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{{Otherusesotheruses|USE=Imperial Navy Fighter|OTHERUSE=Space Marine transport|OTHERPAGE=Thunderbolt Dropship}}
{{ImperialNavyPortal}}
[[Image:ThunderboltArt.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Thunderbolt Fighters{{Fn|6}}]]
[[Image:DE2025.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Thunderbolt cockpit{{Fn|17}}]]
The '''Thunderbolt''' heavy fighter is the workhorse of the [[Imperial Navy]].{{Fn|2}} A rugged and reliable design, with good firepower and maneuverabilitymanoeuvrability, the Thunderbolt has been in service for centuries and remains well-liked by its crews.{{Fn|1a}}
==Overview==
The Thunderbolt primarily serves as an air superiority fighter, given the task of hunting down enemy bombers or engaging enemy fighters in order to establish air superiority over the battlefield. However one of the chief advantages of the design is its versatility, allowing it to fulfill fulfil other types of missions. Thunderbolt fighters frequently serve as high altitude escort fighters for flights of [[Marauder Bomber]]s. They can also be adapted to serve as low level fighter-bombers, night fighters and reconnaissance aircraft.{{Fn|1a}} Typically, Imperial Navy Thunderbolt Wings operate thirty aircraft.{{Fn|2}}
Attrition among Thunderbolt pilots is enormous, with few surviving for very long once deployed. Those that do survive may become deadly fighter aces remembered as heroes of the Imperium.{{Fn|5}} Besides the Navy, the Thunderbolt is also operated by the [[Tech-Guard]] of the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]].{{Fn|10}}
The Thunderbolt incorporates aircraft systems controls that feature life support, tactical and targeting readouts for all weapons as well as a damage diagnosis system. All these information can be directly accessed by the pilot through the tactical display of the [[Ryza pattern type IV flight helmet]]. These vital systems have backups in case of a malfunction in the helmet.{{Fn|9b}}
The Thunderbolt is equipped with a [[cogitator]], a heads-up display,{{Fn|15}}, incorporating a gunsight allowing for target lock-on,{{Fn|13h}} an [[auspex]]{{Fn|13a}} that includes a lock-on warning and collision warning system,{{Fn|13b}} electric autoloaders for the autocannons,{{Fn|13g}} a gun-cam,{{Fn|13d}} a [[vox]] linked to other aircrafts and mission control{{Fn|13e}}, a rear [[pictPict|pict unit]],{{Fn|13g}} afterburners{{Fn|13j}} and flare countermeasure-launchers.{{Fn|14}} Thunderbolts used by the [[Solar Auxilia]] further mounted [[Flare Shield|Flare Shields]] and [[Blessed Autosimulacra|Simulacra]] repair systems.{{Fn|16}}
The Thunderbolt also has vector-nozzles, allowing it to move in a non ballistic way by shifting sideways, nearly turning end-on-end,{{Fn|13b}} reversing thrust and pulling a near one-eighty turn,{{Fn|14}} braking up- or downwards during flight,{{Fn|13h}} coming almost to a standstill,{{Fn|13f}} or turning forward momentum into a gentle hover.{{Fn|13c}} The vector thrust system also allows the Thunderbolt to perform vertical takeoff take-off and landing-operations both downwards{{Fn|13c}} and upwards{{Fn|13e}} by swivelling the nozzles.{{Fn|13c}}
The Thunderbolt can be modified for better night-fighting by mounting black, antler-like antennae arrays on the nose.{{Fn|13c}} It can also be modified, if necessary, to have its weapons controlled by a voice-activator,{{Fn|13i}} allowing for weapons switching and firing by voice-command.{{Fn|13k}}
Quad nose-mounted [[Autocannon]]s serve as the primary dogfighting and anti-infantry weapons, while a pair of [[twin-linked]] [[Lascannon]]s are normally used to engage enemy ground vehicles. Four pylons, two mounted underneath each wing, allow the fighter to carry up to four extra fuel tanks, [[Bomb]]s, [[Hellstrike Missile]]s or, more rarely, [[Skystrike Missile|air-to-air missiles]].{{Fn|1a}} It can also mount [[Imperial Aircraft Upgrades|additional equipment]].
{{Imperial Aircraft
Thunderbolt.jpg|Artwork of the Side View of a Thunderbolt{{Fn|3}}
thunder4.jpg.jpg|Rear View of a Thunderbolt
WoVImperium.jpg|Epic Thunderbolts and [[MarauderBomber|Marauders]]s for [[Aeronautica Imperialis (Game)|Aeronautica Imperialis]]{{Fn|8}}
File:Thunderbolt Colehis.jpg|Thunderbolts of the 5th Khulan Flight Wing
Double Eagle Cover.jpg|Thunderbolts over [[Enothis]]
</gallery>
==Related ArticlesSee also==
*[[Imperial Fighter Wings]]
*[[List of Imperial Aircraft]]
==Sources==
*1: [[Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy]]:
**{{Endn|1a}}: pg. 223
**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 224
*{{Endn|5}}: [[Aeronautica Imperialis: Wings of Vengeance]], pgs. 39-40
*{{Endn|6}}: [[Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost and the Damned]], pgs. 25-26
*{{Endn|7}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/01/29/new-reveals-from-nuremberggw-homepage-post-1/ Warhammer Community: New Reveals from Nuremberg (Posted January 29 2020)] ''(last accessed 1/29/January 2020)''*{{Endn|8}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/08/01/gencon-previewgw-homepage-post-1/ New Reveals at Gen Con!] ''(Last Accessed last accessed 02 August 2nd 2019)''
*9: [[Aeronautica Imperialis Game Rulebook]]:
**{{Endn|9a}}: pg. 34
*{{Endn|14}}: [[Apostle's Creed (Short Story)]] — [[Sabbat Worlds (Anthology)]]
*{{Endn|15}}: [[Night Shriekers (Short Story)]] — [[Only War: Stories from the 41st Millennium (Anthology)]]
*{{Endn|16}}: [[The Horus Heresy Book Four - Conquest]], pg.275*{{Endn|17}}: [[The Art of Warhammer 40,000 (2025)]] - , pg. 222
{{ImpShips}}
