Marauder Destroyer
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The Marauder Destroyer is a ground-attack variant of the Marauder Bomber. Sacrificing bomb payload in favour of direct firepower, the Marauder Destroyer is specialised for low level attacks.2
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History
The first recorded use of the Marauder Destroyer was during the Second War for Armageddon. Heavy losses in Imperial Aircraft allowed for Ork dominance of the skies over certain areas of Armageddon. In response, the remaining Marauder bombers were refitted for night operations and flying at low levels to avoid detection. With the new tactics came a new payload, sacrificing bomb payload for additional direct-fire weaponry. Marauder Destroyers have since been used in other conflicts, including the more recent Third War for Armageddon.1
Tactical Role
The Marauder Destroyer is used primarily as a low level attack craft for close ground support missions. Indeed the deafening roar of a low-flying Marauder Destroyer often has a positive impact on friendly ground troops' morale. However it lacks the bomb payload for strategic bombing, and while adequate for interdiction missions there are generally too few Destroyers for it to be wasted in this role. Favorite targets of Destroyers include airbases, headquarters and supply depots. These heavily-defended targets, which might normally take an entire squadron of Marauders to carpet-bomb from high altitude, can be more easily destroyed with less risk of failure by a smaller number of Destroyers.1
Technical Specifications
The Marauder Destroyer has additional tracking and sensor systems compared to the original bomber model allowing it to fly at night at heights as low as 100 meters and at speeds in excess of 1500 kph.1 The much smaller bomb bay housed within its armoured superstructure can carry only six Bombs, while mounted alongside the ground surveillance auspex in the nose section are three twin-linked Autocannons supplied by 150-round ammunition drums.2 While it retains the turret-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters atop the fuselage for defensive fire, the tail-mounted Heavy Bolters are replaced by twin-linked Assault Cannons, which are used to strafe targets following the main attack run.1 Like other Imperial aircraft, Marauder Destroyers can receive further upgrades.
| Type | Ground Attack Bomber1 | Operational Ceiling | 41000m, with jet engines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Name | Marauder Destroyer | Max Speed | 1800kph |
| Forge World of Origin | Cypra-Mundi | Range | 15000km in atmosphere |
| Known Patterns | I-VII | Main Armament | 6x nose mounted Autocannons 2x rear turret mounted Assault Cannons 2x dorsal turret mounted Heavy Bolters |
| Crew | Pilot, Navigator, Bombardier, Nose Gunner, Tail Gunner, Turret Gunner | Secondary Armament | 3000lbs internal payload 8x Hellstrike Missiles |
| Powerplant | 4 x J79-CS Afterburning Ramjet | Main Ammunition | 300 rounds |
| Weight | 43 tonnes empty | Secondary Ammunition | 2000 rounds |
| Length | 19.2m | Armour | |
| Wingspan | 24.6m | Superstructure | 45mm |
| Height | 4.8m with landing gear down | Hull | 30mm |
- Imperial 501st Navy Bomber Wing
- Imperial 2424th Navy Bomber Wing Blackwing squadron - use on Armageddon
- Imperial 23rd Navy Bomber Wing Sabre squadron - Denkari-Prime - Death World
- Imperial 4521st Navy Bomber Wing Drako squadron - Third War for Armageddon
Sources
- 1:Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, p. 235
- 2:Imperial Armour - Apocalypse Second Edition, p. 38
