vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Ravenwing - Ravenwing Land Speeders: Most often, Land Speeders form highly mobile support for the ground-bound bike elements of the Ravenwing or larger Dark Angels strike forces. While part of the Ravenwing closes with the enemy, it is the Land Speeders that ensure that the bike-mounted spearhead can reach its quarry.To do this requires vehicles and pilots as mobile and quick-witted as the bike formations themselves. The Ravenwing advocate a fluid style of attack, and all its members must be ready to switch from well-rehearsed set-piece attacks to improvised breakthroughs or rapid pursuit of fleeing foes.In the Ravenwing's unconventional composition, a single Land Speeder makes up part of the standard Attack Squadron, while others (up to five) are grouped into Support Squadrons that can be split as needed. This unusual doctrine has been developed because the Ravenwing use Land Speeders to perform a variety of battlefield roles, due to their versatile weapons loadout.The Dark Angels can equip their Land Speeders for light probing reconnaissance, advanced scouting, tank-hunting, seek and destroy missions, and so on as required by tactical demands.Ravenwing Master-Crafted Land Speeder - The Ravenwing Master-Crafted Land Speeder is a unique variant of the Land Speeder used only by Master (Captain) Sammael of the Dark Angels' Ravenwing. The Master of the Ravenwing's Land Speeder is heavily armed with twin Heavy Bolters and twin-linked Assault Cannons. In addition, this specialised pattern of Land Speeder is equipped with superior targeting equipment and a protective Void Shield generator.Land Speeder Vengeance - The Ravenwing have always sought more firepower to support their hard-hitting attacks. An answer to this quest came in the 36th Millennium, with the discovery of the STC database for a strange type of Land Speeder. Its larger chassis and superior gravitic lift-engines could house heavy weaponry, allowing it to mount the Plasma Storm Battery -- a relic weapon long held in The Rock's armoury. Thus was born the Land Speeder Vengeance, a strike vehicle exclusively employed by the Unforgiven Chapters. In conjunction with the Land Speeders of the Support Squadron, the Land Speeder Vengeance has proven its worth on the battlefield time and again, able to keep pace with the fastest of the Ravenwing vehicles and able to deliver devastating volleys from its deadly Plasma Storm Battery. The Land Speeder Vengeance provides the Ravenwing with a highly mobile and deadly support battery to aid them in their hunt for the Fallen.
Ravenwing - Ravenwing Darkshroud: The Ravenwing Darkshroud is perhaps one of the strangest archaic relics deployed on the field of battle by the Chapters of the Unforgiven. Those who have witnessed it at close range and felt its caliginous pall are disturbed forevermore. The Darkshroud is a powerful icon of the Chapter and the Dark Angels will protect it with their lives.This archeotech vehicle consists of a Land Speeder Vengeance mounted with an ancient stone statue known as a Stone Guardian, or the Ten Brothers of The Order, as ten such idols exist. These statues were some of the few barren remnants found amongst the ruins of the Tower of Angels following the catastrophic destruction of Caliban.Locked in stasis displays deep in the Reclusiam of The Rock for years, it was not until the desperation of the Vendetta Campaign that the Dark Angels at last felt compelled to unleash their arcane power upon the battlefield. Each statue was mounted upon the chassis of a Land Speeder Vengeance, with great cables siphoning off its strange energy and amplifying it, and a power field of unknown quality which ripples outwards from these grim reliquaries and absorbs most forms of electromagnetic energy.In battle, the Darkshroud is used in support of the Ravenwing, its otherworldly veil serving to partially obscure and protect the company's bikes and light vehicles as they streak towards the foe. Even the blazing beam of a Lascannon can be swallowed within that gloaming field of eldritch power, dissipating harmlessly while the Ravenwing speed onwards.
Ravenwing - Nephilim Jetfighter: Nephilim Jetfighters are sleek Dark Angels aircraft deployed from the fighter bays of The Rock or any of the Dark Angels' Strike Cruisers. Although sometimes given the task of escorting Thunderhawks to their drop sites, the main role for the Nephilim is as an interceptor to establish air superiority over the battlefield, allowing their brethren to concentrate on ground targets with little concern for aerial assault.The Nephilim Jetfighters have only been used by the Dark Angels since the late 40th Millennium, when the Standard Template Construct for the improved engines was discovered while hunting a suspected Fallen, Baelor the Imposter, in the Nephilim Sector.Designated the Lionheart engine, the technology was used to modify older designs, though many features were left in place to appease the Machine Spirits. The end product was a more agile fighter with improved speed, even while carrying more powerful armaments. With a twin-linked Lascannon mounted in its nose, the Nephilim is ideally suited to bringing down aerial targets. It has proven itself on innumerable occasions.The Dark Angels are a conservative Chapter, highly resistant to change or innovation. Freedom of thought is, after all, the first step upon a dangerous path. Yet for all this, Nephilim pilots are something of a breed apart.While they revere those ancient relics that have been used in combat since the days of the Great Crusade, they continually push their Chapter's Techmarines for enhancements, modifications or newer marks of craft -- anything that can boost the speed with which they can take the fight to those who would deny the Emperor's will. Such enthusiasm is looked upon with tolerance by the Company Masters, for the results it produces are substantial.
Ravenwing - Ravenwing Dark Talon: The Ravenwing Dark Talon is perhaps the deadliest weapon in the Ravenwing's arsenal, and it plays a pivotal role in the 2nd Company's eternal hunt for the Fallen. A strange and ominous-looking craft, this atmospheric fighter is topped with sepulchre-like spires and half-covered in a gothic facade.Flying low, the Dark Talon follows the contours of surrounding terrain. Utilising its ground-facing boost jets, the Dark Talon can literally hang in the air, hovering above its victims like some black bird of prey.The Dark Talon attacks in two ways; it is armed to provide direct air support to allies on the ground with an underslung racked Hurricane Bolter under each of its blunt wings. The Dark Talon also carries a single bomb. It is able to accelerate on bombing runs, delivering its strange payload to their marked quarry.This archaic holdover from the Age of Technology is an archaic weapon known as a Stasis Bomb, the blast from which causes a degree of heat damage but, more importantly, momentarily halts the flow of time. This unnatural disruption to the time stream causes gut-wrenching disorientation and slows the reaction times of those caught within the proximity of the blast.Situated in the nose of the aircraft is the Dark Talon's most awe-inspiring weapon. The Rift Cannon, sometimes referred to as the "Stained Glass Cannon," is a weapon developed at the zenith of Mankind's technological achievements and his hubris long before the Emperor first reigned upon Terra.When fired, it emits a beam of Warp energy that emerges with a cascade of scintillating colours that explode into a blossom of oblivion as a small rift into the Immaterium is opened at the beam's point of contact.In addition to its mighty arsenal, the Dark Talon carries a stasis-crypt holding cell where the Dark Angels' captives are loaded so that they might be ferried up to the orbital fleet and, ultimately, to the dungeons of The Rock and the attentions of the awaiting Interrogator-Chaplains.
Ravenwing - Mark IV Raven Pattern Assault Bike: The Mark IV Raven Pattern Assault Bike is used exclusively by the Space Marines of the Dark Angels Chapter's Ravenwing Company. Ravenwing Black Knights ride to battle atop Mark IV Raven Pattern Space Marine Assault Bikes, powerful machines outfitted with deadly Plasma Talons.On their approach to close with their foes, their Plasma Talons tear holes in the enemy lines before they ride over their quarry. To signify their exalted status, Black Knights carry Corvus Hammers, which are patterned after an ancient Calibanite weapon used to hunt the Great Beasts of that lost world.When Black Knights close with the enemy upon their Assault Bikes they crack armour and sunder the flesh of their enemies with their hammers as they go. Against more formidable opponents, those Black Knights trained in the use of the Ravenwing Grenade Launcher fire a salvo of specialised rad and stasis shells, which can make even the hardest of enemy units more vulnerable to a sustained assault.
Ravenwing - Ravenwing Aviation: Swift and sinister, the aircraft squadrons of the Dark Angels flit across the shadowed skies like flocks of ominous carrion crows. They are darkness and death, the shroud that falls inescapably upon the heretical and the guilty and erases them from the galaxy without a trace.The Dark Angels are unusual amongst the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes in that their aircraft are not piloted by the Techmarines of their armoury. Instead, these agile hunting craft are flown into battle by the expert operatives of the Dark Angels 2nd Company, the Ravenwing.The Ravenwing are tasked with rapidly locating and violently eliminating the enemies of the Emperor. They are an elite brotherhood, highly specialised in their methods of warfare to the degree that not a single Battle-Brother of the Ravenwing fights on foot. All are trained to ride into battle astride roaring Space Marine Assault Bikes, to pilot the anti-grav skimmers known as Land Speeders, or to fly the infamous Nephilim Jetfighters and Ravenwing Dark Talons that make up the Dark Angels air force.Ravenwing operatives are trained to gather extensive battlefield information at all times, drinking in every scrap of Vox-intel, energy signature recognition and Augur-analysis to build an unparalleled strategic picture of the battlefield around them. They specialise in locating even the most elusive prey and running them to ground, forming an ironclad net of machines and potent firepower, all directed by warriors as meticulous as they are merciless.In short, the seamless coordination between the ground forces and aircraft squadrons of the Ravenwing makes them one of the finest hunting forces in the galaxy. The hidden reason for this specialisation is bound up with the Dark Angels' hunt for the Fallen. It is a quest that entirely consumes the shadowed upper echelons of the Chapter, and one that must never come to light in the eyes of any other Imperial institution. The Dark Angels field dozens of aircraft squadrons and can further augment these with the wings of their Successor Chapters -- the Unforgiven -- turning the skies black with aircraft should such measures be necessary to keep their secrets.
Ravenwing - The Silver Talon: Only a handful of Dark Angels pilots have ever been awarded the order of the Silver Talon, the greatest honour that they can earn.Previous incumbents include Brother Azaziel, who single-handedly defended the skies above Neuvenport in his Nephilim Jetfighter against waves of Necron Doom Scythes, and Brother Raphaenus of the Ravenwing, whose airborne capture of the Fallen known as Ghuldarkk is legendary within the Inner Circle.Recipients of this award have their names graven into the Gate of Angels, the huge stone arch that gives access to The Rock's largest launch bay, and are permitted to wear a raven's talon silver pendant, and to have the same device painted onto the hull of their Nephilim or Dark Talon.
Ravenwing - Pre-Heresy: Garradin - Garradin, known as "The Ravenbringer," was a Terran-born veteran of the Unification Wars and an elderly member of the Ist Legion by the beginning of the Great Crusade. He was once the Lord of the Host of the Void. His service began fifty standard years before the Ist Legion had first stepped out of the shadows under the command of their original Legion Master Hector Thrane. By the time of the Muspel campaign, Garradin had become the first voted-lieutenant and master of the Ravenwing.Aloceri -  Aloceri was a voted-lieutenant of the Ravenwing following the end of the Ruinstorm during the Horus Heresy. Rumours persisted amongst the Ist Legion that Aloceri was backed for the position by none other than Holguin, the master of the Deathwing, due to both of them having served as aspirants together and being the favourites of Master Ramiel while serving as a member of The Order back on their homeworld of Caliban. Regardless of the truth of these rumours, Aloceri was known to be the undisputed master of various aerial vehicles including the Land Speeder, strike fighters, Jetbikes and interceptors as well as the traditional horsemanship that was demanded by the Ravenwing.
Ravenwing - Company Badge: The company icon of the Ravenwing Company is a single angelic wing with its talons gripping a sword.
Ravenwing - Company Colours: The Ravenwing Company's Astartes do not use the same dark green colour scheme for their armour and vehicles as the rest of the Chapter. Much like their counterparts in the Deathwing Company, the Ravenwing's members wear the original deep black power armour colour used by the Dark Angels Legion during the Great Crusade before the Horus Heresy.
Ravenwing - Sources: Codex Supplement: Dark Angels (9th Edition), pp. 14-17, 20, 23, 26, 32, 42, 44-46, 48-50, 54, 56-58, 63, 66, 72-77Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (8th Edition), pp. 16, 44-47, 79, 103-104Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Ravenwing Support Squadron"Codex: Dark Angels (6th Edition), pp. 14, 16, 20-21, 23-25, 31, 35, 46-51, 58Codex: Dark Angels (4th Edition)Codex: Dark Angels (3rd Edition)Codex: Angels of Death (2nd Edition)Death from the Skies (7th Edition), pp. 10, 32Deathwatch: First Founding (RPG), pp. 48-49Imperium Nihilus: Vigilus Defiant (Supplement), pg. 42The Horus Heresy Book Nine: Crusade (Forge World Series), pp. 42, 104-105, 116-117, 125-126, 158, 161, 170White Dwarf (Sept 2019), Index Astartes: Dark Angels by Callum Davis & Elliot Hamer, pg. 30White Dwarf #96 (28 Nov 2015), Parade Ground: Ravenwing Command Squad Astegar, The Raven's Claw, pg. 22Eternal War (Comic Anthology), Ravenwing by Bill KaplanAngels of Caliban (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, Ch. 3Dreadwing (Novella) by David Guymer, Ch. 2Descent of Angels (Novel) by Mitchel ScanlonLion El'Jonson: Lord of the First (Novel) by David Guymer, Book 9, Part 1The Purging of Kadillus (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, The Tale of Naaman: Cut and RunRavenwing (Novel) by Gav ThorpeThe Unforgiven (Novel) by Gav Thorpe
Ravenwing Grenade Launcher - Ravenwing Grenade Launcher: A Ravenwing Grenade Launcher is a specially customised Grenade Launcher commonly utilised by the elite Ravenwing Black Knights of the Dark Angels Chapter's 2nd Company, commonly called theRavenwing. Ravenwing Black Knights employ Grenade Launchers adapted to fire even at the high speeds at which they race across the battlefield upon their Mark IV Raven Pattern Assault Bikes. These Grenade Launchers can also fire specialised shells utilising ancient technologies in addition to the standard Krak and Frag Grenades. Rad Shells spread contaminated, radioactive fragments that have a toxic and debilitating effect on a foe, while Stasis Shells are impregnated with an ancient and now poorly understood technology  that when detonated, momentarily freezes the flow the space-time continuum, causing the reaction times of any enemies nearby to be dramatically slowed if they are caught in the area of effect.
Razaek - Razaek: Razaek is the current Grand Master of the Apothecarion of the Dark Angels Chapter of Space Marines, and serves essentially as the equivalent of the Chief Apothecary in Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters.
Razorback - Razorback: The Razorback is an armoured personnel carrier (APC) used primarily by the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, and also by other Imperial adepta such as the Inquisition and the Adeptus Arbites.The Razorback is a variant of the Rhino chassis that sacrifices some of the basic Rhino's troop-carrying capacity in order to add a top-mounted weapon system.The Razorback's top-mounted weapon is remote-controlled from inside the vehicle, and can be equipped with several different weapon types, such as a twin-linked Heavy Bolter or a twin-linked Lascannon.Unlike the basic Rhino, which is either unarmed or armed with only a pintle-mounted Storm Bolter, the Razorback's weapon system allows the vehicle to stay after deploying its cargo of troops and act as heavy fire support. Due to the wide range of weapons that can be equipped on the Razorback's remote-controlled system, it is capable of being deployed against targets ranging from light infantry to heavy armour.There exist older patterns of the Razorback that use a manned weapon system instead of a remote-controlled one. The remote-controlled turret uses the same logic-engine (cogitator) that is found on the Land Raider and is able to provide rapid and efficient threat response that reduces the crew to only one, although a second crew member can still be used in cases where the driver is too busy to control the turret.Standard Astartes battle doctrine dictates that Razorbacks should be deployed as fire support vehicles, accompanying Rhinos or infantry squads into the thick of battle. As Rhinos have little in the way of firepower, even a single Razorback assigned as escort can dramatically increase the effectiveness of a strike. Impressed by the tank's versatility, however, several Chapters field the Razorback in other roles, employing them as mobile command centres and heavy reconnaissance screens.
Razorback - History: The Standard Template Construction (STC) database containing the Razorback's design was uncovered by Chief Artisan Tilvius in the 36th Millennium in the Southern Rim region of the galaxy. This discovery was a great triumph for him, though reports say that another STC template was also found at that time though the vehicle schematics it contained were never put into production.After nearly two hundred Terran years, the Razorback's design was finally field-tested and Tilvius handed the full contents of the Razorback's STC template to Mars along with records containing evidence that the Razorback had been used during the Dark Age of Technology to carry human troops into battle successfully.It had long been suspected that there had existed a troop-carrying variant of the Predator tank, and the Razorback seemed to fit that description perfectly. Shortly after reviewing its records, the Adeptus Mechanicus deemed the omens good and quickly approved the template, and the production of the Razorback officially commenced on the Imperium's Forge Worlds.Since the 36th Millennium the Razorback, with its increased firepower, has filled the gap left by the Predator as it developed into a full main battle tank. Originally, the Predator was also a troop carrier, and it may be that the Razorback design is a hold-over from those ancient days, an evolutionary path only realised with Tilvius' discovery. The Razorback, capable of carrying six Battle-Brothers and providing heavy weapons support for an Astartes squad on the ground, proved a useful addition to most Space Marine Chapters' armouries.Some Chapter Masters believe the Razorback fails as a troop transport, not being able to carry a full squad, and fails as a tank, lacking as it does heavy armour protection and not enough heavy weapons to take on enemy heavy armour in a full-on tank battle. Other commanders find it useful in a number of roles. First, the Razorback provides protection for squads operating in support of armoured attacks by Land Raiders and Predators.Secondly, it is used in a heavy reconnaissance role, supporting Astartes Bike Squads or Attack Bikes as they seek out the enemy and launch lightning strikes ahead of a Space Marine main force.
Razorback - Armament: The Razorback is capable of being equipped with many different weapons, and due to it being so new an addition to the Imperium's arsenal it lacks the venerated status of the Predator and the Rhino, the use of which date back to the Great Crusade. This means that there are fewer taboos when it comes to reinterpreting the vehicle's design and many Chapters exploit this by adding unapproved weapons and upgrades.The Razorback holds the title for the Space Marine vehicle with the highest number of weapon choices and there exist several weapon load-outs that have been used by a single Space Marine Chapter and then spread to many more. The Razorback's most commonly used weapons are Twin-linked Heavy Bolters, used for anti-infantry suppression, or Twin-linked Lascannons used for anti-armour duty. The Razorback can also be equipped with Twin-linked Heavy Flamers, Twin-linked Multi-Meltas, or a single Multi-Melta.The Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter uses several variants only fielded by their Chapter, such as twin-linked Assault Cannons and a Flamestorm Cannon. The Blood Angels even have a special pattern of Rhino chassis known as the "Lucifer Pattern," which replaces the vehicle's engines with overpowered ones allowing it to move faster during combat.The Grey Knights and the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition use a special variant that is equipped with twin-linked Psycannons intended to combat daemons and psykers. The oldest Razorback pattern, the Mark 1 "Stronos" variant named after the de facto Chapter Master of the Iron Hands Chapter, the Iron Father Kardan Stronos, was equipped with twin-linked Plasma Cannons and a single Lascannon.This pattern was an extremely powerful and a widely employed vehicle, but due to unknown reasons the production of the Mark 1 was halted and all records of its existence sealed. The "Stronos" Pattern is now an extremely rare sight amongst the Chapters fortunate enough to have one in their possession.The Razorback is also able to be outfitted with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, Extra Armour Plating, a Pintle-mounted Storm Bolter, ram spikes or a Dozer Blade, a searchlight, and Smoke Launchers.
Razorback - Unit Composition: 1 Razorback Transport
Razorback - Wargear: A standard Razorback is armed and equipped with:Twin-linked Heavy BoltersSearchlightSmoke LaunchersA Razorback may take the following pintle-mounted weapon:Storm BolterA Razorback may replace its turret-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters with one of the following turret-mounted weapons:Twin-linked Heavy FlamersTwin-linked LascannonsTwin-linked Assault CannonsLascannon and twin-linked Plasma GunsRazorbacks may also have a variety of vehicle equipment such as:Dozer BladeExtra Armour PlatingHunter-Killer Missile LauncherArmoured Ceramite Plating
Razorback - Notable Razorback Variants: The following is a list of all known variant patterns of the Razorback:Infernum Pattern Razorback - The Infernum Pattern of the Razorback is a relatively new addition to the armouries of the Adeptus Astartes that has entered service amongst several Chapters, most notably those with homeworlds within the Segmentum Tempestus. This pattern replaces the Razorback's default weapons load-out with a Multi-Melta. However, this change makes excessive demands on the vehicle's power cell conduits, and because of this flaw the Infernum Pattern is rarely deployed. It is believed that the Techmarines of the Fire Hawks Chapter formulated a means to circumvent this issue, and deployed these vehicles during the Badab War. The Fire Hawks used these vehicles to smash through enemy fortifications with both speed and ease, delivering squads through the breach. It is unknown how far the usage of the Infernum Pattern has spread, or if this pattern has even been approved for use by the Adeptus Mechanicus.Vortimer Pattern Razorback - The elite and secretive Daemon-hunting Grey Knights Chapter of Space Marines make occasional use of the Razorback, in particular when small squads of power armoured warriors, such as Purifier, Strike or Purgation Squads, require additional heavy fire support to suppress the enemy as they close on their objective. The Vortimer Pattern Razorback is a variant that mounts one of that Chapter's few remaining Psycannons and, like the Land Raider Redeemer, each deployment must be sanctioned by order of the Grey Knights Chapter Council. Only a few Razorbacks configured in this pattern exist within the armoury of the Grey Knights homeworld of Titan, and each was wrought by the hand of the Master Armourer Regis Vortimer himself. The vehicles were created for deployment during the Deliverance of Vulgate, an Ecclesiarchy-mandated Shrine World overrun by the servants of the Ruinous Powers. The labyrinth of natural catacombs deep beneath Vulgate had fallen prey to a necrophage cult whose rites had drawn forth the daemonic foot soldiers of Nurgle. The operation to expel the tides of daemonic filth was a situation that presented the Grey Knights with a unique set of tactical challenges to which the Razorback, and in particular the Vortimer Pattern, proved the ideal solution. The small, comparatively lightly-armed Grey Knights squads were afforded a high degree of mobility and protection by their Razorbacks and the Psycannon mounted upon each gunned down hordes of the shambling, necrotic Plaguebearers of Nurgle. Upon the successful conclusion of the Delivery of Vulgate campaign, Master Armourer Vortimer recognised the Psycannon-armed Razorbacks as members of the Grey Knights Armoury, where they would slumber in cold stasis until such times as their services were required once more. To date, the vaults have been opened a score of times. Several of the Vortimer Pattern Razorbacks have been lost over the centuries, but a core of a dozen vehicles remain, each of them a venerated relic of the Grey Knights adorned in countless battle honours.
Razorback - Notable Users of the Razorback: Space Marines - The Razorback is used by many, if not all, Space Marine Chapters in the galaxy. The Razorback is used as a transport and support vehicle for their forces during battle.Inquisition - The Inquisition uses the Rhino and the Razorback as transports for their forces.Ordo Malleus - The Ordo Malleus branch of the Inquisition used Razorbacks as transports during the later stages of the Siege of Vraks.Adeptus Arbites - The Adeptus Arbites use several different variants of the Rhino and Razorback for both transportation and for riot control and anti-insurgency operations.Raptors Space Marine Chapter - The Raptors Space Marine Chapter used Razorbacks during the Taros Campaign against the Tau.Red Scorpions Space Marine Chapter - The Red Scorpions used Razorbacks on the world of Beta Anphelion IV where they fought against Tyranids who had escaped from a secret Adeptus Mechanicus biological research facility.Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter - The Space Wolves used Razorbacks during the defence of the Imperial Mining World of Betalis III against the Eldar of Craftworld Mymeara.Blood Ravens Space Marine Chapter - The Blood Ravens used Razorbacks during the Aurelian Crusade.The Badab War - The Astral Claws, Fire Hawks, Howling Griffons, Salamanders, Minotaurs, Mantis Warriors, and Exorcists Space Marine Chapters all used Razorbacks against one another's forces during the Badab War.
Razorback - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Razorback Armoured Personnel CarrierVehicle Name:RazorbackMain Armament:Remote Turret-mounted twin-linked Heavy BoltersForge World of Origin:MarsSecondary Armament:N/AKnown Patterns:II - XVIITraverse:360 degreesCrew:1 Driver, (1 Gunner If using non-remote-controlled turret)Elevation:-5 to 45 degreesPowerplant:Quad MkII Adaptable Thermic Combustor ReactorMain Ammunition:1,600 RoundsWeight:31.5 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:N/ALength:6.6 metresArmour:Width:4.5 metresHeight:5 metres (with turret)Superstructure:60 millimetresGround Clearance:0.44 metresHull:60 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:70 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:N/AMax Speed Off-Road:55 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:0120-766-0742-RH 984Transport Capacity:6 Passengers (Cannot carry Astartes in Terminator Armour or with Jump Packs)Firing Ports:N/AAccess Points:1 Rear hatch, 2 Side hatchesTurret:50 millimetres
Razorback - Sources: Chapter Approved 2004, pg. 51Chapter Approved 2003, pg. 67Chapter Approved 2001Codex: Black Templars (4th Edition), pg. 38Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition), pg. 35Codex: Blood Angels (4th Edition), pg. 25Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (8th Edition), pp. 56, 121Codex Adeptus Astartes - Dark Angels (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Transports", "Razorback (Datasheet)"Codex: Dark Angels (6th Edition), pp. 39, 100Codex Adeptus Astartes - Deathwatch (7th Edition), pp. 42, 85Codex Adeptus Astartes - Grey Knights (8th Edition), pp. 45, 88Codex: Grey Knights (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Razorback (Datasheet)"Codex: Grey Knights (5th Edition), pg. 33Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 86, 180Codex Adeptus Astartes- Space Marines (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Razorback"Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition) (Revised Codex), pp. 83, 159Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 98-99, 169Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 77Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 35Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition), pg. 11Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition), pg. 40Codex: Ultramarines (2nd Edition), pp. 37, 70Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition, pp. 49-56Imperial Armour Volume Two, Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes, pp. 185, 187, 192-194, 211-212Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pg. 153Imperial Armour Volume Four - The Anphelion Project, pp. 7, 68-69Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two, pg. 86Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three, pg. 114Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One, pp. 12, 62, 72, 130Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pp. 26-27, 71, 129, 159-160Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pg. 59Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), pg. 154White Dwarf 174 (UK), Razorback
Razorclaw Beetle - Razorclaw Beetle: The Razorclaw Beetle is a species of insect native to the Death World of Yanth in the Askellon Sector. Each is a half-metre sized flyer with talons so sharp they have been known to take off a person's head without even slowing the creature as it speeds past.Often the first sign of a razorclaw attack is the screams of victims and witnesses as detached limbs fall to the ground and are rapidly devoured by carnivorous flora.
Razorfiend Cruiser - Razorfiend Cruiser: A Razorfiend is one of the various cruiser-sized organic Tyranid Bio-ships that represent a mix of overgrown Tyranid Escort Drones and immature Hive Ships.They are aggressive in their attacks, storming out from the Hive Fleet in response to any threat to the massive Hive Ships, often using their claws and tentacles to make direct attacks on enemy starships in an effort to physically smash them to pieces.Cruiser-sized Tyranid Bio-ships are seldom found far from the Hive Ship, however, and it has been theorised that they receive their nourishment from them in some manner. Tyranid Cruisers are arguably the greater threat of the two, however, due to the fact that, unlike the Hive Ships that dwarf them, Tyranid Cruisers are not synapse nodes.This relative expendability allows them to be incredibly aggressive in their attacks, heedless of losses as they bring their wide variety of weapons to bear, since their loss will not endanger the other elements of the Tyranid fleet. As with most Tyranids vessels, their threat is only really effective at close range.
Razorfiend Cruiser - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic Armada, pg. 88Battlefleet Gothic Magazine 7, "Rath's Last Stand," pg. 10Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (PC Game)
Razorshark - Razorshark: An AX3 Razorshark Strike Fighter is a Tau aircraft designed to fulfil both the roles of ground attack craft and air-superiority fighter. To the Fire Warriors forming the front ranks of a Fire Caste firing line, there are few sights more gratifying than seeing a Razorshark Strike Fighter swoop out of the cloud cover and streak over enemy formations.Built along a design pattern modified from the Sun Shark bomber, the Razorshark forgoes the wing-mounted Interceptor Drones in favour of additional manoeuvring thrusters, and it trades the Pulse Bomb Generator for a fearsome Quad Ion Turret. A formidable weapon, the Quad Ion Turret is ideal for turning light vehicles into twisted wrecks. Although firing the weapon in its overcharged mode makes it slightly unstable, the Quad Ion Turret can then produce a blast with an enormous radius that consumes entire squads with a single shot.
Razorshark - History: First designed and deployed sometime between the Second and Third Sphere of Expansion, the AX3 Razorshark fighter has proven its success repeatedly against the many foes of the Tau Empire.During the Tyranid Hive Fleet Gorgon’s invasion on the Tau Sept homeworld of Ke'lshan, the aliens quickly grew wary of dominating Tau air attacks. High in the stratosphere, super-heavy Mantas blasted away flying terrors, while just above the planet's surface swept Sun Shark bombers, their Pulse Bombs breaking up the swarming Hormagaunt assaults. Whilst the Tau's entire aerial arsenal played a part, it was the Razorshark Strike Fighter squadrons that took the highest toll on their foe. Streaking back and forth over the battlefront, the Razorsharks relentlessly targeted Tyranid Warrior synapse creatures; the beams from their Quad Ion Turrets easily penetrating the Tyranids' thick, chitinous armour. After a single Razorshark squadron's attack run, entire squads of the elite alien warriors would be left in ruin, their half-melted bodies continuing to sizzle long after their deaths. A fast moving aircraft, the Razorshark was able to seek out and destroy the brains of the invasion -- whether they attempted to lurk far behind the front lines, or chose to surround themselves with intervening lesser creatures, the Razorshark was manoeuvrable enough to hunt them down. When Tyranid infiltrators such as Lictors or Raveners emerged to threaten the Fire Warrior battlelines, Razorsharks would swiftly fly back to target the beasts, minimising both the harm and the distraction of such attacks.During the battle of Do'saro, the courageous pilots of the "Blazing Star" Air Caste Support Cadre engaged a flock of screeching, leather-winged Tyranid beasts before diving through and using their overcharged Quad Ion Turrets to obliterate the Hive Tyrant that led the swarm.Traditionally, the finest Razorshark pilots hail from the hardy folk of the Tash'var Sept. Faced by constant Ork pirate raids, the Air Caste of Tash'var have become experts in both shooting down the ramshackle jets of their green-skinned foes and obliterating their massed infantry from high.
Razorshark - Construction: Built along a design pattern modified from the plan of the Sun Shark bomber, the AX3 Razorshark consists of a central airframe with two large forward-mounted wings, which are connected to additional small winglets to the rear of the main body by thruster rods. A Razorshark’s cockpit is fully enclosed and pressurised, and its sleek design forgoes the Interceptor Drones built into specially designed recesses in the wings of a Sun Shark for additional jet thrusters. This provides the aircraft with an additional degree of manoeuvrability. A Razorshark also forgoes a Sun Shark's underslung Pulse Bomb Generator for a fearsome Quad Ion Turret to better suit its ground attack role.A Razorshark is powered by complex dual anti-gravitic and jet-propulsion motive systems so that the aircraft can swiftly fly over a planet’s surface. Its armoured bulk is primarily driven forwards by its two powerful jet engines mounted on the sides of the main airframe. Additional thruster rods connected to the wings allow the aircraft to turn better than it would otherwise be able too, whilst its large wings grant it better stability in the air. Because of a Razorshark’s additional thrusters mounted in the wings, the fighter can manoeuvre with a skill, precision and extremity that only members of the Air Caste can tolerate.Mounted on the front of the central body of a Razorshark is a nose-turret, which can be fitted with either a Burst Cannon or a Missile Pod. The armour of the vehicle is made from a dense nano-crystalline metal, named Fio'tak in the Tau Lexicon, that is light, malleable, strong and corrosive resistant, reducing the weight of the vehicle whilst also providing excellent protection. All Razorsharks are piloted by an Air Caste pilot, as evident by the Air Caste symbols reflected on each of a fighter's wings -- their positioning symbolic of the time-atrophied wings that grow form the shoulders of Air Caste Tau. The pilot controls the flight of the aircraft and also operates its weapons, with the assistance of some Drone-controlled systems.
Razorshark - Combat Role: A Razorshark can be likened to a mobile weapons platform that is capable of great speed and manoeuvrability. Using its jet-thrusters and powerful anti-gravitic engines, a Razorshark is a potent asset for Fire Caste ground forces. Although as part of the Razorshark’s Joint Strike Fighter role classification it can engage enemy flyers effectively, the aircraft was originally purpose-built as a ground support attack craft, a role in which it excels. Its success is evident from the aircraft's ever-growing popularity with the Fire Warriors that it flies above.The Tau doctrine of war places great importance upon dominating the airways above any battlefield they deploy to. It is their commonly-held belief that controlling the skies is the first step in winning the engagement, and Tau aircraft such as the Razorshark and Barracuda enable this. By making the elimination of enemy flyers a priority, ground troops are allowed to concentrate on their targets without having to concern themselves with any threat from above. This strategy thereby enables the Tau to make full use of their mobile ground support assets. With no enemy flyers to worry about, the Sun Shark shoals are better able to line up their devastating bombing runs while Razorsharks fly circles around enemy infantry or armour, using the range and potent hitting power of their ion weapons to pick off foes from beyond the range of most return fire. With full aerial supremacy, the Tau are free to concentrate their flexible firepower when and how they need to -- efficiently isolating and destroying enemy assets one by one. In the hands of an experienced Tau Commander, the fine-tuned coordination of air attacks in the skies above the battlefield can make a Hunter Cadre very adaptable and extremely lethal.During an attack run, Razorsharks are a blur of motion, and the crew are more likely to trust their speed and jinking ability over any amount of armour. Using their extreme speed, Razorsharks will attempt to manoeuvre so as to target enemy vehicles in their more vulnerable sides and rear. This can be done simply by performing a flyover past the vehicle, as its rear turret can then simply swivel around and open fire. Often called in as air support by Tau Commanders to strafe enemy positions and target key targets that would otherwise be unreachable, Razorsharks support Tau ground forces by providing much needed precision firepower from the air. It is of note that Razorsharks are also capable of operating in space, and often fulfill the role of an Attack Craft for Tau fleets in void combat.
Razorshark - Notable Formations: Air Caste Support Cadre - Diving down upon a battlefield, the pilots of an Air Caste Support Cadre often brave a foe's onslaughts to aid their Fire Caste comrades. The pilots' commitment to the Greater Good keeps them firing to full effect even with severe damage to their craft, their guns trained on priority ground targets and all power diverted to their weapon systems. The Tau do not believe in senseless sacrifice however, and so aircraft of an Air Caste Support Cadre are fitted with advanced repair systems to ensure casualties are kept to a minimum, no matter how dangerous the Cadre's mission proves to be. An Air Caste Support Cadre typically consists of a Sun Shark bomber accompanied by two Razorshark fighters.Air Superiority Wing - Few forces in the 41st Millennium understand the importance of controlling the skies above a battlefield more than the Tau, and a formation of Razorshark Strike Fighters makes for an impressive attack group more than capable of engaging and destroying enemy flyers. Known to the Tau as an "Air Superiority Wing" or "Air Superiority Cadre", these Razorshark formations are frequently tasked with clearing the skies before the arrival of incoming waves of Sun Shark bombers or ground-strafing Tiger Sharks. Comprehensive networks of holo-targeters and predictive trajectory suites aid the pilots of the strike fighters as they dogfight furiously over their foes, correcting their aim so that almost every burst of fire sees another enemy plunge into the ground trailing flames and debris. As long as the Razorsharks dominate the skies, overflying Tau networking Drones and comm-craft can fly at lower altitudes, enabling them to better lend their aid to the battlefield by sending down Marker Light beams to illuminate chosen targets. An Air Superiority Wing usually consists of three to five Razorsharks, and the Air Caste pilots of the attack fighters in the formation are experienced in aerial dogfighting; able to maximise their firepower against enemy flyers, jetbikes, and skimmers.
Razorshark - Armament: An AX3 Razorshark's primary weapon is its rear Quad Ion Turret mounted on a gimbal joint, which is ideal for turning light vehicles into twisted wrecks. Essentially a linked battery of four Ion Rifles, their rapid-firing nature allows them to cut down swathes of infantry and enemy aircraft alike with ease. However, the Quad Ion Turret can also be fired in an overcharged mode, which, whilst making the weapon slightly unstable and causing the aircraft to run the risk of dangerous energy feedback, can then produce an enormous blast that can consume entire squads or vehicle squadrons in a single shot. In addition to its main armament, each Razorshark is loaded out with a nose-mounted weapon primarily used for air defence. This weapon is usually a Burst Cannon, which can be used to strafe both the skies and the ground with pulse fire. However, a Razorshark can be upgraded to replace the Burst Cannon with a Missile Pod, allowing the fighter to more effectively engage light armoured vehicles and heavy fliers. For further support, a Razorshark also carries two Seeker Missiles in two cunningly hidden recesses in the aircraft’s hull. These missiles can be auto-fired by the Razorshark's Air Caste pilot himself, but are more effective when launched by a ground unit that has painted the target with a Marker Light. Seeker Missiles mounted on Razorsharks are especially deadly, as the aircrafts ability to rapidly position themselves on the flanks of a battlefield allows the missiles to strike at more vulnerable side or rear armour of enemy vehicles.
Razorshark - Upgrades: Razorsharks can also be equipped with any of the following Tau vehicle support systems:Automated Repair System - Automated Repair Systems consist of dispensers which release tiny maintenance Drones which swarm over damaged weapon and drive systems, repairing them in the midst of battle.Advanced Targeting System - An Advanced Targeting System assists the vehicle's gunner by identifying targets of particular value or danger, and plotting fire plans to counter them.Blacksun Filter - Blacksun Filters allow the vehicle's gunners to accurately see and target enemies in low-light conditions.Decoy Launchers - Decoy Launchers are a form of defensive measure that is mounted near the engines. They are capable of firing clouds of reflective strips and sophisticated electronic decoys, which are combined with flare and chaff launchers to protect the vehicle's thruster arrays from enemy missiles.Disruption Pod - Disruption Pods display distorting holographic images in the visual and electromagnetic spectra to make the vehicle harder to target.Point Defence Targeting Relay - Designed to provide superior covering fire for nearby Fire Caste units, a Point Defence Targeting Relay automatically targets and engages enemies that try to assault the vehicle or nearby friendly units.Sensor Spines - Sensor Spines feed data to an advanced ground-following flight control system. This allows the vehicle to avoid hazardous terrain that could otherwise damage the vehicle's drive systems.
Razorshark - Sources: Apocalypse (6th Edition), pg. 177Codex: Tau Empire (7th Edition), pp. 34, 46, 96, 111Codex: Tau Empire (6th Edition), pp. 49, 102War Zone Damocles: Kauyon, pp. 53, 108, 189War Zone Damocles: Mont'ka, pg. 193
Razorwing Jetfighter - Razorwing Jetfighter: A Razorwing Jetfighter, also simply called a Razorwing, is a lightning-fast Drukhari ground attack aircraft that unleashes widespread slaughter and disruption with flurries of morbidly diverse Razorwing Missiles specifically designed to be used in a ground support role.Kabal archons call in Razorwing strikes to fracture the "lesser species"'s attempts at organised resistance, and their speed-addicted pilots also indulge in hunting down lumbering enemy tanks and alien monstrosities with their heavy cannons.The Razorwing is named after the winged, predatory lifeform of the Syros Sub-sector's Death Worlds much admired by the Drukhari. It is of a similar design to the Nightwing fighter utilised by the Craftworld Aeldari.
Razorwing Jetfighter - Role: Through the vortex-torn mists of each Drukhari raid into realspace from the Webway come the twin contrails of Razorwing Jetfighters, alien aircraft so fast that their fusillades of missile fire can hit home just at the instant the air is rent by a thunderous sonic boom.Even the most conceited Drukhari archon knows that the armoured vehicles of the "lesser species" of the galaxy, though cumbersome and primitive, are still potentially dangerous. An airborne Drukhari raid that is intercepted by well-directed artillery fire can often find itself repelled with disastrous losses.To ensure that the enemy cannot call upon such support, the Drukhari employ Razorwing Jetfighters to sow destruction and panic in the midst of the foe. No prey is fast enough to outpace these ground attack fighter craft, for each of their consummately-skilled pilots was once a member of the Reaver elite, and to them fighting at breakneck speed is second nature.In silhouette, Razorwing Jetfighters appear like jagged, double-edged blades, their crescent wings and sword-sharp curves conveying their lethal power. Imperial commanders often mistake Razorwings for the Nightwing interceptor fighters of the Asuryani, for they bear the signature grace of all Aeldari aircraft, and carve through the skies at a similarly blistering pace.However, the pilots of Razorwing Jetfighters specialise not in aerial interception but in the wholesale slaughter of ground targets. Veterans of the Dark City of Commorragh's death races, they have earned enough wealth to escape the arenas forever, and now seek to maim and destroy everything they can find without risking their own skins. The pilot of a Razorwing likes little more than roaring through an inferno of their own creation whilst mowing down the panicked survivors scurrying below.Razorwing Jetfighters boast an array of diabolically effective missiles. When a squadron of Razorwings looses a salvo it often appears as if the ground is being raked by monstrous invisible talons. Most surgically efficient of all is the dreaded Monoscythe Missile, remotely steered by the Razorwings' pilots into the thick of the foe. The secret to their terrifying reputation is in their warheads; when detonated, they emit not a conventional blast but one that is constrained to a specific plane by complex, built-in power shields.A great horizontal sheet of force explodes outward at a certain height from the warhead, decapitating or even cutting in half everyone caught in the blast zone. Such a clinical multiple kill is very satisfying to the Razorwing's pilot, for all Drukhari appreciate a well-administered death.