Vanguard Space Marine

A Vanguard Space Marine is a Primaris Space Marine who serves as a covert operator. These Primaris Astartes are ruthless killers, trained to operate behind enemy lines as saboteurs, assassins and infiltrators.

Vanguard Space Marines are not a single unit, but several different types of squads who perform different tactical roles for an overall Vanguard force. The primary squads found among the Vanguard Space Marines include Vanguard Infiltrators, Vanguard Suppressors and Vanguard Eliminators.

Mark X Phobos Armour
The Mark X Power Armour worn by Primaris Marines is a marvel in design -- a modular, adaptable system of ceramite plating that can be adjusted for multiple tactical roles, from the Phobos Pattern designed for scouting and reconnaissance and used by Vanguard Marines all the way up to the heavy Gravis variant worn by Aggressor Squads. Regardless of its pattern, Mark X Power Armour is designed to attach to a special undersuit worn by each Primaris Marine, enabling it to be fitted in different configurations according to need.

Amongst the Vanguard formations, there is no standard Power Armour style, though Mark X Phobos Power Armour patterns are most common due to the nature of their combat doctrine. The armour adopted by Vanguard Infiltrators and Reivers, in particular, is this lighter variation of the standard Mark X pattern that offers increased manoeuvrability and quieter, almost silent movement because of lighter armour plating and servo-motors that run almost completely silent.

Vanguard Space Marine Units

 * Vanguard Infiltrators - Vanguard Infiltrators are responsible for disrupting enemy communications and sabotaging targets of opportunity. Their back-mounted Omni-Scramblers intercept signals across a broad spectrum, scrambling frequencies and shutting down enemy communications. When the time comes for the Infiltrators to fight directly, they emerge from their hiding places under cover of Smoke Grenades and cut down their foes with disciplined volleys from their marksman Bolt Carbines.
 * Vanguard Suppressors - Vanguard Suppressors specialise in rapid responses to heavily armoured enemy threats, entering battle either by dropping directly into the action via Grav Chutes or in long, bounding leaps with their Jump Packs. As soon as a target is sighted, the Suppressors engage their shock-absorbing servo plates and let fly with their Accelerator Autocannons. The brutal ferocity of the foot-long, armour-piercing shells they unleash will blast apart anyone caught in their path and force even the most stoic enemies to seek shelter from the murderous firestorm.
 * Vanguard Eliminators - Dedicated marksmen, these fire support warriors haunt the shadows of the battlefield, seeking out high-value targets and bringing them down with pinpoint volleys. The optical sights of their Bolt Sniper Rifles can be tailored for any situation, from thermoscopic vision to precision auspex scans that can penetrate several metres through solid matter. Each member of a Vanguard Eliminator Squad carries spare magazines filled with special issue ammunition for every tactical eventuality and variety of target.
 * Vanguard Lieutenant - Primaris Lieutenants of the Vanguard formations provide support and tactical flexibility for their Captain. Often, when a strike team is engaged in a complex, multi-faceted operation, a Lieutenant will be assigned to oversee one or more critical aspects. In addition to their leadership qualities, Lieutenants are skilled bladesmen and dead-eye shots with their Occulus Bolt Carbines.
 * Vanguard Librarian - Librarians chosen for Vanguard service have mastered unique battle-disciplines that focus on obscuring the passage of their comrades and wrong-footing the opponent with illusions and hallucinations. Shaping psychic energy about themselves like a cloak of shadow, these psykers guide their Battle-Brothers through enemy territory to their destination without raising so much as a flicker of suspicion from watchful foes. They are cowled in hooded Cameleoline Cloaks to keep their identity -- and the formidable psychic potential at their disposal -- concealed from prying eyes.