Manticore - Armament: Compared to the Earthshaker Cannon, a Manticore is a highly sophisticated piece of equipment, utilising audio-modulated radio control systems, gyroscopic roll stabilisation and radar tracking. The Manticore can be used to fill a number of roles and make up any shortages in the existing order of battle of the Astra Militarum. When armed with anti-aircraft missiles it can stand in for a Hydra, when armed with oxy-phospor incendiary warheads it becomes a devastating anti-infantry weapon, and when armed with high-explosive warheads it can even be used to attack enemy tank formations.Each Manticore Missile is divided into five components: the fuse, control and guidance equipment, an electrical unit, an explosive warhead and the missile's propellant tank. Each missile is powered by a two-part solid-fuel rocket that generates speeds of up to 300 metres per second once airborne. Due to the restrictions on the number of missiles available, Manticores are not as commonly seen on the battlefield as Basilisks. This means most artillery barrages are still fired by breach-loading artillery, though Imperial Guard commanders find the Manticore's tactical flexibility very useful.Each Storm Eagle Rocket, the most common munition now used by the Manticore, is a self-contained arsenal. Mounted upon a single-stage booster and fitted with guidance and detonation-Augurs, these munitions are capable of extreme range bombardment. The Storm Eagle warhead contains concentric racks of high explosive bomblets, each soaked in sacred unguents of the Adeptus Mechanicus and hand-scribed with the One Hundred Canticles of Wrath. Soaring across the battlefield upon a contrail of flame, the Storm Eagle descends upon its target like an avenging angel. The deafening roar of the rocket's approach causes foes to abase themselves in terror, or flee screaming in a hopeless attempt at self-preservation. Directly above the target zone, the blessed warhead breaks up, unleashing its payload of bomblets across a wide area. Tanks are sent cartwheeling by concussive blasts, or are completely pulverised by the force of multiple detonations. Infantry are atomised or hurled into the air, blackened bodies tumbling down around the impact zone like ash from a hellish conflagration. Each warhead spawns a thunderous carpet of explosions that leave nought but wrath-strewn debris in their wake.Whilst extremely powerful, the Manticore is notoriously unpredictable. The temperamental Machine Spirit of this artillery vehicle must be continuously tended to by a group of the artillery battery's attendant Tech-priests. Otherwise, without the appropriate blessings, the Machine Spirit may be offended, resulting in rockets veering off-target or even failing to detonate. Unfortunately, it is more common for the Manticore's weapon system to simply jam and for its rockets to be unable to launch. In very rare circumstances, it has been recorded that Manticores have unintentionally fired their entire payload at once, resulting in the catastrophic destruction of entire Imperial units.Despite the Manticore's unpredictable streak, many commanders consider the rewards of their successful employment more than worth the gamble. A single Manticore is adjudged by the Departmento Munitorum to be equal in material value to an entire battery of lesser ordnance, and with good reason. When the rocket launchers are attached to Imperial Guard regiments for support, most officers employ them as terror weapons at a pivotal moment, using the might of the Manticore to deliver the decisive killing blow.The Manticore can be equipped with several different types of missiles, including the Manticore Missiles, the anti-air Sky Eagle Rockets, and the now-standard Storm Eagle Rockets. The vehicle is normally equipped with a forward hull-mounted Heavy Bolter, but it can also be outfitted with a Heavy Flamer if needed. The Manticore can be also be equipped with the following enhancements: Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a mine sweeper, improved communications equipment, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a Dozer Blade, rough terrain modifications, a Searchlight, track guards, and Smoke Launchers.