Valdor Tank Hunter

The Valdor is an ancient tank of the Imperium of Man that was developed during the Horus Heresy as a weapon to help counter the Land Raider tanks of the Traitor Legions. The Valdor is based on the Malcador Heavy-Tank chassis, and is named after the Chief of the Adeptus Custodes during the Horus Heresy, Constantin Valdor. The Valdor is equipped with an ancient and powerful weapon known as a Neutron Laser Cannon, a weapon that is powerful enough to destroy its targets on the molecular level.

History
The Valdor tank hunter was developed sometime during the Horus Heresy by the Adeptus Mechanicus as a way to help the Imperial Guard fight against the Land Raiders that were being deployed in great numbers by the Traitor Legions. Ancient records found at the Scholastica Bellicose on the planet Mordia show that the tank was most widely used during the Great Scouring after the Heresy, where the Imperium led the great counter-attack against the Traitor Legions, driving them all the way to the Eye of Terror.

In the 41st Millennium
The Valdor is considered an ancient relic in the 41st Millennium, with the number of Forge Worlds able to maintain, let alone construct the Valdor dwindling to just a handful, they are becoming increasingly rare. The 1st Cadian Armoured Regiment, which guards the Imperial Fortress World of Cadia near the Eye of Terror, only has a total of 5 Valdor tanks at their disposal. During the Siege of Vraks the 88th Army's Intelligence Officers of the Death Korps of Krieg believed that there was no more than 30 Valdor tanks stored inside of the planets vast storehouses, and these tanks weren't utilized by the Vraksian Traitor Militia until much later in the conflict. It is believed that a Dark Magos of the Dark Mechanicus arrived on the planet with the Steel Brethren Chaos Space Marines and help the traitors in activating and deploying the Valdor tanks in the storehouses, the payment for this act was a compliment of several fully-functional Valdor tanks and what is believed to be a data-core detailing how to construct the Valdor, this leads to the dreadful possibility that the Valdor tank may start appearing in the armies of the Arch-Enemy's forces in the future.

Regiments Known To Field The Valdor Tank Hunter

 * 1st Cadian Armoured Regiment - 5 Valdor Tanks are stationed on Cadia to aid in its defense against the Forces of Chaos attacking the Cadian Gate.
 * Vraksian Traitor Milita - The Valdor Tank Hunter was deployed during the Siege of Vraks by the traitor forces that sided with Apostate Cardinal-Astra Xaphan.
 * Imperial Guard - The Imperial Guard fielded a large number of Valdor Tanks during the Great Scouring, they still field a much smaller amount of Valdors during the 41st Millennium.

Armament
The Valdor is armed with an ancient weapon known as a Neutron Laser Cannon, this weapon was created during the Dark Age of Technology and thus very few Forge Worlds are still able to produce or maintain them. The weapon takes up most of the room inside of the tank, and the shielding for the generator isn't very thick, so any major damage caused by an enemy attack could have disastrous consequences for the crew, also, if the weapon fails to transfer all of its energy into its target while firing, it could could lead to powerful feedback that can damage the weapon. The Valdor is also equipped with a single sponson mounted Heavy Flamer, but it can be replaced with a Heavy Stubber, Heavy Bolter, Autocannon, or a Lascannon. The tank can also be equipped with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, extra armour plating, a searchlight, a dozer blade, or smoke launchers.

Gallery
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