Minotaurs and Red Templars, serving as a formidable tank hunter while sacrificing troop carrying capacity. It is armed primarily with a Vengeance launcher with Roc warheads.[4]
Darkwing
The Darkwing was a specialized variant of the Storm Eagle used by the Raven Guard during the Horus Heresy and Great Crusade. These craft were constructed on Kiavahr and the technology that made them was not shared with the greater Adeptus Mechanicus. This aircraft was extremely stealthy and possessed systems barely understood to the Imperium such as rad-shrouded armour and quantum field repellors. The space these systems took up however reduced infantry-carrying capacity. Thus, these craft were often used to insert small elite units deep into enemy held territory.[3]
See Also
Sources
- 1: Forge World Storm Eagle (last accessed 28 May 2015)
- 2: Imperial Armour Aeronautica, pg. 28
- 3: The Horus Heresy Book Three pg.278
- 4: Imperial Armour Volume 2 - Second Edition pg.134
