A blasphemous fusion of man, machine, and [[daemon]], these fell creatures of [[Chaos]] have enormous wingspans that make them even larger than [[Stormraven Gunship]]s. Once fighter aircraft flown by noble [[Space Marine]]s, these have since been mutated by the powers of the [[Warp]] into something far more hideous. Their original pilots are still inside, fused to their machines for eternity, and it is their anguish and hate that adds to the feeling of "wrongness" that a Heldrake gives. After centuries of gradually fusing to their machine and becoming overcome by the [[Daemon]] that inhabits it, in the end the pilot is only a fetal foetal ball that burns deep within the core of the aircraft.{{Fn|3}} A crude hierarchy pervades Heldrake swarms, with the most powerful and experienced entities commanding their followers through pack dominance.{{Fn|4}}

Heldrakes are often the first wave of any full-scale Chaos Space Marine invasion. Fully capable of traversing space, Heldrakes will often cling to the underbelly of [[Chaos Fleet|Chaos warships]] like a swarm of bats, feeding off the vessels ' energy through cables and pipes. Sometimes, Heldrakes will claim areas within warships for themselves, daring any to come to oppose them.{{Fn|4}}