Testudo

The Testudo was an armoured personnel carrier (APC) that was used by the Imperial Army during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. The Tesudo was lightly armed and armoured and was more than likely phased-out and replaced with the Imperial Guard Chimera. The Chimera features heavier weapons and armour yet retains the Testudo's transport capacity of twelve infantrymen. Another disadvantage of the Testudo was that it used solid rubber tires, which were less dependable than metal tracks, the latter of which the Chimera uses. The vehicle's main advantage over most other military vehicles of the time was its speed, the absence of thick armour or heavy metal tracks allowed the vehicle to reach impressive speeds. During off-road operation the vehicle would kick up large amounts of dust, which itself was an advantage as it would conceal the vehicle, acting as a natural smoke screen. The Testudo's main function was to protect infantry from enemy small-arms fire, but due to the vehicle's light armour it was unable to ward-off heavier munitions, leaving it vulnerable to attacks from enemy heavy armour.

Armament
The Testudo was armed with an Autocannon mounted on a small turret, which was capable of turning fully around, allwoing the vehicle to engage enemy units weather it was traveling towards them or fleeing. The Testudo's troop compartment was capable of carrying an entire infantry squad, up to twelve soldiers, yet lacks the Lasgun mounts featured on the Chimera. The troop compartment only had a single exit, a rear ramp wide enough to allow two soldiers to exit the vehicle side-by-side. The inside of the troop hold featured benches that ran the length of the hold, allowing the passengers to sit down, near the front of the hold, were ammunition baskets that held the ammunition for the vehicle's turret-mounted Autocannon. It is unknown if the Testudo was able to be outfitted with other weapons or upgrades.

Regiments Known to Make Use of the Testudo
While the Testudo was used by the Imperial Army, it is unknown if the vehicle was widely used by many Army Regiments or if the vehicle was only used by Regiments that were near the vehicle's planet of origin. Regiments that made use of the Testudo are as follows:
 * Tanagran Dragoons - Eight Tanagran Dragoons Imperial Army Regiments made use of Testudos during the defence of the Imperial Forge World of Diamat by rebels during the opening stages of the Horus Heresy.

Also See

 * Imperial Guard Vehicles

Canon Issues
There are no known official pictures of the Testudo, the image used above is a photo of a wheeled variant of the Chimera APC, if official images are released this page will be updated accordingly.