The Stormraven Gunship is a relatively new addition to the armouries of many Space Marine Chapters, such as the Blood Angels and Ultramarines, seamlessly combining the roles of dedicated gunship, dropship, and strike aircraft.
Overview
It is unclear just how the craft came into being; there are rumors of its STC file being discovered early in the 41st Millennium in a forgotten Martian archive, but the Stormraven has been in service with the Grey Knights for millennia before that.[2] As the situation for the Imperium has become increasingly desperate and since the Adeptus Mechanicus has judged its performance satisfactory, many Space Marine Chapters[3] and the Inquisition[5] now employ the Stormraven.[3]
Smaller than the Thunderhawk Gunship, the Stormraven is, not surprisingly, much more agile than its more well-known sibling, thanks to its wide array of vectored thrusters. It is this maneuverability that makes it an ideal support craft in environs (such as the crowded spires of a Hive City) where the deployment of Thunderhawks would be impractical or simply foolish.[1a]
Weapons
The Stormraven's default load-out is a Twin-linked Heavy Bolter, a twin-linked Assault Cannon, and four Bloodstrike Missiles or Stormstrike Missiles, but this can be reconfigured depending on the required mission parameters (or simply the commander's personality). It may replace the heavy bolter with either a Typhoon Missile Launcher or a twin-linked Multi-Melta, and the assault cannon for either a twin-linked plasma cannon or lascannons. Finally there is the choice of adding a pair of Hurricane Bolters on its side sponsons.[1b]
Transport Capacity
The Stormraven can carry a squad of up to 12 Power Armoured Space Marines or a half-dozen jump pack-equipped Assault Marines, as well as a Dreadnought in the vehicle's rear magna-grapple.[1a]
Notable Stormravens
- Angelsword - Death Company Stormraven Gunship, took part in the Diamor Campaign on the planet Amethal[6]
- Clarion Dawn - Death Company Stormraven Gunship, took part in the Diamor Campaign on the planet Amethal[6]
- Fury of Macragge - Ultramarines[4]
- Purgation's Sword - Grey Knights
- Sword of the Emperor - Inquisition (Inquisitor Ebron Valdermar)[5]
Images
See Also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition)
- 2: Codex: Grey Knights (5th Edition), pg. 37
- 3: Death from the Skies, pg. 56
- 4: Warhammer: Visions 14, pg. 180
- 5: Warhammer: Visions 12, pg. 111
- 6: Black Crusade: Angel's Blade, pg. 24
