Hell Talon

The Hell Talon fighter-bomber is another recent addition to the arsenal of the Forces of Chaos. Designed to replace the outdated Doomfire bomber aircraft, the Hell Talon is a mighty aircraft capable of both atmospheric and void operations that has been quickly adopted by all the Forces of Chaos, from the warfleets of Chaos Space Marines to Chaos pirate fleets to "independent" Chaos militias such as the Blood Pact.

History
Another product of the malevolent masters of the damned Forge World of Xana in the Eye of Terror, a grotesque fusion of advanced technology, daemonic power and the nightmarish invention of those Hereteks of the Dark Mechanicus who long ago fell to the corruption of Chaos, The Hell Talon fighter-bomber is the pinnacle of the Dark Mechanicus blasphemous craft. Like his smaller brother-craft the Hell Blade, it is a deadly dagger-shaped aircraft held aloft by vector-thrusting jet engines which make it both fast and manoeuvrable. The Hell Talon is designed as a fighter-bomber; to support the other elements of the Chaos forces, and is capable of operating in the atmosphere and in the void of space. Either when escorting Harbinger super-heavy Bombers or operating in independent squadrons it is quite capable of pounding ground defences into slag, opening the way for the invaders. When equipped with heat-seeking krak missiles, it's impressive speed and nimbleness makes for a potent dogfighter. Its main drawback sits in his very nature of jack-of-all-trades: the Hell Talon is master of none. For all his speed and manoeuvrability, he is far from the efficience of the Hell Blade as a dedicated interceptor, and its relatively light payload (half that of his opposing Imperial Marauder counterpart) makes him an average dedicated bomber. And yet, this versatility is also its greatest strength, for a Chaos Lord who decides to field Hell Talons will perhaps not have the best tool for a given task, but will have an efficient one in any given situation.

The Hell Talon norminal crew is three hardwired Servitors, one pilot and two weapon operators. However, reports from the squadrons of the Phantine Air Corps on Enothis state that the elite squadrons of opposing Hell Talons were flown by pilots still recognizable as humans and not hardwired at their posts, and rumours abound of pict-views from Hell Talons daubed in crawling blasphemous runes, with cockpits and access hatches welded shut, as if even their Chaos masters were afraid that the blasphemous entity in control of the aircraft might get out...

Based upon investigations by the Ordo Malleus, the Departmento Munitorum possesses secret reports that indicate that the origins of this blasphemous aircraft lie on the hellish Forge World of Xana II, deep within the Eye of Terror. It is said to be a stronghold of the Dark Mechanicus (known sometimes as the Dark Priesthood or the Hellsmiths). Xana is believed to be a world wholly given over to daemon-machines and infernal industries, where mills grind flesh and suffering to make the insane visions of its nightmarish masters real. Countless millions are enslaved to toil endlessly in a world-spanning network of labyrinthine forges, churning out an infinite supply of weapons and armaments for the Traitor Legions' Long War. The masters of Xana, said to be half-daemon machines themselves, have long since left the shreds of their humanity behind and are beholden to no one, be they mortal or Chaos God. They are willing to sell or barter their unholy inventions and arms to the highest bidder, be they warlord, demagogue, Chaos Sorcerer or Daemon Prince without favour, and their coin of exchange is always the same; raw materials and the flesh of new slaves to feed Xana's endless hunger.

The Imperium remains blissfully ignorant of much of the heretical technology and design that has gone into the creation of the Hell Talon and the other Chaos aircraft of the dreaded Xana II lineage. This is in no small part the result of the frequently spectacular immolation and disintegration the aircraft undergoes when destroyed, a factor that some attribute to the escape of Warp forces from their bindings when the machine is destroyed. From observation and telemetric recordings, however, the Hell Talon can reach speeds of over 2,350 kilometres per hour in a standard atmosphere, with a cruising speed equal to perhaps two-thirds of this mark.