Hellhound

Astra Militarum Portal

A Hellhound firing its Hull and Turret Mounted Flamers

The Hellhound is an Imperial Guard flame tank, based on the chassis of the Chimera. It is armed with a large flamer known as an Inferno Cannon, discharging lethal self-igniting chemicals to flush out infantry in dense terrain and urban combat zones. It is feared by all enemies because of its ability to cover a wide area with flames and cause horrific losses to units that cluster together.^[1][2a]

Overview

A Hellhound in action against the Tyranids

Hellhounds are typically organized into either dedicated Hellhound Tank companies or support squadrons for armoured or mechanised companies, but will rarely fight together as a complete unit. Most commanders take a flexible approach to Hellhound deployment, attaching them to other units in an ad hoc fashion as needed.^[3]

A select few Guardsmen have the foolhardy bravery (or insanity) to willingly volunteer to crew a Hellhound. Those who do take perverse pride in their reputation, claiming others simply "can't take the heat" as they gun their vehicle towards the largest concentration of enemy forces with pyromaniacal zeal.^[2a][3]

The Inferno Cannon mounted on the Hellhound's turret has a short range, but can spray its chemical fire over a wide area, filling every nook and cranny with flaming death and incinerating troops sheltering within buildings or behind cover.^[1][2a] It is fed by a large Promethium tank in place of the Chimera's troop compartment, with a large enough supply to give the Hellhound ample endurance during extended battles. While the large capacity overcomes the typical ammunition problems of other flame-throwing weapons, it does make the Hellhound a tempting target, as enemy fire can easily ignite the stored promethium and create a huge, super-heated fireball.^[3] For this reason not only is the fuel tank armoured but the Hellhound itself boasts thicker armouring than found on the Chimera,^[1][2a] along with a much larger engine.^[2a]

In addition the Hellhound is also fitted with a hull-mounted Heavy Bolter, though in some models this is replaced with a Heavy Flamer or Multi-melta. The vehicle can also be upgraded with a number of additions and modifications, including Camo Netting, a Dozer Blade, Extra Armour, a Hunter-Killer Missile, a pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a Searchlight and/or Smoke Launchers.^[2b]

Patterns

There are three known patterns of Hellhound as follows:

• Mars pattern - More popular amongst Guard commanders as their profile is largely unchanged from that of a standard Chimera, making it harder for the enemy to single them out. The promethium reservoir fills the Chimera's cargo space.^[3]
• Artemia pattern - The Artemia pattern differs in two key ways: it has a remotely operated turret, reducing the number of crew to two, and the cargo space is replaced with a much larger capacity fuel cell. This fuel cell is by necessity very heavily armoured.^[3]
• Graia pattern - The Graia pattern also replaces the cargo compartment with a larger fuel cell but retains the standard manual turret and a crew of three.^[3]

Specifications

Vehicle Name:	Hellhound[3]	Main Armament:	Inferno Cannon
Forge World of Origin:	Graia	Secondary Armament:	Heavy Bolter
Known Patterns:	II-XVII	Traverse:	360°
Crew:	Commander, Gunner, Driver	Elevation:	From -8° to +25°
Powerplant:	Vulcanor 16 Twin Coupled Multi-Burn	Main Ammunition:	98 shots
Weight:	35 tonnes	Secondary Ammunition:	400 rounds
Length:	6.9m
Width:	5.7m	Armour
Height:	4.1m
Ground Clearance:	0.45m	Superstructure:	150mm
Fording Depth:	{{{Fording Depth}}}	Hull:	120mm
Max Speed - on road	70kph	Gun Mantlet	N/A
Max Speed - off road:	55kph	Vehicle Designation:	0639-944-6501-HH070
Transport Capacity:	None	Firing Ports:	N/A
Access Points:	N/A	Turret:	150mm

Variants

There are several variants of the Hellhound which replace the Inferno Cannon with alternate armaments.

Bane Wolf

The Bane Wolf uses a Chem Cannon. Bane Wolves are used when the complete eradication of the enemy is warranted, as they smother their targets in broiling clouds of noxious gas that dissolve organic material in moments. The victims' blood boils in their own veins and their flesh sloughs from one as the mixture of toxins do their horrific work.^[2a]

A Bane Wolf

Devil Dog

The Devil Dog uses a Melta Cannon. Devil Dogs are able to tear through heavy troops and armoured tanks in short order. When fired, the main weapons make a high pitched howl as moisture in the air vaporises, becoming a roaring blast as the target detonates.^[2a]

A Devil Dog

Images

Hellhound - current model

Hellhound - original model

Artemia pattern Hellhound

Graia pattern Hellhound

Sources

• 1: Codex: Imperial Guard (2nd Edition), pg. 30
• 2: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition)
  • 2a: pg. 50
  • 2b: pg. 101
• 3: Imperial Armour Volume Four - The Anphelion Project, pg. 110