Home › Units › Adeptus Astartes (all Chapters) › Thunderhawk Gunship
1 / 4 · Click to enlargeLore & origins
The Thunderhawk is the main aircraft of the Adeptus Astartes. It can fly from a strike cruiser or battle-barge in orbit, through the atmosphere and onto the battlefield, carrying a full squad of Space Marines or, in its Transporter variant, Rhinos and Predators. It is heavily armoured for an aircraft and carries enough firepower to fight as a gunship as well as a transport.
The Thunderhawk dates back to the 30th Millennium. It was designed to fill the gap between small Legion craft such as the Storm Eagle and the larger, far more expensive Stormbird. Some Legions were slow to accept it, but by the Horus Heresy it had proved itself, and it remains in service across almost every Chapter.
The Thunderhawk gunship is the Space Marines' main aerial transport and attack craft. It carries a squad of Marines or a Dreadnought into battle from orbit. Thunderhawks are used by loyalist and traitor Chapters alike, and the Thunderhawk Transporter variant carries vehicles.
The Thunderhawk's armour combines ablative ceramite, heat-dissipating layers, thermoplas fibre mesh, rolled titanium plates and an adamantium inner hull. This lets it survive orbital entry and heavy fire. In space its three engines act as rocket boosters, burning hydrogen from the onboard fusion reactor. It is slower than Navy interceptors such as the Fury, but it can outfight and outlast them, staying in combat about twice as long as standard void fighters.
Appearance & wargear
The Thunderhawk is a large, blunt-nosed aircraft with forward-swept wings and a broad body. Its typical armament is four twin heavy bolters, two lascannons under the wings and a dorsal battle cannon called the Thunderhawk cannon, which can be replaced with a turbo-laser destructor. It can carry up to six hellstrike missiles and racks of bombs. The Thunderhawk Transporter replaces the troop bay with clamps for carrying vehicles.
It is a huge, heavily armoured gunship with a Thunderhawk cannon, lascannons, heavy bolters and bombs.
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Battlefield role & tactics
Thunderhawks open many Space Marine assaults. They strafe defences, drop strike forces behind enemy lines and evacuate wounded Marines. Their bombing runs can smash fortifications, and their heavy guns make them dangerous to enemy aircraft and ground targets alike.
It transports and supports troops and strikes ground targets. It is tough but vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire.
The Thunderhawk can force its way through enemy fighter screens to deliver a hit-and-run strike on a warship. On the ground it is used for orbital assaults, heavy ground attacks and the extraction of Marines. The Annihilator variant gives up its transport capacity for a vortex weapon of the same type the Dark Angels' Dreadwing used in the Great Crusade.
Notable battles & users
- Taros Campaign: the Raptors deployed eight Thunderhawks and the Avenging Sons five against the T'au.
- Ultramarines: the Chapter flew Thunderhawks in the Damnos campaign and the Devastation of Boros.
- Blood Ravens: Thunderhawks feature in the Dawn of War campaigns on Tartarus and Kronus.
- Avenging Sons: deployed five Thunderhawks during the Taros Campaign against the T'au.
Related
Characters (2)
Roboute Guilliman · Primarch of the Ultramarines, Lord Regent of the Imperium
Marneus Calgar · Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, Lord Macragge