A Hydra Flak Tank during combat
The Hydra Flak Tank, also known simply as the Hydra, is the main mobile anti-air artillery piece of the Astra Militarum. It is produced on hundreds of Forge Worlds across the Imperium and is widely-used in nearly every regiment. The Hydra, like many other Imperial military vehicles, is based on the Chimera armoured personnel carrier chassis, and is armed with a set of twin-linked Hydra Autocannons. Hydra Autocannons are a set of long barrelled Autocannons mounted on a turret with highly sophisticated tracking and targeting equipment. The Hydra is used to defend important ground units such as Imperial Guard artillery batteries and armoured columns from enemy air attacks. Non-mobile units or structures are usually defended by a Hydra Platform, a stationary version of the Hydra Autocannon, while the Hydra itself is generally deployed with mobile units. The Hydra's powerful guns are capable of quickly reducing enemy aircraft to smoking debris, but they can also be levelled towards the ground to engage enemy infantry and lightly armoured vehicles when circumstances warrant. The Hydra's Autocannons are so effective in the destruction of enemy infantry that Imperial commanders often overlook this breach in regulations and some regiments will use their Hydras as front-line vehicles when the threat of air attack is reduced or no longer present. Hydra tanks are usually kept in their own company within a regiment, but are rarely deployed together in company formation and are instead assigned to other companies which require air defence.
Armament
The commander of a Hydra scans the skies for threats
The Hydra is armed with a turret-mounted set of twin-linked Hydra Autocannons, long barrelled Autocannons that unleash explosive flak rounds at an extremely high rate of fire. The Hydra's gunner and loader are positioned in the vehicle's turret and work together to keep the weapon's automated loading mechanism and complex targeting systems operational. The vehicle is also armed with a single hull-mounted Heavy Bolter, which can be used against enemy infantry that get too close. The tank can also be equipped with Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a mine sweeper, improved communications equipment, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, rough terrain modifications, a Searchlight, track guards, and Smoke Launchers.
Variants
The following is a list of all known Hydra variants:
A Wyvern armed with its signature Stormshard Mortars
- Wyvern Suppression Tank - The Wyvern is a short-ranged artillery tank of the Astra Militarum. The Wyvern is a variant of the Hydra, exchanging the Hydra's anti-air Hydra Autocannons for a pair of twin-linked Stormshard Mortars. The Wyvern was designed for the claustrophobic environment of urban warfare, its weapon system capable of raining down curtains of shrapnel upon enemy infantry without ever exposing itself to danger. The Wyvern uses a bastardised version of the Hydra's advanced auto-targeting system that constantly runs proximity sweeps of the area for concentrations of enemy infantry. The Machine Spirits of these vehicles are renowned for their malicious nature, as they actively seek the most tightly-packed or vulnerable grouping of infantry and strain to target them, sometimes even overriding the commands of their crews. When the Wyvern does fire its Stormshard Mortars, they emit a distinctive roar as they spew clouds of shells high into the air.
Known Users of the Hydra
- 28th Valhallan Armoured Regiment - The 28th Valhallan Armoured Regiment was stationed on the planet Betalis IV.
- 6th Cadian Armoured Regiment - The 6th Cadian Armoured Regiment made extensive usage of the Hydra during the defence of the planet Betalis III against the Eldar of Craftworld Mymeara.
- 2nd Brimlock Regiment, The "Sky Wardens" - The 2nd Brimlock Regiment depended upon the Hydra during the defence of Bastion 312 against rebel drop forces, and acquired a confirmed kill ratio of 99,999 to 1.
- 8th Valhallan Armoured Regiment - The 8th Valhallan Armoured Regiment made use of the Hydra during the Sallan's World Offensive.
- 142nd Cadian Armoured Regiment
- 74th Cadian Armoured Regiment
- 87th Armageddon Steel Legion Regiment
- 46th Palladius Armoured Regiment
- 2nd Phyressian Armoured Regiment
- 8th Pardus Armoured Regiment
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications
| Vehicle Name: | Hydra | Main Armament: | Turret-mounted twin-linked Hydra Autocannons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forge World of Origin: | All Known Forge Worlds | Secondary Armament: | Hull-mounted Heavy Bolter |
| Known Patterns: | I - XIX | Traverse: | 360 degrees |
| Crew: | 1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 Gunner, 1 Loader, 1 Comm-Operator | Elevation: | 0 to 79 degrees |
| Powerplant: | Vulcanor 16 Twin-Coupled Multi-Burn | Main Ammunition: | 600 Rounds |
| Weight: | 38 Tonnes | Secondary Ammunition: | 300 Rounds |
| Length: | 5.29 metres | Armour: | |
| Width: | 3.78 metres | ||
| Height: | 5.10 metres | Superstructure: | 100 millimetres |
| Ground Clearance: | 0.45 metres | Hull: | 150 millimetres |
| Max Speed On-Road: | 50 kilometres per hour | Gun Mantlet: | N/A |
| Max Speed Off-Road: | 35 kilometres per hour | Vehicle Designation: | 0427-941-3030-HY44 |
| Transport Capacity: | N/A | Firing Ports: | N/A |
| Access Points: | N/A | Turret: | N/A |
See Also
Sources
- Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pg. 51
- Codex: Astra Militarum (6th Edition) (Digital Edition)
- Imperial Armour, pp. 43-44, 56-59
- Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, pp. 171-176
- Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pp. 9, 175-179, 262-263, 267
- Imperial Armour Volume Elevan - The Doom of Mymeara, pg. 27
- Imperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pg. 189
- Aeronautica Imperialis (6th Edition), pg. 24
- Honour Guard (Novel) by Dan Abnett
Gallery
