Changes

[[Image:ThuddGun2.jpg|thumb|right|Heavy Quad Launcher^{{Fn|5}}]]'''Heavy Quad-Launchers''', also known as '''Thudd Guns''', are four-barreled light field artillery pieces originally produced by the [[Squat]]s.^{{Fn|1}}

Invented by the [[Engineers Guild]]s on the Squat Homeworlds, the design was later shared with the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]], who copied and produced their own version for use by the [[Imperial Guard]]. The weapon received its nickname from the distinctive and rhythmic "thud" sound produced as each barrel fires in rapid succession.^{{Fn|1 }} More commonly used by the Imperial Guard in the past, the heavy quad-launcher has been largely relegated to [[Siege Regiment#Siege_Regiment|siege regiment]]s and garrison forces.^{{{Fn|2,}}{{Fn|3} }} The weapon was employed during the [[Horus Heresy]] in [[Battle of Terra|defense of the Imperial Palace]] and has seen recent use in the [[Badab War]] as well as the [[Tyrannic Wars]].^{{Fn|4-p92}}

Essentially four [[Mortar]]s mounted on a single weapons carriage, the Heavy Quad-Launcher boasts a high rate of fire that makes it an excellent suppression weapon and in a direct-fire role against enemy infantry.^{{{Fn|2,}}{{Fn|3} }} One of its primary drawbacks however is the long reload time after all four barrels have been fired, requiring the loader to hand-crank the breech close in order to feed in a new round for each barrel. The launcher also lacks the range of heavier Imperial Guard artillery, limiting its viability in the counter-battery role.^{{Fn|2}}

The original thudd guns were mounted on a special motorized tractor, which could be controlled by the gun crew with a radio control box.^{{Fn|1 }} However, later models used by the Imperial Guard, such as the Lucius Pattern, must be towed into place, either by a [[Trojan]] or [[Centaur]] vehicle.^{{{Fn|2,}}{{Fn|3}}}

|Vehicle Name=Quad Launcher^{{Fn|2}}

*^{{Endn|1}}:[[Warhammer 40,000: Wargear (2nd Edition)]], ppg. 54*^{{Endn|2}}:[[Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One]], ppg. 112*^{{Endn|3}}:[[Imperial Armour - Apocalypse II]], ppg. 20*^{{Endn|4}}:[[Warhammer 40,000: Compendium]], pg. 92*^{{Endn|5}}:[http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Imperial_Guard/Death-Korps-of-Krieg/IMPERIAL-QUAD-LAUNCHER-THUDD-GUN.html Heavy Quad Launcher]]