Deffkopta

"Wot's faster than a Warbuggy, more killy than a Warbike, and flies through da air like a bird? I got no bleedin' idea, but I'm gonna find out."

- Kog da Flymek, pioneer of the Deffkopta

Deffkoptas are flying warmachines that are used by the Orks, particularly Orks that are part of an Ork clan's Kult of Speed. These machines are the lunatic inventions of Meks that are obsessed with the power of flight, usually in the search of greater speed. Each craft is a one-man attack craft that is little more than a scavenged Warbike frame with its wheels removed and featuring a set of whirring rotors mounted above the pilot's head and a jet booster engine located at the rear. The rotors hold the machine aloft as the jet booster propelles it forwards screaming across the battlefield in the general direction of the enemy, all the while firing its underslung weaponry in the vain hope of actually hitting a target. These crafts are extremely temperamental and are prone to falling apart mid-flight or crashing spectacularly without warning or notice, yet surprisingly there are always a number of Orks who volunteer to fly these machines into combat.

History
There are countless instances of Ork Meks trying to master flight, but only a tiny fraction of them have achieved anything more than a spectacularly entertaining disaster. Still, Orks have a cheerful try and try-again attitude towards technology, and there is never a shortage of willing test pilots amongst the ranks of the Speed Freaks. The Deffkopta was the result of decades of experimentation, and truth be told, it is still the subject of rather a lot of experimentation to this day. It is believed by Imperial savants that the original Deffkopta was first pioneered by an Ork Mek known as Kog da Flymek.

Combat Role
The Deffkopta is used mainly as a reconnaissance vehicle, flying out ahead of the rest of the Ork warband and locating victims or targets for the rest of the main Ork army. Once an enemy force has been discovered they will, with a supreme effort, turn their 'koptas around and head back to the main Ork armies to bring in reinforcements. The Deffkopta can also be commonly seen leading a Kult of Speed into battle, with the main Ork armies following their exhaust trails to the front line. The main advantage that the Deffkopta has over its cousin the Warbike is that it is capable of traversing absolutely any terrain, and while Warbikes can attain great speeds over rolling terrain, the only limit to the Deffkopta's theoretical velocity is the nerve of the craft's pilot. As the pilot must indeed have a few screws loose to even consider climbing into the seat of a Deffkopta in the first place, this means that squadrons of Deffkoptas often pass their comrades in a kind of oily blur, their pilots howling in glee as the carve a path through the skies before slamming into the ranks of the foe, or into the ground below.

Known Formations

 * Sky-Slasha Attack Skwadron - The Sky-Slasha Attack Skwadron is a combat formation used by crazed Ork Deffkopta and Warkopta pilots, usually containing a mixture of each type of craft, that are used during battle to great effect. These formations are made of pilots who have survived long enough to perfect a few tricks of the trade with their ramshackle and largely unstable flying machines. The formation usually involves up to three Warkoptas and up to two mobs of Deffkoptas. During combat the pilots generally show off by screaming high above the footslogging boyz to drop their bomms before plunging manically downwards guns blazing, some sweeping low enough even to use the spinning rotor blades of their machines as offensive weapons! Suffice to say, there are very few old Ork Sky-Slasha kaptains.

Armament
The problem with Ork Meks is that they never build the same machine twice. Ever since the very first Deffkopta was pioneered, the Mek fraternity has devised ever more and more cunning ways to turn it from a bizarre conveyance to a lethal weapon. The first Deffkoptas, and most still built today, are armed with a set of twin-linked Big Shootas, usually scavenged from crashed Ork Warbikes, but as the Meks have had their way with the Deffkopta design it has become a common sight to see other weapons in use. The Deffkopta can have its twin-linked Big Shootas replaced with a set of twin-linked Rokkit Launchas or a single Kustom Mega-Blasta. Some Ork Meks delight themselves in making even more extravagant designs, such as attaching high-yield explosives known as Bigbomms to their 'koptas so that they can drop them directly on top of their enemies, or fixing massive buzzsaw blades to the 'koptas that allow them to decapitate their foes in one fell swoop. There are other, less common weapons and things found on Deffkoptas such as kannister bomb droppers, rippa-saws on long extendable arms, Squig-parachutes, and large wing-mounted mirrors (reasons unknown!).

Variants and Derivatives
There are at least two noticeably different variants or derivatives of the Deffkopta that are used by the Orks:


 * Gravkopta - Gravkoptas, also known as Anti-Grav Deffkoptas, are an extremely rare variant of the Deffkopta that makes use of anti-grav technology instead of a rotor design. These craft more than likely make use of scavenged anti-grav technology taken from battlefields where the Orks fought against the Imperium or the Eldar.


 * Warkopta - The Warkopta is a recent innovashun in Orkish air power that is beginning to appear in Waaaghs! across the galaxy and is growing in popularity. The Warkopta is a larger variant of the Deffkopta, featuring two huge rotor blades fixed at either end of a long open-framed fuselage, with a cluster of rokkit-boosted jets at one end and a cunning yoke and pulley system used to steer. The Warkopta is used by the Orks as an aerial transport for moving Ork infantry across the battlefield.

Also See

 * Ork Vehicles

Gallery
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