Storm Eagle Assault Gunship
The Storm Eagle Assault Gunship is an aircraft used by Space Marines.[1]
Overview
The Storm Eagle dates back to the Great Crusade, designed to be a smaller attack craft to compliment the larger Stormbirds and Thunderhawks.[2] The first Storm Birds were constructed on Terra, but primary production later transferred to Anvilus, Galatea, and Tigrus.[9]
The legendary mobility of the Adeptus Astartes has won planet-spanning conflicts with a single strike; providing the precise application of deadly force at the point where it proved most decisive. A Chapter's fleet of attack craft is the keystone that makes this possible, and it is the iconic Thunderhawks and Drop Pods that are at the forefront. Craft such as the Storm Eagle Assault Gunship follow close behind to lend their weapons to the devastating assault. A formidable gunship, the Storm Eagle mounts fearsome firepower for a vehicle of its size and is capable of transporting twenty Space Marines directly into the thick of an assault. The exact provenance of the Storm Eagle is unknown, but it bears clear similarities to the Stormravens employed by the Blood Angels and Grey Knights. Certain sources place the principal manufacture of the Storm Eagle upon Tigrus and Anvilus IX, both primary-grade Forge Worlds that suffered catastrophic damage during the Horus Heresy.[1]
In recent decades the number of Storm Eagles in active service has begun to increase, especially amongst those Chapters known to have favourable relations with the Adeptus Mechanicus. But despite its increase in production, the Storm Eagle has yet to be deployed as widely as the Storm Raven.[4a] Chaos Space Marine warbands are also known to still employ the Storm Eagle, though these date back to the Great Crusade and have often since become Daemonically corrupted.[5a]
Armaments
The Storm Eagle generally has the following weapon systems -
- A hull-mounted set of either twin-linked heavy bolters, twin-linked multi-meltas or a typhoon missile launcher[4b]
- A hull-mounted Vengeance launcher[$b]
- A pair of twin-linked lascannon or a set of four hellstrike missiles[4b]
Technical Information[4c]
| Type | Orbital Dropship | Operational Ceiling | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Name | Storm Eagle | Max Speed | 2000 kph approx. |
| Forge World of Origin | Unknown | Range | 30,000 km in atmosphere |
| Known Patterns | Main Armament | Vengeance launcher | |
| Crew | Pilot | Secondary Armament | twin-linked Heavy Bolters |
| Powerplant | 2x combination rocket/afterburning turbofans | Main Ammunition | 48 missiles |
| Weight | 68 tonnes | Secondary Ammunition | 2000 rounds |
| Length | 18 m | Armour | |
| Wingspan | 11.8m | Superstructure | 45 mm |
| Height | 7.2m | Hull | 55 mm |
Known Patterns
Roc Pattern
The Roc Pattern Storm Eagle is used primarily by the Minotaurs and Red Templars, serving as a formidable tank hunter while sacrificing troop carrying capacity. It is armed primarily with a Vengeance launcher with Roc warheads.[4a]
Nighthawk-pattern
Designed by Iron Father Sabik Wayland of the Iron Hands Legion. This pattern was in use by the time of the Horus Heresy despite not having been officially sanctioned by the Martian Mechanicum. It was noted for its superior maneuverability, high velocity and inbuilt stealth technologies.[7]
Variants
Fire Raptor
The Fire Raptor is a dedicated gunship version of the Storm Eagle[5b]
Darkwing
The Darkwing was a specialized variant of the Storm Eagle used by the Raven Guard during the Horus Heresy and Great Crusade. These craft were constructed on Kiavahr and the technology that made them was not shared with the greater Adeptus Mechanicus. This aircraft was extremely stealthy and possessed systems barely understood to the Imperium such as rad-shrouded armour and quantum field repellors. The space these systems took up however reduced infantry-carrying capacity. Thus, these craft were often used to insert small elite units deep into enemy held territory.[3]
Alphawing
The Alphawing is a specialized variant of the Storm Eagle used by the Alpha Legion. It is a variant of the Raven Guard's Darkwing-pattern, which was among the schematics the Alpha Legion claimed after infiltrating the Legion, during the Horus Heresy.[10]
Spiderwidow
The Spiderwidow is an Inquisitorial void-capable variant of the Storm Eagle. It carries few armaments, lacking space in the enlarged plasma-housing for anything but engines and assorted sensor-baffling archeotech, but it retains wing-mounted lascannons and a pair of heavy bolters at the prow.[6] It is armoured in plasteel and adamantium. Beating a Thunderbolt in range while being slower and less manoeuvrable, the Spiderwidow can still navigate through confined spaces when piloted by a capable enough person.[12]
Known Named Storm Eagles
- Barbed Angel - Flesh Tearers Chapter[11]
- Blood Drinker - Flesh Tearers Chapter[11]
- Herodal's Wrath - Roc Pattern Storm Eagle, Minotaurs Chapter[4d]
Images
See Also
Sources
- 1: Forge World Storm Eagle (last accessed 18 April 2016)
- 2: Imperial Armour Aeronautica, pg. 28
- 3: The Horus Heresy Book Three - Extermination, pg. 278
- 4: Imperial Armour Volume Two - Second Edition: War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes
- 5: Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost and the Damned:
- 6: Vaults of Terra: The Carrion Throne (Novel), Chapter 11
- 7: Angel Exterminatus (Novel), Chapter Six
- 8: Warhammer Community: Warhammer Fest Online: Day 4 – Warhammer Underworlds, Necromunda, and Aeronautica Imperialis (Posted on 06/05/2021) (Last accessed on 6 May 2021)
- 9: Liber Hereticus, pg. 62
- 10: Renegades: Harrowmaster (Novel), Harrowmaster
- 11: Flesh of Cretacia (Novella) - Chapter 3
- 12: Vaults of Terra: The Dark City (Novel), Chapter Eleven
