Arvus Lighter
The Arvus Lighter is a light cargo hauler used by the Imperial Navy to transport personnel and supplies. One of a wide variety of pinnaces, brigs, couriers and dories used by the Navy, the Arvus Lighter is the equivalent of the Imperial Guard's Trojan, fulfilling many of the same roles. Like the Trojan the Arvus has many affectionate nicknames such as "Flying Swine," "the Hog," "the Little Pig" and "the Onager," and Navy superstition holds that the craft's machine spirit is truculent and stubborn.[1] The nicknames it has garnered are largely due to its reputation for durability and reliability in the field.[8] The arvus is employed in the millions across the Imperium.[14b]
Contents
Overview
The Arvus is a small, solid, reliable workhorse utility cargo shuttle, used by the ships of the Imperial Navy for transferring cargos of supplies or small units of personnel from ship-to-ship or ship-to-planet. Squat and durable, the Arvus has two powerful engines for carrying heavy loads. It has no armaments and is not expected to engage the enemy. It is commonly seen on the decks of large Imperial Navy ships or making repeat runs from surface to ship transporting supplies and men.[1] The Arvus Lighter has surprisingly resilient armour and powerful engines, which ensure elite troops and officer cadres can be deployed right at the front lines without ground fire posing too much of a problem.[8]
A lack of weapons and other fancy equipment might seem like a drawback, but the sheer frugality of the Arvus design is its greatest strength. Cutting back on resource-intensive upgrades means commanders can field them in considerable numbers for much greater operational flexibility, while losses are easily replaced. It has a longer range, too, carrying full life support systems for orbital travel and hazardous planetary environments.[8] The hull of the Arvus is vacuum-sealed and can withstand the worst of planetary environmental conditions. This allows crews to survive inside of the wreckage of a downed Arvus up to weeks at a time before rescue by using the aircraft as an emergency shelter.[5]
As standard the Arvus is unarmed, intended to discourage pilots from getting involved in a fight they should avoid instead, although some will be modified to carry weapons when operating on hostile worlds. A wide variety of other adaptations also exist for the lighter, such as converting the cargo hold to carry fuel and turning it into a tanker or elongating the hull to carry more cargo at the expense of speed and handling. In need it can also be used as an assault boat, although it is not designed for this purpose. [1]
The ship's interior is very basic and does not include many advanced systems beyond standard navigational and sensor equipment and proximity alarms. The Arvus Lighter is capable of transporting up to 12 passengers.[1] It is crewed by a single pilot who controls the ship from a small cramped cockpit, connected to the cargo compartment by a small hatchway. The cockpit's screen can also swing up to allow access from the front, while the cargo compartment can be accessed by the rear ramp and transport twelve individuals. Some Arvus Lighters can also be fitted with an Ejector Seat, Flare or Chaff Launchers, an Armoured Cockpit or Illum Flares.[1]
Technical Specifications
| Type | General Purpose Cargo Shuttle - Small[1] | Operational Ceiling | N/A[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Name | Arvus Lighter[1] | Max Speed | 1600kph[1] at 5,000 feet[4] |
| Forge World of Origin | Bakka[1] | Range | 22,000km in atmosphere[1] |
| Known Patterns | IV-XXVII[1] | Main Armament | None[1] |
| Crew | Pilot[1] | Secondary Armament | N/A[1] |
| Powerplant | 2x RX-60-22 Rocket Engines[1] | Main Ammunition | N/A[1] |
| Weight | 15 tonnes empty[1] | Secondary Ammunition | N/A[1] |
| Length | 8.52m[1] | Armour | |
| Wingspan | 8.2m[1] | Superstructure | 15mm[1] |
| Height | 3.68m[1] | Hull | 15mm[1] |
Variants and patterns
Besides the standard model, the Arvus has a longbody variant.[11]
- Lathes-pattern Arvus Lighter, Lathes sub-type XK-1112 — 8.5 metres long and 8.2 metres wide with a carrying capacity of twelve passengers. The crew consists of one pilot and one co-pilot/loadmaster.[12]
- 'Little Grox' Variant — A field modification that removes all passenger seating, most of the armour and the few standard safety systems to better serve the logistic needs of overstretched Astra Militarum regiments. This variant is despised by its pilots, who have far less flattering nicknames than 'Little Grox'.[13]
- Onager Lighter - a similar model of shuttlecraft.[2]
Usage by the Forces of Chaos
The Lost and the Damned and other renegades are known to use Arvus Lighters. As sturdy orbital transfer shuttles, Arvus Lighters serve as the primary aerial transports of any renegade army. More aggressive heretic armies employ them as improvised assault craft when making planetary assaults, fitting them with jury rigged weapons.[14b] Known patterns used by the forces of Chaos include the MK23c Mpandex [14a]
Renegade Arvus Lighter[15]
Images
Arvus Lighter aboard the Caestus Metalican[7]
An Arvus Lighter model by Forge World
An Arvus Lighter model for The Horus Heresy[3]
Solar Auxilia Arvus Lighter model for The Horus Heresy[6]
Crew mounted gun and cockpit[8]
Epic-scale Arvus Lighter for Legions Imperialis[10]
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See also
Sources
- 1: Imperial Armour Volume Four - The Anphelion Project, pgs. 113-115
- 2: Daedalus (Short Story) - Scythes of the Emperor (Anthology)
- 3: Warhammer Community: The Arvus Lighter Returns to Show the Horus Heresy that Frills Don’t Pay the Bills (posted 10/8/2023) (last accessed 11/8/2023)
- 4: Aeronautica Imperialis Game Rulebook, pg. 58
- 5: Aeronautica Imperialis: Taros Air War, pg. 79
- 6: Warhammer Community: World Championships Preview – The Arvus Lighter lands with armour support (posted 22/11/2024) (archived from the original, last accessed 22 November 2024)
- 7: The Art of Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus - Heretek, pg. 37
- 8: Warhammer-Community: The Complete Guide to the Arvus Lighter – What it is, and how to use it (posted 16/01/2025) (archived from the original 17 January 2025, last accessed 17 January 2025)
- 9: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Video Game), Book Event - Rogue Trader Ship
- 10: Warhammer webstore: Legions Imperialis: Arvus Lighters
- 11: Salvation's Reach (Novel) — The Victory (Omnibus), Chapter Sixteen
- 12: Dark Heresy: The Lathe Worlds, pg. 133
- 13: Imperium Maledictum: Macharian Requisition Guide, pg. 77
- 14: Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost and the Damned
- 15: Games Day Australia 2011 - Official Games Workshop Horus Heresy Facebook
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