Changes: Aquila Lander

Revision as of 06:32, 5 February 2012

AquilaLander1 — An Aquila Lander coming to rest in the deserts of Taros

The Aquila Lander is a small transport shuttle used by the Imperial Navy to transport important personnel to and from Imperial starships in orbit and to the surface of planets. The Aquila Lander can be seen on almost every single Imperial Navy starship alongside its complement of fighters and bombers in the launch bays. The Aquila Lander is not a combat craft and it is only armed with a single nose-mounted Heavy Bolter for defensive purposes. However, it possesses excellent armour and can withstand enough punishment to ensure its passengers reach their destination safely.

The Aquila Lander is used as a transport shuttle for important Imperial personnel including dignitaries, officials, Inquisitors, military commanders, and Planetary Governors. The Aquila has one crewman, a pilot, in an armoured cockpit at the front of the spacecraft. Twin, independently maneuverable jet engines are set beside the cockpit and built within the fuselage, which allows the vehicle to also hover over its landing point. The shuttle has a command throne for the official to sit in, possesses advanced communications equipment including a hololithic transceiver, and also an observation dome in the dorsal section just above and behind the cockpit. Sometimes Aquilas are decorated with purity seals. The ship is fully capable of both atmospheric flight and travel through the void of space. The craft is used mostly to take Imperial VIPs and their retinues to other Imperial starships or to and from a planet's surface. The Aquila Lander does not possess Warp capability and thus is not suited for interstellar travel. The Aquila Lander is highly maneuverable in both space and in atmosphere, and this is its best defence against any attackers. In case of assault by an enemy, the shuttle is heavily armoured and can withstand several direct hits from the weapons of most strike aircraft. During landing the entire crew compartment lowers to the ground for easier access.

Appearance

The Aquila Lander is named after the iconic crest of the Imperium of Man, the Aquila, due to the unique shape of its wings. The multiple independent engine vents that run up along the wings come together to form a distinctive "feathered" appearance, which is similar to the wings of the Imperial Aquila symbol. The shuttle is capable of carrying up to seven passengers, usually a high-ranking Imperial commander or noble and his or her aides and elite guards.

Known Users of The Aquila Lander

The Imperial Navy - The Imperial Navy possesses millions of Aquila Landers spread throughout the Imperium of Man on many if not all of their warships as a way to allow their admirals and senior commanders to move from ship to ship and to make landings on-planet.
The Inquisition - The Inquisition uses their own Aquila Landers or other shuttles as personal landing craft.
Planetary Governors - Many Imperial Governors use Aquila Landers as personal transports or to go into orbit above their worlds to meet with other Imperial officials aboard their starships.

Armament

The Aquila Lander is armed with a single, nose-mounted Heavy Bolter, but this weapon can be switched with either a Multi-Laser or an Autocannon. The ship can also be outfitted with an ejector seat, extra cockpit armour plating, and illumination flares.

Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications

**Aquila Lander**
Type	Lander	Operational Ceiling	N/A (Void Capable)
Vehicle Name	Aquila Lander	Max Speed	1900 kilometres per hour
Forge World of Origin	Cypra Mundi	Range	24,000 kilometres in atmosphere
Known Patterns	I - VI	Main Armament	Nose-Mounted Heavy Bolter
Crew	1 Pilot	Secondary Armament	N/A
Powerplant	2 x RX-40-08 Rocket Engines	Main Ammunition	400 Rounds
Weight	42 Tonnes	Secondary Ammunition	N/A
Length	11.8 Meters	Armour
Wingspan	21.45 Meters	Superstructure	65 millimetres
Height	8.1 Meters	Hull	65 millimetres
Transport Capacity	1 VIP, 6 Passengers	Access Ports	1 Rear, All Passengers

Sources

Imperial Armour Update 2006, p. 4
Imperial Armour: Apocalypse, p. 36
Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 243-246

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 The '''Aquila Lander''' is a small transport shuttle used by the [[Imperial Navy]] to transport important personnel to and from Imperial starships in orbit and to the surface of planets. The Aquila Lander can be seen on almost every single Imperial Navy starship alongside its complement of fighters and bombers in the launch bays. The Aquila Lander is not a combat craft and it is only armed with a single nose-mounted [[Heavy Bolter]] for defensive purposes. However, it possesses excellent armour and can withstand enough punishment to ensure its passengers reach their destination safely.
-The Aquila Lander is used as a transport shuttle for important Imperial personnel including dignitaries, officials, [[Inquisitor]]s, military commanders, and [[Planetary Governor]]s. The ship is fully capable of both atmospheric flight and travel through the void of space. The craft is used mostly to take Imperial VIPs and their retinues to other Imperial starships or to and from a planet's surface. The Aquila Lander does not possess Warp capability and thus is not suited for interstellar travel. The Aquila Lander is highly maneuverable in both space and in atmosphere, and this is its best defence against any attackers. In case of assault by an enemy, the shuttle is heavily armoured and can withstand several direct hits from the weapons of most strike aircraft. During landing the entire crew compartment lowers to the ground for easier access.
+The Aquila Lander is used as a transport shuttle for important Imperial personnel including dignitaries, officials, [[Inquisitor]]s, military commanders, and [[Planetary Governor]]s. The Aquila has one crewman, a pilot, in an armoured cockpit at the front of the spacecraft. Twin, independently maneuverable jet engines are set beside the cockpit and built within the fuselage, which allows the vehicle to also hover over its landing point. The shuttle has a command throne for the official to sit in, possesses advanced communications equipment including a hololithic transceiver, and also an observation dome in the dorsal section just above and behind the cockpit. Sometimes Aquilas are decorated with [http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Purity_seals purity seals]. The ship is fully capable of both atmospheric flight and travel through the void of space. The craft is used mostly to take Imperial VIPs and their retinues to other Imperial starships or to and from a planet's surface. The Aquila Lander does not possess Warp capability and thus is not suited for interstellar travel. The Aquila Lander is highly maneuverable in both space and in atmosphere, and this is its best defence against any attackers. In case of assault by an enemy, the shuttle is heavily armoured and can withstand several direct hits from the weapons of most strike aircraft. During landing the entire crew compartment lowers to the ground for easier access.
 ==Appearance==
-The Aquila Lander is named after the iconic crest of the [[Imperium of Man]], the [[Aquila]], due to the unique shape of its wings. The multiple independent engine vents that run up along the wings come together to form a distinctive "feathered" appearance, which is similar to the wings of the Imperial Aquila symbol. The shuttle is capable of carrying up to seven passengers, usually a high-ranking Imperial commander or noble and his or her aides and elite guards. The shuttle has a command throne for the official to sit in, possesses an advanced communications equipment, and also an observation dome in the dorsal section.
+The Aquila Lander is named after the iconic crest of the [[Imperium of Man]], the [[Aquila]], due to the unique shape of its wings. The multiple independent engine vents that run up along the wings come together to form a distinctive "feathered" appearance, which is similar to the wings of the Imperial Aquila symbol. The shuttle is capable of carrying up to seven passengers, usually a high-ranking Imperial commander or noble and his or her aides and elite guards.
 ==Known Users of The Aquila Lander==
 *[[Imperial Navy|The Imperial Navy]] - The Imperial Navy possesses millions of Aquila Landers spread throughout the [[Imperium of Man]] on many if not all of their warships as a way to allow their admirals and senior commanders to move from ship to ship and to make landings on-planet.