A Banehammer of the 3rd Cadian Armoured Regiment
The Banehammer is a super-heavy tank of the Imperial Guard that is a variant of the Shadowsword Titan-killer tank. The Banehammer was designed to prevent the enemy's troops from assaulting Imperial lines before the massive bombardments unleashed by the Imperial Guard had their intended effect. The Banehammer is armed with a weapon known as a Tremor Cannon, the shells of which are fused to explode only after the force of their impact had already have buried them in the ground. These shells not only cause a huge explosion when their fuses go off, but they are capable of creating a large shock-wave that can knock enemies off their feet, or at least slow them down enough for Imperial artillery pieces to bombard them into oblivion. The shock-wave itself is as lethal to infantry as any other heavy ordnance, and this makes a Banehammer's Tremor Cannon the perfect weapon to deal with large numbers of infantry.
Known Uses
The Banehammer has proven itself extremely effective in dealing with the Tyranids, and is being heavily used by the armoured regiments of the Imperial Guard to fight against the swarms of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Tyranid bioforms have proven to be extremely resilient against all but the heaviest weaponry, but after a well-placed Tremor Cannon shell slows them down, they can be destroyed by massed laser or ballistic fire.
Armament
The Banehammer is armed with a Tremor Cannon as its main weapon but it is also equipped with a hull-mounted Twin-linked Heavy Bolter, 2 sponson-mounted Twin-linked Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers with 2 additional top sponson-mounted Lascannons. The vehicle can also replace the sponson mounts with extra armour plating or add another 2 sponson mounts that carry similar weapons. The Doomhammer can also be equipped with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a searchlight, or smoke launchers. Since the large capacitors for the Shadowsword's Volcano Cannon has been removed, the tank has enough room to transport up to 25 infantrymen in a hold behind the main gun, and 10 of these soldiers can fire their weapons from the hold's fighting platform.
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications
Banehammer Super-Heavy Tank
| Vehicle Name: | Banehammer | Main Armament: | Tremor Cannon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forge World of Origin: | Unknown | Secondary Armament: | 2 Lascannons, Twin-linked Heavy Bolter, 2 Twin-linked Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers |
| Known Patterns: | Unknown | Traverse: | Unknown |
| Crew: | Unknown | Elevation: | Unknown |
| Powerplant: | Unknown | Main Ammunition: | Unknown |
| Weight: | Unknown | Secondary Ammunition: | 300 rounds and 4000 rounds |
| Length: | 13.5 metres | Armour | |
| Width: | 8.4 metres | ||
| Height: | 6.3 metres | Superstructure: | Unknown |
| Ground Clearance: | 1.2 metres | Hull: | Unknown |
| Max Speed - on road | 25 kilometres per hour | Gun Mantlet | Unknown |
| Max Speed - off road: | 18 kilometres per hour | Vehicle Designation: | Unknown |
| Tranport Capacity: | 25 infantrymen | Firing Ports: | 10 slots |
| Access Points: | 1 open-topped | Turret: | Unknown |
Sources
- Imperial Armour Apocalypse II, p. 10