Arvaley Kurov Tank

**This article, Arvaley Kurov Tank, was written by Cornish Moose. It may be linked to any page without asking for the author's permission.**

## Armaments

### **Primary Ammunition**

120 Rounds standard load
(typically more are carried due to crew request)

*Feel free to add this tank to articles you have written. If you let me know I will add them to the notable users list.*

The **Arvaley Kurov Tank**, more commonly known as the Kurov Tank, is a light tank pattern recently recovered by the Adeptus Mechanicus and named in honour of Arvaley Kurov, general of the Steel Legion and famed hero of the Third War of Armageddon. Notable for its lightweight construction and rugged reliability, the Kurov rapidly became a favourite amongst most of the airborne regiments of the Imperium of Man.

## History

Based on a partial Standard Template Construct (STC) recovered by a Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleet during M41, the Kurov tank was prototyped and trialled extensively by a number of Forge Worlds, including Mars, Gryphonne IV and Tvastar, amongst others. Once they were satisfied that the vehicle, designated 0863-737-82XX-CHXXX, was suitable, the Astra Militarum was provided with a number of examples for further testing. The results were mixed, while the tank was praised for its mobility and ruggedness, it was considerably less resilient than the Leman Russ tank and comparatively lightly armed. Thus it was unappealing to the majority of the regiments that tested it. However the airborne regiments that acquired some examples (through underhand tactics, as the Ministorum neglected to provide any), praised it highly and eagerly requested more examples. It had quickly dawned upon them that the vehicle was light enough to be carried by their Sky Talon and Spectre airborne lifters and was therefore the perfect compliment to their requirements, as most airborne regiments were limited to Drop Sentinels for vehicular support.

After further trials and modification, the vehicle was approved for limited production and assignment to AM regiments. It was given the name Arvaley Kurov in honour of the famed Steel Legion general. It has seen modest adoption overall, though amongst airborne units it is almost universal.

While only in use for a comparatively short time, the tank has developed a highly regarded reputation amongst its users for being a tough workhorse, providing much needed mechanised support to units that previously had nothing. A number of upgrade packages were developed to improve the protection against anti-tank weaponry, which can be easily equipped if required.

## Capabilities

### Battlefield Role

The primary role of the majority of Kurovs is to provide fire support to droptroopers, in the form of a rugged gun platform that can dish out mobile firepower while being much more durable than a Tauros or Tauros Venator. Due to it's carefully constructed hull and lightweight alloys, the tank is light enough to be carried by the Imperial Navy's smaller transport craft, such as the Sky Talon and Spectre. This allows it to deploy alongside these airborne units in the first wave, and keep pace with the wheeled buggies and bikes they utilise.

### Armament

The primary armament of the Kurov tank is a Syrtis pattern Autocannon, the same weapon installed in the Predator tank of the Adeptus Astartes. 120 rounds of ammunition is the nominal capacity, though it is common for crews to cram in extra shells wherever they can fit them to increase this number. A pintle mounted Heavy Stubber is typically also carried on the commander's cupola.

### Armour

As to be expected on such a lightweight vehicle, the armour of the Kurov is thin, offset slightly by the use of tougher alloys and well-sloped surfaces. Nonetheless for a tank it is a comparatively weak vehicle, relying on its mobility to survive.
Up-armouring with appliqué, spaced or reactive armour by conventional regiments and airborne units during longer campaigns is commonplace, to improve the survivability of a vehicle.

## Known Users

* **Cardaces** - A number of the tanks have been acquired by the private military of the Rogue Trader House of the Solar Winds of Auximite, for use by their airborne regiments.