Thunderer Siege Tank

The Thunderer Siege Tank is a close-range infantry support vehicle used by the Astra Militarum that was developed to replace lost Leman Russ Demolisher tanks by using the unused chassis of Destroyer Tank Hunter tanks.

While not as effective as the Leman Russ Demolisher due to its lack of secondary weaponry, the Thunderer has found its role in providing potent infantry support at close ranges against fixed targets and for limited times because of its inability to store large amounts of ammunition.

The Thunder Siege Tank is produced at Forge Worlds that cannot manufacture the Heavy Laser Destroyer weapon needed for the Destroyer Tank Hunter. As the Thunderer Siege Tank is a replacement vehicle, it is not included in any known Imperial unit's official order of battle.

History[]

The Thunderer was developed as a field conversion sometime during the 38th Millennium by a Departmento Munitorum field workshop as a replacement for lost Leman Russ Demolisher tanks. Using a Destroyer Tank Hunter chassis and a spare Demolisher Cannon, the field workshop was able to quickly replace lost Leman Russ Demolisher tanks.

Due to the advanced technology used in the Destroyer Tank Hunters' Heavy Laser Destroyer being very difficult to repair and costly to manufacture, there are many unused Destroyer Tank Hunter chassis that can be retrofitted with a Demolisher Cannon. After stripping out the Laser Destroyer and its capacitors and batteries and installing the Demolisher Cannon there is only room for 18 rounds, and thus the tank cannot operate for long periods of time.

Armament[]

The Thunderer Siege Tank is armed with a single forward-firing Demolisher Cannon and no other weapons. The Thunderer has extra armour added to its dorsal surface due to its need for protection from enemies who have fortified themselves within tall buildings during urban combat.

The Thunderer can be upgraded with a Pintle-Mounted Heavy Stubber or a Pintle-Mounted Storm Bolter, camo-netting, Extra Armour Plating, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, improved communications equipment, a minesweeper, rough terrain modifications, Searchlights, track guards, and Smoke Launchers.

Another unnamed variant of the Thunderer is known to exist, which instead of a Demolisher Cannon is equipped with a Battle Cannon or a Vanquisher Cannon, and is used by armoured regiments when they lack an adequate number of functioning Leman Russ tanks.

Notable Users of the Thunderer Siege Tank[]

8^th Pardus Armoured Regiment
8^th Necromundan Regiment
Armageddon Steel Legion
18^th Catachan Jungle Fighters Regiment
21^st Death Korps of Krieg Panzer Division, "Death's Head"
21^st Palladius Armoured Regiment
4^th Vastadt Independent Tank Regiment - Took part in the 2^nd Saint Saen Crusade
Skitarii Mars Regiments
17^th Tallarn Armoured Regiment
179^th Death Korps of Krieg - The 179^th Death Korps of Krieg Regiment made extensive use of the Thunderer Siege Tank during the Siege of Vraks.

Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications[]


Vehicle Name:	Thunderer	Main Armament:	Demolisher Cannon
Forge World of Origin:	Field Conversion	Secondary Armament:	N/A
Known Patterns:	I - II	Traverse:	5 degrees
Crew:	1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 Gunner	Elevation:	-3 to 12 degrees
Powerplant:	HL230 v12 Multi-Fuel	Main Ammunition:	18 Rounds
Weight:	52 Tonnes	Secondary Ammunition:	N/A
Length:	7.08 metres	Armour:
Width:	4.86 metres	Armour:
Height:	3.40 metres	Superstructure:	200 millimetres
Ground Clearance:	.45 metres	Hull:	150 millimetres
Max Speed On-Road:	32 kilometres per hour	Gun Mantlet:	150 millimeters
Max Speed Off-Road:	22 kilometres per hour	Vehicle Designation:	0427-941-2020-LR01
Transport Capacity:	N/A	Firing Ports:	N/A
Access Points:	N/A	Turret:	N/A