Drop Pod

Drop Pods are atmospheric transports used primarily by Imperial Space Marines and their Chaos Space Marines counterparts for orbital insertion and planetary assaults where achieving tactical surprise is often an important factor.

Drop Pod
The Drop Pods of the Adeptus Astartes look and work similarly to a starship's Life Pod and can carry either twelve Tactical Space Marines, a single Dreadnought or a single Thunderfire Cannon. They are launched from a vessel in low orbit towards the drop zone, usually in the midst of or near a battlefield. Once launched, they plummet through the atmosphere until their retro rockets fire to slow their descent. A computer Machine Spirit guides the Pod to its destination and can receive further commands from the Pod's mothership. Although the Pods become immobile after having landed on a planetary surface, they can be recovered by the Chapter's Techmarines and reused.

Deathstorm Drop Pod
Deathstorm Drop Pods are a variant pattern of Drop Pod that do not carry troops but have potent weapon systems installed to strafe the enemy with massive levels of fire once they have landed and opened. They can be armed with either Whirlwind Launchers or Assault Cannons.

Dreadclaw
The Dreadclaw is an ancient Drop Pod variant dating back to the time of the Horus Heresy that can also be used as an assault boat for ship-to-ship combat. Unlike other Drop Pods, it is able to take off after landing. Dreadclaws are exclusively used by the Traitor Legions of the Chaos Space Marines.

Eversor Temple
The Imperial Assassins of the Officio Assassinorum's Eversor Temple are deployed in special Drop Pods that prepare them for their missions. These Pods are equipped with neuro-links that feed the details of the mission to the Assassin while remote links activate and begin to prepare his body for the task at hand.