Kodiak Main Battle Tank

> "*What I cannot crush with words, I will crush with the tanks of the Imperial Amry!*"
> ― Unknown Imperial Army Marshal
>
>

The **Kodiak** is the main battle tank of the Imperial Army, and is also the most widely deployedt ank in the Imperium. The tank is named after the War Bears Primarch, Kodiak Ursidae. Far from a sophisticated vehicle, the Kodiak was designed and built with reliability and versatility in mind. It can survive the worst the galaxy can throw at it, and can run on almost any combustible liquid fuel.

Though slow, its frontal armour is strong enough to withstand the multitude of weaponry wielded by the enemies of the Emperor of Mankind. Its side and rear armour remains thinner to reduce the strain on the tank's engines. This characteristic does make the Kodiak vulnerable to assault from these angles, requiring infantry support, other tanks or very careful operation to protect the vehicle. The Kodiak can only perform to its optimum capabilities when all of these elements are combined during an Imperial armoured advance.

The Kodiak main battle tank is an ironclad declaration of might made manifest. They are the mainstay of the Excertus Imperialis armoured forces, lumbering slabs of armour and intolerance whose inexorable advance has ground a billion foes of the Imperium to bloody ruin.

What the Kodiak lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in brute force and survivability. Enemy fire patters from its inches-thick armour like dust on the wind. Between its sponsons, hull and turret the Kodiak carries enough firepower to pound almost any foe into submission. The tank’s rugged simplicity and ease of manufacture ensures that the Imperium can field whole companies of Kodiak with ease, burying the outnumbered foe beneath waves of irresistible armoured fury.

Dedicated Kodiak tank companies play a key role in Imperial strategy, and the greatest Imperial tank offensives will see armoured formations many Terran miles in breadth sweep all before them in a rumbling tide. However, it is common to see armoured companies broken into squadrons to support infantry and artillery elements in the field.

The presence of even one Kodiak can provide an enormous boost to the fighting strength and morale of Imperial Army infantry, while a whole squadron of such armoured brutes wields serious destructive power. Kodiak squadrons can be deployed to spearhead an all-out offensive, reduce an enemy breakthrough to a tangle of blood-soaked wreckage, or safeguard the thundering guns of an artillery company from attack. With its many common variants, the Kodiak is a versatile and deadly tool in the arsenal of any Imperial Army commander.

The Kodiak is crewed by a minimum of four crewmen, including a commander, gunner, loader and driver. Side sponson weapons may be added, each of which requires an additional crew member to operate. The Kodiak is simple to operate, but very loud and uncomfortable for its crew. Due to the noise, intravehicle communication is only viable by an enclosed intercom system, with the commander having access to an external Vox-caster.

## History

The Kodiak battle tank was first developed some time during the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, but most of the information about the vehicle from that ancient time is missing or non-existent. The Kodiak battle tank proved to be a reliable and proven armoured vehicle named after the Primarch of the *Legiones Astartes W*ar Bears in honour of his savage ferocity in war. Numerous sub-patterns mounted a wide array of weapons in service of the elite Solar and Hydra Auxilia were often enhanced to the "Solar" pattern, fitted with supplementary survival and exploration systems. Kodiak tanks in Auxilia strike squadrons were fitted with extended fuel reserves and their engines enhanced with forced induction chargers. These combined to increase the tanks' speed and operational range substantially, allowing them to make wide flanking advances in order to engage an enemy at the moment the infantry sections launched their own attack.

Kodiak Assault squadrons consisted of heavily armoured variants of the Solar pattern -- re-configured for direct assault against fortified enemies. They lacked the speed of the strike Kodiak squadrons but were formidably durable. Their main weapons were comparatively short ranged in relation to the artillery batteries, but they were used in a direct assault role or in close support of the Infantry Tercios, in particular those mounted in Dracosan Armoured Carriers. The Plasma Destroyer mounted on the Executioner and the volkite demi-culverin with which the Incinerator was armed, were rare and highly prized weapons more commonly seen on the war machines of the *Legiones Astartes*, and they had to be painstakingly calibrated and intensively ministered to by Tech-Priests assigned to the cohort to ensure their continued operation.

## Capabilities

The Kodiak seems to be a crude, slow, and poorly designed tank, but it is an excellent benchmark for the abilities and advanced nature of Imperial technology. Despite being famed for its simplicity and reliability, the Kodiak is an extremely complex and advanced main battle tank. The tank's frontal armour is 150 millimetres thick, meaning it can withstand all but the most dedicated anti-tank weaponry, yet its side armour is much thinner. With a range of 105 miles on just 360 gallons of fuel, a feature the later Land Raider would also possess, the Kodiak can accept almost any sort of combustible fuel. Though its top speed is a mere 29 kilometres/hour, this is mostly because of extremely heavy governing of the tank's engine, as a properly tuned Kodiak can reach speeds in excess of 70 kilometres/hour. The Kodiak is also noted for its ability to turn on a dime, and its ability to reverse direction in only seconds remains a "signature move" for the vehicle. The Kodiak is equipped with a variety of high-tech scanners and Auspex systems, plus inertial dampening technology designed to provide better stability for the firing of the tank's main weapon.

## Armament

The basic and most common armament of the Kodiak tank is a turret-mounted Battle Cannon and a hull-mounted Heavy Bolter. Alternatively, a Lascannon can be mounted on the tank's hull instead of the Heavy Bolter. The Kodiak can be equipped with two sponson mounts, one on each side. The most common configuration for the sponson-mount is 2 Heavy Bolters or 2 Heavy Flamers. Kodiak tanks that are a part of a well-equipped armoured regiment sometimes have 2 Multi-Meltas or 2 Plasma Cannons as their sponson weapons. The tank can also be equipped with Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, improved communications equipment, a mine sweeper, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a Searchlight, track guards, rough terrain modifications, a Dozer Blade, and Smoke Launchers.

### Known Formations

* **Emperor's Fist Tank Company** - An Emperor's Fist Tank Company is an armoured formation consisting of three squadrons of Kodiak main battle tanks of any type, and a single Formation Leader. The three squadrons must consist of three Kodiak tanks, of any type. This powerful phalanx of armour makes the perfect hammer for the Imperium's forge of war.

## Known Users of the Kodiak Tank

* **Solar Auxilia** - The Kodiak was the mainstay of the elite Solar Auxilia during the Great Crusade and Antarus Apostasy eras in the 30th and early 31st Millennium.
* **Hydra Auxilia** - Like the Solar Auxilia, the Hydra Auxilia made use of the Kodiak chasis for both a main battle tank and self-propelled artillery.
* **Excertus Imperialis** - The Kodiak is the basic and most common battle tank of the Imperial Army, and is the mainstay of nearly all Imperial armoured regiments and companies.
* **Planetary Defence Forces** - The Kodiak is used by many Planetary Defence Forces stationed on Imperial worlds.
* **Adeptus Arbites** - The Precincts of the Adeptus Arbites will sometimes have a small number of Kodiak tanks at their disposal, though these vehicles are usually ancient and rarely, if ever, see any action.
* **The Lost and the Damned** - The Lost and the Damned is the name collectively given to the multitude of beings that have turned to Chaos, the vast majority of whom are the ordinary mortals who fight for Chaos. They are not a single coherent force, but rather a diverse and infinite collection of warbands and hosts under the leadership of Chaos Champions. These forces take their weapons and vehicles with them, and as many of them were former members of the Imperial Army or Planetary Defence Forces, they make use of an uncountable number of Kodiak tanks.

## Derivatives

The Kodiak chassis is the basis for many other Imperial armoured vehicles, including the:

* **Destroyer Tank Hunter** - Tank Hunter
* **Thunderer Siege Tank** - Short-range Artillery
* **Atlas** - Recovery Tank
* **Bombard** - Heavy Short-range Artillery

## Patterns

There are several different Kodiak patterns used by the Imperium. Many of these differences between them are only cosmetic, but several offer increased interior room, better performance, or increased armour.

* **Mars-Alpha**- The Mars-Alpha Pattern Kodiak has a slightly larger chassis interior than any other pattern. The Mars-Alpha Pattern is commonly used for Kodiak tanks that serve as squadron or regimental command vehicles, as the extra space allows for the installation of more powerful communications equipment and provides more room for a command staff.
* **Phaeton**
* **Ryza**
* **Solar** - An ancient variant pattern, the "Solar" pattern was primarily utilised by the elite Solar Auxilia Cohorts of the *Imperialis Auxilia*. These Kodiak tanks were retrofitted with supplementary survival and exploration systems. Sometimes they were fitted with extended fuel reserves and their engines were enhanced with forced induction chargers for increased operational range.
* **Gryphonne IV**
* **Stygies VII**

## Variants

The Kodiak tank can exchange its main weapon for a different weapon which changes the tank's designation and battlefield role. These variants include:

### Conqueror

One of the less common Kodiak variants, the Kodiak Conqueror is only produced in any significant quantities on the Forge World of Gryphonne IV, where the Standard Template Construct plans for the design were originally rediscovered. Armed with the Conqueror Cannon, as opposed to the standard Battle Cannon, the Conqueror sacrifices outright destructive power in exchange for improved mobility and accuracy whilst firing on the move.

The Kodiak Conqueror comes standard with co-axial mounted Storm Bolters and searchlights, removing the need to expose a crew member to fend off oncoming enemy infantry. The back of the turret houses an armoured ammunition access hatch, making re-arming the tank quick and easy. This hatch is also used to dispose of spent Conqueror Cannon shells.

### Demolisher

One of the most common Kodiak variants, the Kodiak Demolisher is equipped with the Demolisher Cannon, and is designed as a short-range bombardment and line-breaker tank. The extreme power of this weapon is hampered by its short effective range.

Demolishers are valued as close heavy fire support vehicles by the Imperial Guard's infantry units, and it is the most common variant of the Kodiak that is equipped with Plasma Cannons and Multi-Meltas on its sponson mounts in order to make them more effective against heavily armoured units.

### Executioner

A variant now produced only on the Forge World of Ryza, the Kodiak Executioner is armed with the Plasma Destroyer, a slightly more powerful version of the Plasma Cannon. A poorly understood and temperamental weapon, the Plasma Destroyer is often criticised for its high power requirements, limiting the tank's effectiveness in extended engagements.

The turret features emergency vents, heat shielding and coolant to both protect the crew and the weapon itself from damage should a plasma containment field failure occur. However, due to bad design, the coolant feed lines run outside the turret, and are prone to damage, rendering the emergency systems less than reliable. Crews dislike being made to work in the Executioner, and are prone to bailing out at the first sign of trouble.

Crews who willingly command these tanks are often seen as foolhardy, extremely brave, or insane. However, those crews who do stick to their tanks are among the best tank-killers in the Imperium, able to take out even the most heavily armoured tanks and buildings due to their powerful main gun. When the tank takes too much damage, the plasma containment field for the main gun can short out, releasing an expanding shock-wave of energy that can incinerate any infantry close to the vehicle.

### Eradicator

A simple, destructive vehicle, the Kodiak Eradicator was instrumental in the urban conflict on Khai-Zhan. Its main weapon, the Eradicator Nova Cannon, gained a fearsome reputation as a powerful anti-infantry weapon. The weapon's heavy, high-calibre ballistic shells are capable of destroying both enemy barricades and any infantry sheltering behind them with a highly volatile sub-atomic charge.

This makes the Eradicator extremely effective in cities, jungles or other dense terrain. With a blast radius close to that of the Demolisher Cannon, but possessed of a longer range, the Eradicator Nova Cannon can effectively clear buildings of enemy infantry before they can even get a shot off.

### Exterminator

The infrequently seen Kodiak Exterminator variant is armed with turret-mounted Twin-linked Autocannons and is generally deployed in an anti-infantry role. Sometimes the Exterminator is also utilised as a stop-gap measure for anti-air defence due to its rapid firing speed.

It is especially effective against lightly armoured horde armies such as the Orks, and when the tank is equipped with all anti-infantry weaponry, such as Heavy Bolters, it is capable of laying down a withering hail of ballistic fire. While the Twin-linked Autocannons have recoil dampeners they lack a muzzle brake or flash suppressor.

### Huntsman

The Huntsman is a local variant of the Kodiak exclusively used by the Planetary Defence Militia of the Knight World of Adrastapol. Amongst the Household armies of House Draconis and House Minotos, the Huntsman was primarily used as a mean to flush out the local macro-predators known as "gurghols" from the undergrowth on the Knights' many great hunts.

It has since found its way into Adrastapol's armed forces. The typical Huntsman eschews its turret-mounted Battle Cannon for the Inferno Cannon usually found on Imperial Hellhounds. Many a scientist has described the Huntsman as an attempt to retro-engineer the Kodiak Incinerator.

### Incinerator

One of the most devastating variants of the Kodiak accessible to only the elite regiments of the Imperial Army during Mankind's conquest of the galaxy. In particular, elite formations such as Solar Auxilia Cohorts fielded the Incinerator in large quantities as infantry support or to accompany armour-borne thrusts.

The Incinerator fields a terrifying twin-linked Volkite Demi-Culverine, a weapon system more commonly seen on *Legiones Astartes* vehicles. Like all Volkite Weapons, it produces a deflagrating attack, in which subsonic combustion caused by a beam of thermal energy is propagated through the target by thermodynamic heat transfer, so that hot burning material heats the next layer of cold material and ignites it. In this regard, the Incinerator's weapon-system only proved inferior to the mighty Volkite Carronade mounted on Glaive Super-Heavy Special Weapons Tanks of the *Legiones Astartes*, but it still remained more then capable enough for burning entire squads of enemy infantry to ashes in a blink of an eye.

### Punisher

The Kodiak Punisher is the most potent anti-infantry vehicle in the Imperial Army, and amongst the best anti-infantry vehicles in the galaxy. Armed with the Punisher Gatling Cannon, a large, multi-barrelled ballistic weapon, it is known as one of the fastest-firing slug throwers in the Imperium's arsenal.

The Punisher can shred even the heaviest of infantry units with punitive ease, however, the Punisher can be outmatched by enemy tanks in a head-to-head fight, and commonly only works with other Kodiak tank variants to make up for the loss of anti-tank firepower. The crews of Punishers have reputations for being very gung-ho and extremely trigger happy.

### Vanquisher

 A rarer and more advanced variant of the standard Kodiak, the long-barrelled Vanquisher Cannon mounted on the Kodiak Vanquisher is capable of firing powerful anti-tank shells. In addition, a Storm Bolter is mounted co-axially to the main cannon.

However, Vanquishers are becoming increasingly rare in Imperial service due to the actions of the Ork Warlord Arrgard the Defiler, who scoured the Forge World Tigrus in the 35th Millennium, destroying the only existing template for constructing the Vanquisher Cannon in the process.

## Ork Looted Kodiak

 Orks have also seen the usefulness of the Kodiak and almost always loot one or more from a battlefield where they have faced the Asra Militarum should the chance arise. However the Orks' incompetence with ranged weaponry has drastically decreased the effectiveness of the tank's main weapons.

Looted Kodiak tanks, and just about any other tank or vehicle, are very popular with the Death Skulls tribe of Orks who are very good at "liberating" enemy vehicles. The Death Skulls like to loot a vehicle, repair it, and then use it against the enemy during the same battle. Sometimes the Orks will "enhance" their looted vehicles with more weapons, armour, and garish paint jobs which match their "unique" aesthetic style.

## Sources

* *Codex: Astra Militarum* (8th Edition), pp. 50-51, 114
* *Codex: Astra Militarum* (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Kodiak Battle Tanks," "Heavy Support - Kodiak Squadron"
* *Codex: Imperial Guard* (5th Edition), pp. 48-49
* *Codex: Imperial Guard* (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pp. 48-49
* *Codex: Imperial Guard* (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 23
* *Codex: Imperial Guard* (2nd Edition), pp. 29, 43
* *Imperial Armour Update* 2002, pg. 14
* *Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy*, pp. 14-31
* *Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard* (Second Edition), pp. 9, 16, 21-24, 26, 30, 247, 250, 254, 267, 275
* *Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign*, pp. 64, 86, 87, 89, 148
* *Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One*, pp. 26, 33, 36, 39, 81, 171
* *Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two*, pp. 54, 106
* *Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three*, pg. 21
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* *Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two*, pg. 29
* *Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara*, pp. 20, 46, 58, 97
* *Imperial Armour Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus*, pp. 197, 203
* *Imperial Guard Collector's Edition* 2003, pp. 54, 63
* *Only War: Core Rulebook* (RPG), pp. 106, 140, 160, 215-216, 235, 267
* *The Antarus Apostasy - Book Four : Conquest*, pg. 89, 246, 274, 278, 280
* *Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse* (6th Edition), pp. 126, 142
* *White Dwarf* 366 (UK), pg. 3
* *Deliverance Lost* (Novel) by Gavin Thorpe, pg. 420
* *Knightsblade* (Novel) by Andy Clark, pg. 115
* *Nightbringer* (Novel) by Graham McNeill
* *Forge World - Kodiak Incinerator*