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==History==
The Thunderbolt has been in Imperial service for over ten millennia, thanks to its versatility, having been used to [[Siege of Terra|defend the Imperial Palace]]. {{Fn|10}} During the [[Great Crusade]] and the [[Horus Heresy]], the Thunderbolt formed the bulk of the intra-atmospheric fighter aircrafts of the [[Imperialis Armada]] and was used to support the landing operations and battlefield advances of the [[Solar Auxilia]].{{Fn|16}} During this period of service, the Thunderbolt has only been modified in minor ways for the myriad of different environments it has served in.{{Fn|10}}
During [[Scouring|the Scouring]] various alternative weapon fits to better combat heavy tanks and [[Titan]]s were trialed, but none were very successful, throwing the Thunderbolt off-balance and affecting the whole aircraft. These trials were finally ended with the development of the [[Marauder Bomber|Marauder]].{{Fn|10}}
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}} The Thunderbolts of the [[Solar Auxilia]] were able to carry four [[Kinetic Piercer Missile]]s or [[Sunfury Heavy Missile]]s.{{Fn|16}} It can also mount [[Imperial Aircraft Upgrades|additional equipment]].
{{Imperial Aircraft
