Deathstorm Drop Pod

The Lucius Pattern Deathstorm Drop Pod, also known as the Deathstorm Pattern Drop Pod, or more simply as the Deathstorm Drop Pod, is a specialised variant of the common Drop Pod used by the Adeptus Astartes for planetary assaults. A Drop Pod is one-way, sealed, armoured landing craft that is launched from an orbiting starship onto the planet below. The Drop Pod plummets through the planet's atmosphere at extreme speeds, firing powerful retro-rockets just before touchdown to rapidly slow their descent. Having made what is little more than a controlled crash landing, explosive bolts are released and the armoured doors of the pod open, allowing the enclosed Space Marines to deploy. The Deathstorm Drop Pod is a heavy support variant of the standard Drop Pod, featuring internal weapons systems that deploy upon impact with the ground, and makes up for the principal disadvantage of any Drop Pod used by the Imperium - the inability to transport armoured vehicles such as Predators or Vindicators directly to where they are needed most.

Where internal seating and support harnesses are found in the infantry pods the internal space of a Deathstorm is wholly dedicated to transporting either a series of automated Whirlwind Missile Launchers or automated Assault Cannons, and the design of the craft allows for heavy support to be immediately transported to the battlefield with the minimum of delay. Once a Deathstorm Drop Pod has touched down and its assault ramps have slammed open the weapons will open fire on anything outside of the craft. These weapons will only fire in the direction of the ramp they are positioned at and will strafe the immediate area with weapons fire until their ammunition is completely expended. The weapons carried by a Deathstorm Drop Pod do not possess any auto-targeting capabilities and will fire indiscriminately at the area around them until all ammunition is expended, although by this time further Drop Pods carrying Space Marines assault forces will themselves have begun landing in standard Drop Pods and started disgorging Astartes onto the battlefield to face any enemies that survived the onslaught unleashed by the Deathstorm Drop Pod. The Deathstorm's automated weapon systems do not fire blindly however, as this would simply be a waste of time and ammunition, they are instead slaved to a basic cogitator unit that instructs the weapon's Machine Spirit in target selection. Although the weapons are capable of firing upon these selected targets, there is no discrimination between friendly units and the enemy. Once the battle its over Chapter Techmarines will recover any surviving pod and have it repaired and rearmed for the next battle.

History
Deathstorm Drop Pods were first conceived and prototyped by the Raven Guard Legion during the Great Crusade, who sought to augment the firepower of their precision-orbital assaults. The Raven Guard's preference for such surgical-strike tactics would, upon occasion, leave them at a disadvantage in the case of both protracted engagements and in assaulting very heavily fortified targets where heavy units such as Legion tanks and artillery could not be used. The Raven Guard's solution spoke much to their own nature and preferred tactics -- a weapon that would strike with merciless swiftness and expend its force in a lethal fury that left little need for prolonged endurance. During this time the Deathstorm was armed with the Deathstorm Launcher, similar ot the modern version's Whirlwind Missile Launcher, the Deathstorm Launcher could be outfitted with either fragmentation or krak warheads.

Armament
The Deathstorm Drop Pod replaces the interior seating and restraints of the standard Drop Pod with a set of five automated weapon systems. These weapons are slave-linked to an onboard cogitator unit that directs their Machine Spirits to fire upon any target within their range, friend or enemy, until their ammunition is expended. After a successful Deathstorm Drop Pod deployment regular troop carrying Drop Pods or Dreadnought carrying Dreadnought Drop Pods will land to assault the enemy. The Deathstorm Drop Pod's main armament consists of five automated Whirlwind Missile Launchers armed with fragmentation warheads. These weapons can be replaced with five automated Assault Cannons before they are deployed.

Formations
The following are all known formations that make use of Deathstorm Drop Pods:


 * Iron Cyclone - The Iron Cyclone formation is intended to make short work of even the heaviest of enemy defences and is the favoured Drop Pod deployment of several Space Marine Chapters who prefer the brutality of overwhelming force to destroy and smash aside enemy ground defences and strategic targets. This formation is believed to have been so-named by the Black Templars Chapter who used it repeatedly during the Aegisine Crusade against the rebel Drift Worlds of the Mandragora Sector in M.39. During this bitter war the Iron Cyclone formation was deployed directly from Black Templars Strike Cruisers under merciless enemy ground-fire to overwhelm their bastions and silence their guns despite suffering heavy loses. It is lauded for breaking a deadlock that had tied up Imperial forces for decades, and the use of this tactic was rapidly spread to other Adeptus Astares Chapters that also took part in the crusade, including the Red Seraphs, Marauders, and the Fire Angels Chapters. This formation starts with an orbital bombardment of the target location followed by two to three Deathstorm Drop Pods to further clear the area and then three to five Dreadnought Drop Pods carrying Dreadnoughts and up to two Terminator Assault Squads to immediately deploy afterwards.

Variants
There are several variants of the Deathstorm Drop Pod used by the Imperium:


 * Deathwind Drop Pod - The Deathwind variant of the Drop Pod is no longer used by the Adeptus Astartes. This variant, similar in nearly every way to the Deathstorm variant that ultimately replaced it, was originally armed with Deathwind Missile Launchers to provide fire support. This variant has been replaced with the Deathstorm variant due to Whirlwind Missile Launchers being more powerful than Deathwind Missile Launchers and just as easy and cost effective to manufacture.


 * Legion Deathstorm Drop Pod - The Deathstorm Drop Pods used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy were similar to the modern age Deathstorm with the exception of their weapon systems, the Legion Deathstorm's made use of the Deathstorm Launcher, a similar missile launcher system that was capable of being loaded with either fragmentation or krak warheads. It is unrecorded in Imperial records as to if any modern Space Marine Chapters still use the Deathstorm Drop Pods armed with Deathstorm Launchers in the 41st Millennium.


 * Dominica-pattern Deathwind Drop Pod - The 'Dominica pattern of the Deathstorm Drop Pod is used only by the Adepta Sororitas. This variant makes use of the Dominica-pattern Drop Pod chassis and is armed with either Heavy Bolters or Multi-Meltas.

Trivia
The Deathstorm Drop Pod was originally known as the Deathwind Drop Pod, and featured the same armament and looks. The named was changed to Deathstorm as the standard Drop Pod could be armed with a Deathwind Missile Launcher in place of its Storm Bolter, which is a smaller weapon than needed for a Heavy Support unit.