A Land Speeder Storm of the Ultramarines Chapter
The Land Speeder Storm is an uncommon variant of the standard Land Speeder used by the Adeptus Astartes. The Land Speeder Storm sacrifices the heavier weaponry of the more common Land Speeder variants, such as the Land Speeder Tornado and Land Speeder Typhoon, in exchange for a modest transport capacity. The Land Speeder Storm is capable of carrying a small squad of Scout Marines into battle without any loss of performance. The Land Speeder Storm is mainly used as a fast reconnaissance vehicle, and is capable of deploying Scout Marines deep into enemy territory without being noticed. The Land Speeder Storm is also equipped with baffled engines, which severely reduces their noise output, and a sophisticated spy array that helps gives the Land Speeder Storm an advantage during hit-and-run attacks. When the vehicle's cargo of Scout Marines are in the field, the vehicle can act as a mobile firebase to provide support, or the vehicle can act as an assault craft and drop the Scouts into hotly contested areas. The Land Speeder Storm is most commonly used as a stealth insertion craft, deploying the Scouts deep behind enemy lines where they can harass supply lines and destroy important targets.
History
The exact origins of the Land Speeder Storm are unknown, though the vehicle is widely used by the Ultramarines, the Raven Guard, and their Successor Chapters. It is unknown if the vehicle originated with either of these Chapters. While the Land Speeder and several of its most common variants are used by most, if not all Space Marine Chapters, the Land Speeder Storm is all but unknown to many Chapters, such as the Space Wolves and the Blood Angels.
Armament
A Land Speeder Storm squadron of the Ultramarines Space Marine Chapter
The Land Speeder Storm replaces the heavy weaponry used by the standard Land Speeder and its variants with the ability to carry a demi-squad of Scout Marines into battle. The Land Speeder Storm is equipped with a pintle-mounted Heavy Bolter, which can be fired by the front-seat passenger. The vehicle is also equipped with a tri-barrelled weapon known as a Cerberus Launcher, which is is mounted under the front of the vehicle. The Cerberus Launcher is used to stun the enemy while the Scout Marines disembark from the vehicle, and it fires a disorienting volley of fragmentation, stun, and blind rockets into the enemy position. When combined with the high speeds of the Land Speeder and the disorienting effects of the Cerberus Launcher, the Scout Marines are able to quickly take enemy positions that may have been thought of as impenetrable. The vehicle also carries an extensive array of spy sensors and communications and sensor jamming arrays. The vehicle's jamming array can disrupt enemy Teleport Homers and similar wargear within a wide area around the Land Speeder. The Land Speeder Storm, like the standard pattern Land Speeder, has no additional enhancement options such as extra armour plating or smoke launchers, but the vehicle's pintle-mounted Heavy Bolter can be replaced with a Heavy Flamer, a Multi-Melta, or an Assault Cannon.
Known Users of the Land Speeder Storm
- Ultramarines - The Land Speeder Storm sees widespread use amongst the renowned 10th (Scout) Company of the Ultramarines Chapter.
- Raven Guard - The Raven Guard make widespread use of the Land Speeder Storm to infiltrate their Scout Marines deep into enemy lines.
- Howling Griffons - The Howling Griffons made use of the Land Speeder Storm during the Amar Secession, where they were able to covertly capture the outer bastions and artillery defenses of the mad Regent of Amar in a single night. The bastions' weapons were seized by the Howling Griffons Scout Marines and turned upon the inner palace. This assault would have been impossible to conduct if the more conventional Scout Marine assault tactics employing Drop Pods or Rhinos had been employed.
- White Scars - The White Scars made use of a Land Speeder Storm in their fight against the Orks on the moon of the world of Lepidus Prime.
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications
| Type | Light Transport Skimmer | Operational Ceiling | 100 Metres | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Name | Land Speeder Storm | Max Speed | 350 kilometres per hour | ||
| Forge World of Origin | Unknown | Range | 4,000 kilometres in atmosphere | ||
| Known Patterns | Unknown | Main Armament | Pintle-mounted Heavy Bolter | ||
| Crew | 1 Pilot | Secondary Armament | Nose-mounted Cerberus Launcher | ||
| Powerplant | 2 x AS 9-60 Ramjets (Baffled) | Main Ammunition | 500 Rounds | ||
| Weight | 3.5 Tonnes (approx) | Secondary Ammunition | Unknown | ||
| Length | 4.7 Metres (approx) | Armour | |||
| Wingspan | 5.0 Metres | Superstructure | 15 millimetres | ||
| Height | 3.0 Metres | Hull | 15 millimetres | ||
| Transport Capacity: | 5 Scout Marines | Vehicle Designation: | Unknown | ||
Also See
Sources
- Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 75
- Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 95, 169
- Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pp. 155-157
- Stormseer (Novella) by David Annandale
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