Rhino
From Lexicanum
Contents |
Overview
The Rhino is a tracked armoured troop carrier used throughout the Imperium, but most notably by the Space Marines, Sisters of Battle as well as by the Chaos Space Marines. It is also used by the Inquisition and the Adeptus Arbites. The Rhino's versatile design has allowed the development (mostly through the rediscovery of STC designs) of several variants, each fulfilling a different tactical role. Popular variants are the Razorback, Predator, Whirlwind and Immolator.
History
Origins
The Rhino has been in service throughout the history of the Imperium. As an STC vehicle, the Rhino dates back to the distant time of Mankind's initial colonisation of the galaxy2. Originally, they were named "RH1 N0 - Tracked Exploration and Multi-defence" - commonly referred to as Rhinos1. It was used to explore newly colonised worlds prior to mass expansion, making sure there weren't any alien races waiting in ambush.
At its most basic level it is an armoured carrier with large tracks designed to cope with any terrain and protect those inside. It is such a basic design that it can be constructed from almost any material and run on any semi-combustible material. As such, the basic design has changed little throughout the years.
Military employment
The military value of such a vehicle was discovered, and soon each planet in the small human empire had its own customised versions of the Rhino, fitted with varying weapons.
The earliest evidence of the Rhino in combat is at Torben's World against the indigenous alien population. Three hundred Rhinos were deployed to the largest alien city. The speed of the assault meant they had no idea of the coming of the humans and had not prepared any defences. The Rhinos poured their firepower into the flimsy structures and then deployed nearly three thousand warriors. The city was destroyed and the other alien homes removed and the colonisation proceeded easily. The news of this victory spread and the use of the Rhino was adopted more and more by other planets.
As the empire expanded, more aliens were encountered, and the STC system gave a forward army access to advanced vehicles such as the Predator, Immolator and Whirlwind. Unfortunately, during the Age of Strife, the STC systems were lost, and all the planets of the empire were affected.
The Rhino in the 41st Millennium
With the loss of the STC systems, the ability to construct Rhinos was also temporarily lost, leading to many Rhinos becoming holy relics, thousands of years old. Eventually the discovery of STC printouts (hard copy blueprints and information on their construction) were found, allowing the construction of Rhinos to resume.
In the early Imperium, the Rhino was a far more ubiquitous vehicle, employed by most Imperial military forces. Since then, knowledge has faded, and the employment of the Rhino has become limited to the Space Marines and a few other Imperial organisations2.
Now, only the Adeptus Mechanicus possess the knowledge to build a Rhino (although a Rhino could easily be built on virtually any world in the Imperium if it possessed a copy of the Rhino design schemes). Each Rhino is purified and blessed, each piece appeased before being put in place. Should a Rhino be lost in battle, it will be salvaged and repaired, being sent back out into the field to give the machine spirit a chance for retribution against its enemies.
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Design
Armament
The Rhino is armed with a storm bolter and, unlike many other Imperial vehicles, does not have a rotatable turret mounting. It can also carry a pintle mounted storm bolter.
Armour
The armour on a Rhino is quite weak, but this reduces its weight and allows it to travel quickly across the battlefield. Its rear armour is almost the same as its front and side, meaning any shots hitting from any angle have a good chance of penetrating. The armour is 30-60mm thick.
Equipment
The Rhino can be upgraded with dozer blades, extra armour, a hunter-killer missile, the Power of the Machine Spirit, a searchlight and smoke launchers.
Transport capacity
The capacity of a Rhino is twelve Power Armoured warriors, although it is not equipped to handle Terminator Armour.
Fire points
The Rhino mounts a large top hatch which allow two warriors to fire from it.
Access points
There are three entrances to a Rhino, two side hatches and one rear ramp, making it very hard to lock warriors inside the vehicle while it is destroyed.
Other
Often, the crew can make minor repairs to the vehicle as damage occurs due to the resilience of the Rhino's design. This sometimes means an immobilised vehicle can move again
- Worlds of Production: almost every industrialised world in the Imperium
- Models: I-VI
- Weight:30 tonnes unladen
- Length: 6.6m
- Height: 3.6m
- Hull Width: 4.5m
- Ground Clearance: 0.44m
- Max. Speed (road): 70kph
- Max. Speed (off-road): 55kph
- Armour: 30-60mm
- Crew: 1 (driver)
Variants
Space Marines
Adepta Sororitas
Named vehicles
Sources
- 1:White Dwarf 103 (1988), Rampaging Rhinos, by Rick Priestley
- 2:Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), p. 76
- Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition)
- Chapter Approved 2001
| Rhino Chassis | Rhino • Damocles Command Rhino • Razorback • Vindicator • Whirlwind • Predator Annihilator • Predator Destructor • Baal Predator • Sabre Tank Hunter |
|---|---|
| Land Raider Chassis | Land Raider • Land Raider Crusader • Land Raider Redeemer • Land Raider Helios • Land Raider Prometheus • Land Raider Ares • Land Raider Terminus Ultra • Hellfire Land Raider • Land Raider Spartan |
| Dreadnought Chassis | Dreadnought • Furioso Pattern • Mortis Pattern • Ironclad Dreadnought • Siege Dreadnought • Venerable Dreadnought • Grey Knights Dreadnought |
| Land Speeder Chassis | Land Speeder • Land Speeder Tornado • Land Speeder Typhoon • Land Speeder Tempest • Land Speeder Storm |
