Land Raider

The Land Raider is an Imperial main battle tank and troop transport which serves as the "armoured fist of the Space Marines." Available to the Space Marines, the Traitor Legions of the Chaos Space Marines and the forces of the Inquisition, it is one of the most resilient and iconic vehicles in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The Land Raider's heritage predates even the founding of the Imperium of Man, yet it remains the single most destructive weapon in the Adeptus Astartes' arsenal. Protected by bonded Ceramite and Adamantium armour, the Land Raider is impervious to all bar the most destructive weaponry. Equally impressive are its armaments - 4 Lascannons and twin-linked Heavy Bolters allow the Land Raider to deliver punishing support fire capable of decimating enemy infantry and tanks alike.

History
The history of the Land Raider is long and complicated. Supposedly, the original designs for both the armour used in the Land Raider and the anti-gravitic technology used on the Land Speeder were discovered during an expedition deep in the Librarius Omnis on Mars by technoarchaeologist Arkhan Land, after whom the vehicles were named. They were once used by all the various branches of the Imperium of Man's armed forces, but during the Horus Heresy, their use was restricted to the Space Marine Legions by decree of the Emperor of Mankind himself. The popularity of this mighty war engine was so great, that a whole Forge World, Anvilus 9, was entirely turned over to Land Raider production. Anvilus 9 was overrun by the Traitor Tech-priests of the Dark Mechanicum at the beginning of the Horus Heresy, and Land Raider production suddenly slowed to a trickle. With Horus' forces threatening to overrun Terra, the Emperor ordered that all Land Raiders still in Loyalist hands were to be reformed for exclusive use by the Space Marines, who were at the forefront of the fighting. After the Heresy, the decree of exclusive use remained in place. The decree has remained uncontested for ten thousand years, although a small number of Land Raiders have been manufactured for use by the Ordos of the Inquisition.

Warhammer 40,000
The Land Raider was one of the first vehicles to be introduced by Games Workshop for the 1st Edition Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader tabletop miniatures game. Originally, the Land Raider was described as a heavily armoured troop transport for Space Marine and Imperial Guard armies. The original plastic model was released soon after the Rhino armoured transport in the late 1980s. The design of the tank was heavily based on the early tanks of the 20th century's First World War, such as the British Mark I tank, bulky and high with oversized track links. Like the Mark I, the Land Raider had no turret and instead had its weapons mounted on the sides of the tank. Its points value was 750 and it had a number of available upgrades, such as power fields, available to it. By the mid-1990s, the Land Raider had appeared in numerous pieces of art created for Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe, including the game's second edition boxed set. By this time, the Land Raider had been taken out of the Imperial Guard's armoury and became an iconic Space Marine vehicle. Unfortunately for Space Marine players of that time, the Land Raider plastic kit was soon to be discontinued. Later players wanting to field the vehicle had to resort to finding surviving models to buy or converting their own. Only in 2000 did Games Workshop revive the Land Raider's legacy with the release of the new Space Marine Land Raider Mk III plastic kit. A few months later, Games Workshop released the Chaos Space Marine Land Raider Mk III for Chaos Space Marines players. Gaming wise, most players consider the Land Raider to be almost on par with the Imperial Guard's super-heavy tanks. In terms of durability, though, the super-heavy tanks - the Baneblade, Shadowsword, Stormsword, and Stormblade - can survive 3 times the damaging hits, though they have weaker armour on some facings. The Land Raider, being equally heavily armoured on all sides, was much harder to harm in the first place. The relative advantage of the Imperial Guard's Super Heavies lay in their armaments: The Baneblade and all its variants carry primary armament in the form of massive main cannons stronger than any other ordnance in the game, and in addition these behemoths even had weapons similar in size to the Land Raider's armaments as secondary weapons on sponson and hull mounts.

Epic 40,000
Outside the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game, the Land Raider appears in other games set in the same mythos. Plastic and white metal Land Raider models were available for the Warhammer 40,000 spin-off miniatures game, Epic Space Marine. These early-version Epic Land Raiders had the same look as the original Warhammer 40,000 model albeit much smaller in size. When the 3rd Edition of the epic scale game (now known as Epic 40,000) was released in 1997, a model of the Land Raider was produced known as the Land Raider Mk II, with both a plastic model and a metal "command" version with extra antennae and a copula gunner. The Mk II never fully found its way into the Warhammer 40,000 range as a mainstream kit although several aspects of it's design did influence the current Mk III plastic model. A Mk IIB 'upgrade' kit was introduced by Forgeworld to modify the current Mk III chassis to resemble the earlier Mk II. Metal Land Raider Mk III's were released for the 4th Edition of Epic, Epic: Armageddon.

Video Games
As part of the Epic 40,000 universe, Mark II Land Raiders were fieldable units in the 1997 Final Liberation computer game. In THQ's hit-RTS game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, the Land Raider is the Space Marines faction's strongest unit.

Armament
The standard configuration Land Raider, known as the Land Raider Phobos pattern, is one of the most powerful main battle tanks in the Imperium's arsenal, armed with two twin-linked "Godhammer-pattern" Lascannons mounted in side sponsons. A twin-linked Heavy Bolter is mounted on top of the tank to provide anti-infantry fire. As with most Space Marine vehicles, the Land Raider can also be armed with a pintle-mounted Storm Bolter and a single-shot Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher. The Land Raider is supposedly the most heavily armoured vehicle available to any army smaller than a full Imperial Guard armoured company, and its armour is believed to be second only to that of the Necron Monolith in strength. Particularly noteworthy is that the Land Raider's all-around armour is equally thick everywhere on the vehicle and has no weaknesses, unlike other tanks that often have thinner side and rear armour. Its durable protection, combined with its transport capacity (10 Space Marines in Power Armour or 5 Terminators), make it essentially a mobile, fortified bunker, save for the lack of firing ports for the passengers. Land Raiders are also equipped with a "Machine Spirit", an artificial intelligence crafted by the Adeptus Mechanicus that allows the hulking behemoth to move and fight, even without a crew, as if the vehicle were on autopilot. The Chaos Space Marines also have access to these powerful machines as they took with them countless numbers of these destructive behemoths following their defeat on Terra during the Horus Heresy. In the Eye of Terror, the Machine Spirits of the Chaos Land Raiders used by the Traitor Legions were destroyed and replaced with Infernal Devices containing the captured spirit of a daemon that performs similar functions for the vehicle.

Land Raider Crusader
The Land Raider Mark III Crusader is a close-assault version of the standard Land Raider geared towards transporting more troops. The Land Raider Crusader was originally developed by the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter and was eventually approved by the Adeptus Mechanicus as an authorised pattern, allowing other Space Marine Chapters to field them in abundance.

The Land Raider Crusader's main differences from the standard Land Raider lie in its weapons loadout. Instead of the 2 Lascannons deployed on the original pattern, the Land Raider Crusader's side sponsons are armed with Hurricane Pattern Bolters. The Crusader replaces the standard Land Raider's Twin-linked Heavy Bolters mounted on the top of the tank with shorter-ranged, gatling gun-like Twin-linked Assault Cannons. Finally, the Crusader sports a Multi-melta mounted right beside the commander's cupola, instead of the standard Storm Bolter. The removal of the massive plasma generators used by the Lascannons freed up space inside the hull of the Land Raider chassis, increasing the vehicle's transport capability by 5 Space Marines in Power Armour or three Terminators.

Variants

 * Land Raider Redeemer - The Land Raider Redeemer is a variant of the Land Raider Crusader specially developed for urban warfare. It sports a pair of powerful Flamestorm Cannons on its sponsons in place of the standard Hurricane Bolters. This variant was first used by the Fire Lords Chapter in battle, and though it carries less troops than the Land Raider Crusader, it makes up for this lack with the destructive fire that can incinerate even a Space Marine within his Power Armour. Prometheus was the first Land Raider Redeemer built which still serves in the Fire Lords' 2nd Company. The Land Raider Redeemer pattern is highly favoured amongst Space Marine Chapters that specialise in the use of Flamer weaponry, such as the Fire Lords and the Salamanders.


 * Land Raider Ares - Another variant of the Land Raider Crusader developed for siege warfare is the Land Raider Ares. This variant sacrifices transport capability for a much heavier armament. The Land Raider Ares was created by the Dark Angels Chapter for use by their Deathwing Company. It features hull-mounted, twin-linked Assault Cannons, one prow-mounted Demolisher Cannon and sponson twin-linked Heavy Flamers. It first saw action during the attack on the backwater world of Murus, where the Chapter faced the Fallen Dark Angels called "the Tribunal." Despite the failure of the attack, only one of the six Land Raider Ares deployed were destroyed. A few other Chapters have since obtained the design for the Land Raider Ares and created their own versions of this pattern.

Other Land Raider Variants
Other variants of the basic Land Raider exist as rarer modifications of the standard Phobos Pattern Land Raider that are in service with select Chapters of the Space Marines.

Land Raider Prometheus
The Land Raider Prometheus was developed specifically to serve as a Space Marine unit's command tank. The original Phobos Pattern Land Raider's Lascannon sponsons have been replaced with two pairs of Twin-linked Heavy Bolters each and the hull-mounted Heavy Bolters have been replaced with special Vox-communications and sensor equipment. This variant is supposedly used by Space Marine commanders as their mobile base of operations as its heavy armor can withstand the most hard-hitting attacks.

Land Raider Helios
The Land Raider Helios, like the Prometheus variant, replaces some of the standard Land Raider's existing weaponry with a more specialized loadout. The Helios mounts a Whirlwind Missile Launcher in place of the standard Twin-linked Heavy Bolters. The Land Raider Helios was designed by the Red Scorpions Space Marine Chapter to supplement their existing artillery during the Siege of Helios. Purportedly, the extra space required for storing the Whirlwind Launcher's missiles reduced the personnel transport capacity of the vehicle.

Land Raider Terminus Ultra
The Land Raider Terminus Ultra is the ultimate in Space Marine anti-armour vehicles. The Terminus Ultra forfeits its troop carrying capability completely in order to mount a battery of extremely powerful Lascannons capable of punching through defensive Conversion Fields, Void Shields and the thickest armour. The huge power build-up generated when a Terminus Ultra fires can cause irrevocable damage to the vehicle's systems, and so it is only used when all other options have been exhausted. Only when the largest armoured targets are encountered are these venerable machines deployed from a Chapter's Armorium, if they even possess any. Against the power of the Terminus Ultra, the massive war engines of the Emperor's foes have no hope. With a single salvo a Terminus Ultra can cripple a super-heavy tank, demolish a Chaos Battle Titan or destroy an Ork Stompa.

Land Raider Spartan
The Land Raider Spartan was a variant of the Land Raider designed during the Horus Heresy to break through the "Ring of Death" surrounding the hive city of Aries Prime on Mars. It was originally the only Land Raider pattern capable of transporting Terminators. The Spartan was armed with the standard Land Raider loadout of its day, including 2 Twin-linked Lascannons (Heavy Bolters were not standard at the time) and either a Heavy Bolter or Heavy Flamer turret on top. The Land Raider Spartan was widely used after the Heresy, but fell out of use when the standard Land Raider Phobos Pattern was re-designed to carry Terminators.

Hellfire Land Raider
The Hellfire Land Raider was the standard variant of the Land Raider used during the Rogue Trader 1st Edition era of Warhammer 40,000. It was relatively lightly armed, with sponson-mounted Lascannons and a pintle-mounted Bolter. This variant was described in the first Space Marine army list in Chapter Approved - Book of the Astronomican. It is not comparable in strength to the standard Land Raider Phobos pattern and is now rarely used, effectively having been replaced by the "standard" Land Raider pattern which is far more effective on the battlefield.

Land Raider Achilles
The Land Raider Achilles is a variant of the Land Raider designed centuries ago by the Imperial Fists Chapter to deal with a very specific and now long-forgotten xenos threat. Because of its age and its very specific design, it is almost never found in use outside of the Imperial Fists and their Successor Chapters. The Land Raider Achilles is most famous for its extraordinary durability as a result of the ancient and now-lost secrets of forging its special armour plating which provide an incredible array of immunities against a variety of different attacks. The Land Raider Achilles is also armed with a mobile version of the Space Marines' Thunderfire Cannon, a massive multibarrelled, rotary assault cannon that is capable of firing three different varieties of shot. The first type of shell detonates on surface contact, commonly used against infantry in the open, while the airburst shell is employed against infantry taking cover. The most devastating, however, are the subterranean shells, programmed to burrow into the ground before exploding. The resulting explosion causes seismic disruptions which can knock the enemy off-balance, making them easier targets for follow-up fire. This affects even anti-gravity vehicles, whose anti-gravity generators are negatively impacted by the sub-surface shockwaves unleashed by the impact of these shells. The Land Raider Achilles is also armed with 2 sponson-mounted Twin-linked Multi-meltas for close combat and can be upgraded with a pintle-mounted Storm Bolter, a Dozer Blade, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher and a Siege Shield.

Land Raider Proteus
The Land Raider Proteus is an extremely rare pattern of the Land Raider that was originally designed and deployed during the Dark Age of Technology but had its Standard Template Construct (STC) data recovered by Imperial forces during the Great Crusade of the 31st Millennium. The Proteus pattern contains an extraordinarily sophisticated Auspex sensor suite that allows it to determine existing battlefield conditions with an uncanny degree of percision. This technology, combined with the design's great antiquity, has led many in the Adeptus Mechanicus to surmise that this pattern may be the very first Land Raider design created by Mankind, intended to explore and conquer new worlds. Its exceptional sensor capabilities makes the Proteus an excellent choice to serve as a command tank and to spearhead large armoured assaults. However, since it has a small troop transport capability, lacks an integrated forward assault ramp and possesses advanced technology that is difficult for current Forge Worlds to manufacture, the Proteus is rarely used by the Space Marine Chapters of the 41st Millennium. Howeer, because of its antiquity, the Land Raider Proteus is considered a valuable relic of any Chapter lucky enough to have one in its Armoury. The Land Raider Peoteus is also sometimes deployed by various Chaos Space Marine warbands, as the Traitor Legions possessed a number of these vehicles during the Horus Heresy and fled with them into the Eye of Terror. The Hereteks of the Dark Mechanicus work hard to keep these few machines combat-ready for their patrons. It is common for these foul Tech-adepts to replace any failing components on these ancient war machines with arcane devices of Chaotic or daemonic origin. The Land Raider Proteus is outfitted with a suite of powerful Auspex sensors and the powerful networked Cogitator systems required to fully exploit them. Its main armament is 2 sponson-mounted Twin-linked Lascannons and can be upgraded to carry hull-mounted Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers, additional Ceramite armour plating intended to lessen the damage unleashed by Melta Weapons, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher (or Havoc Launcher for Chaotic versions of the vehicle), pintle-mounted weapons, extra armour plating and a Dozer Blade. Like all Land Raiders, the Land Raider Proteus is outfitted with an artificially intelligent Machine Spirit, although Chaotic versions of the Proteus may instead have a possessing daemon spirit.

Land Raider Artificial Intelligence
Land Raiders are also equipped with a Machine Spirit, an Artificial Intelligence crafted by the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Machine Spirit is smart enough to move the tank and continue combat operations even if the crew is injured or otherwise incapicitated, increasing the durability and firepower of the Land Raider considerably. A Land Raider is a blessed artefact to the Techmarines that oversee its repair and maintenance. This is not least because a Land Raider's Machine Spirit is so much stronger than that of lesser tanks, a fact taken to mean that a substantial portion of the Machine God's essence resides within the Land Raider's impenetrable adamantium hull. Accordingly, should even a Land Raider's sponson be lost in battle, the rest of the Chapter will fight like men possessed for its retrieval, often calling in further reinforcements to ensure that the component is not lost. So it is that lives of men can be stilled in order to preserve the spirit of a machine, but the Space Marines honour such a sacrifice and go willingly into a battle of this kind.

Regardless of its value in matters of faith, the Land Raider's Machine Spirit is a potent asset. The Machine Spirit allows the tank to function with a smaller number of crew than comparable vehicles, and is capable of taking control of engines, weaponry or other systems if the Astartes crew is incapicitated or otherwise absent. Indeed, the Crimson Fists tell that the uncrewed Land Raider Rynn's Might, narrowly surviving the missile that levelled their fortress-monastery on Rynn's World during the assault of an Ork WAAAGH!, immediately thereafter fought a solo war against a rampaging Ork warband, killing the Warboss and many of his followers in a night of slaughter. Rynn's Might did not survive the encounter, but its example serves as a reminder that a Land Raider is not a machine to be taken lightly, whether its crews is aboard or not.