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The '''Spartan Assault Tank''' was a large heavy tank designed during the [[Horus Heresy]] to carry a full squad of Terminator-armored [[Space Marines|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^{{Fn|1}}. The design is based off the famous [[Land Raider]].{{Fn|2}}

The original Spartan had the standard [[Land Raider]] armament of the day, two [[twin-linked]] [[lascannon]]s (heavy bolters were not standard then) but also mounted either a [[heavy bolter]] or [[flamer|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 [[Terminator]]s^{{Fn|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^{{Fn|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.

*^{{Endn|1}}: [[WD119|White Dwarf 119]] (1989) ''Spartan'', by Rick Priestley*{{FnEndn|2}}: [http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/SPARTAN_ASSAULT_TANK.html Forge World - SPARTAN ASSAULT TANK]