Rapier Armoured Carrier

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Targetdrone.gif Rapier redirects here. For other uses of the term, see Rapier (disambiguation).
Light Hammer Rapier Carrier as used by pre heresy Emperor's Children

The Rapier Armoured Carrier or Rapier Laser Destroyer is a semi-automated[8] tracked weapons carrier used by the Imperium of Man, including the Imperial Guard, Adeptus Mechanicus and Space Marines[5] as well as various Planetary Defense Forces[11]. A potent anti-tank weapon, it mounts a powerful multi-barrelled laser cannon with which it shares its name. However Rapiers have also been seen wielding Graviton Cannons, quad Multi-Lasers, quad Mortars, and quad Heavy Bolters.[5]

History

The Great Crusade

Rapier with Graviton Cannon[6]
Rapier with quad Heavy Bolters[5]

The Rapier Armoured Carrier was originally designed specifically to defend cities and fortresses.[11] In the early years of the Imperium's history the Rapier was a common weapons platform used by the Imperial Army at both the company and regimental level. Under ideal conditions each company would have a support squad with five Rapier carriers plus other weapons, while regiments had support companies of ten machines each, such as five Rapiers and five Mole Mortars, though attrition often accounted for fewer numbers of these weapons. Rapier crewmen wore the blue uniform of artillerymen, with yellow shoulder pads displaying their company insignia or red ones displaying their regimental insignia depending on their assignment.[1]

Post Heresy

Graia Pattern Rapier Armoured Carrier in service of the Astra Militarum[12]

Over the millennia, however, the number and use of Rapiers declined due to difficulties in manufacturing these complex devices, and they have been largely supplanted by designs simpler to construct and easier to maintain. There still remain tens of thousands deployed throughout the Imperium, mostly in the hands of the Adeptus Mechanicus or those Planetary Defense Forces (PDFs) on worlds which still retain the capability to produce and maintain them.[3] They are widely used by the PDF[11] but are in more limited use by the Space Marines and Imperial Guard regiments.[3] This is because a rapier typically needs much more in the way of service facilities, power sources, and typically lacks the anti-grav suspensors more common to other Imperial Guard heavy weapons. Hence it is often relegated to second-line defensive formations, rather than more offensive based forces like the Imperial Guard.[11]

Those Chapters which descend from the Imperial Fists and Iron Hands Legions are especially known users of Rapiers, and have even employed them for boarding assaults.[4]

Gang Warfare

Rapier Armoured Carrier used by gangs of the Underhive on Necromunda

Rapiers are even known to fall into the hands of criminal gangs of underhives, such as on Necromunda, where it is a very popular weapon among the local PDF. In the hands of a gang, they are an item of high prestige and value, both displaying the wealth of the gang and the connections and ingenuity required to acquire such a rarity. However, the conditions of the underhive are far different from those of the hive above. The rapiers acquired by gangs are seldom in pristine condition, and even more rarely will they have their built in safeguards and automatic systems intact. Though power is abundant in the underhive, access to coolant is extremely difficult. In addition the nature of gang warfare is far different than that of battles fought by the PDF. Instead of shooting at massed columns of enemy armies on the open plains of the Ash Waste from the hive city above across distances of kilometres, gang war takes place in the cramped mazes of tunnels, pipelines and industrial structures against single human targets or monstrosities crawling up from the Sump and hive bottom. The overheating and slow targeting response of these poorly maintained Rapiers gives them limited use in the underhive, however a single hit from such a weapon will without exception take a rival ganger down. Gangs will typically use rapiers to defend their territory - a village, hole or fortress defended by a rapier is a fearful prospect for any attacker, while on open ground the rapier's machine spirit will find their mark. In an offensive gang raid, a rapier is of much less use as it cannot move and fire at the same time, however gangs will often still bring it if but for only the sheer intimidation of a potent anti-tank weapon.[11]

Technical Information

The armoured carrier is built around the weapon system with which it has become synonymous, the Rapier Laser Destroyer. This multi-barrelled weapon achieves greater firepower than even a normal lascannon by focusing its four separate laser systems with precise accuracy on a single point. This is possible thanks to a weak machine spirit which can adjust the convergence of the beams depending on the target's range. However, the weapon system has tremendous power requirements, along with increased maintenance and heat build-up due to its moving parts and the close proximity of multiple laser chambers to each other.[3][4] Rapiers have also been seen mounted with Graviton Cannons, quad Multi-Lasers, quad Mortars, and quad Heavy Bolters[5] though as of the M41 the technology to manufacture Rapiers with Graviton Cannons seems all but lost.[7]

As it was initially designed for defending cities and fortresses the Rapier has limited mobility, enough to move into ambush positions and across rough terrain, and is often fielded in special batteries of one to three Rapiers used to break up enemy armour attacks. The system can move and fire at the same time thanks to an auto-drive and benefits from targeter equipment. Actual aiming and firing of the laser destroyer, however, is handled by the on-board machine spirit, making the Rapier a semi-independent system; its crew is necessary only for moving the weapon and operational mode selection.[1][3]

Despite having originally built to fire with four convergent beams, the most common version of the Rapier as of M41 uses a two-chambered gun. This is because maintaining and restoring the original specification is nearly a lost art, and the two-chambered version contains less of the originals drawbacks. Despite its decreased firepower, it is still able to penetrate the front armour of a Leman Russ Battle Tank at a one kilometer range.[11]

Vehicle Name: Rapier Laser Destroyer[3] Main Armament: 1 x Rapier Laser Destroyer
Forge World of Origin: Lucius Secondary Armament: N/A
Known Patterns: N/A Traverse: N/A
Crew: 1-3 Gunners Elevation: N/A
Powerplant: N/A Main Ammunition: 12 rounds from powerpack
Weight: 3.5 Tonnes Secondary Ammunition: N/A
Length: 2.6 M
Width: 1.8 M Armour
Height: 1.5 M
Ground Clearance: 0.3 m Superstructure: N/A
Fording Depth: Hull: 20 MM
Max Speed - on road 12 KPH Gun Mantlet N/A
Max Speed - off road: 8 KPH Vehicle Designation: N/A
Transport Capacity: N/A Firing Ports: Open Topped
Access Points: Open Topped Turret: N/A


Vehicle Name: Rapier Laser Destroyer[3] Main Armament: 1 x Rapier Laser Destroyer
Forge World of Origin: Graia Secondary Armament: N/A
Known Patterns: N/A Traverse: N/A
Crew: 1-3 Gunners Elevation: N/A
Powerplant: N/A Main Ammunition: 12 rounds from powerpack
Weight: 3.3 Tonnes Secondary Ammunition: N/A
Length: 2.6 M
Width: 1.8 M Armour
Height: 1.5 M
Ground Clearance: 0.3 m Superstructure: N/A
Fording Depth: Hull: 18 MM
Max Speed - on road 14 KPH Gun Mantlet N/A
Max Speed - off road: 9 KPH Vehicle Designation: N/A
Transport Capacity: N/A Firing Ports: Open Topped
Access Points: Open Topped Turret: N/A


Vehicle Name: Rapier Laser Destroyer[3] Main Armament: 1 x Rapier Laser Destroyer
Forge World of Origin: Voss Secondary Armament: N/A
Known Patterns: N/A Traverse: N/A
Crew: 1-3 Gunners Elevation: N/A
Powerplant: N/A Main Ammunition: 14 rounds from powerpack
Weight: 3 Tonnes Secondary Ammunition: N/A
Length: 2.6 M
Width: 1.8 M Armour
Height: 1.5 M
Ground Clearance: 0.3 m Superstructure: N/A
Fording Depth: Hull: 15 MM
Max Speed - on road 14 KPH Gun Mantlet N/A
Max Speed - off road: 10 KPH Vehicle Designation: N/A
Transport Capacity: N/A Firing Ports: Open Topped
Access Points: Open Topped Turret: N/A


Images

Sources

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This article or article section is based on information from a Fanatic Press publication such as Fanatic Magazine or one of its predecessors (e.g. The Citadel Journal, Necromunda Magazine, etc.). These publications regularly featured articles submitted by hobbyists, and as such, their content may or may not be in contradiction to established background lore.

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