Meltagun

The Melta Gun is a powerful anti-armour weapon used by Space Marines, Imperial Guard and other forces of the Imperium of Man. Melta Weapons emit devastatingly intense but short-ranged blasts of heat which can melt through almost any material. Most types of Melta Weapon induce highly pressurised gases from an ammunition canister into an unstable sub-molecular state and direct the resulting energies down the barrel. Melta usage is accompanied by a distinctive hissing sound as the Melta beam boils away the water in the air, then a roaring blast as the beam reduces the target to charred scraps or molten slag. Meltas are the premier Imperial anti-armour weapons, and few if any vehicles can withstand their power.

Melta Variants

 * Astartes Melta Gun (Vulkan Pattern) - Melta Guns are the most common form of Melta Weapon and are found in use by many Imperial forces. They are less prone to catastrophic failure than Plasma Guns and work best at shorter ranges. An ideal weapon for cutting through bulkheads or armour, the elite Space Marines of the Deathwatch has proven to have no end of uses for it. The Vulkan Pattern Melta Gun uses a built-in fuel canister, but versions with a backpack attachment are also common.
 * Astartes Multi-Melta (Maxima Pattern) - The largest type of Melta Weapon is the Multi-Melta, and models not built for the Adeptus Astartes and their vehicles are rare. This huge weapon carries more fuel, fires at much longer ranges, and creates a larger blast area capable of vaporising several square metres at a time. It also generates much more heat than its smaller cousins, making proximity to the firer highly uncomfortable for those not insulated by Power Armour.
 * Legion Melta Gun - The Chaos Space Marines make good use of Melta Guns, though they favour a larger version that can put more heat on a target, dealing greater damage.