The Rhino Advancer is a variant of the the standard Deimos Pattern Rhino armoured personnel carrier (APC) used by the Adeptus Astartes. The Rhino Advancer chassis is much longer than the standard Deimos Rhino chassis and uses a variable open-topped design in which the vehicle's dorsal hatches can slide open to allow its passengers easy access to the combat space.
The Rhino Advancer's troop hold is able to carry twice as many Space Marines as the standard chassis, and its open-topped design allows its passengers to fire upon enemies and to quickly deploy into battle. When the Space Marines being transported need to deploy, they can use either the vehicle's five ramps or just vault over its side.
The Rhino Advancer was used during the the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy by the Space Marine Legions on both sides, but after the remaining Loyalist Legions were divided into one-thousand man Chapters during the Second Founding, the vehicle fell out of use. The reason for this is likely the fact that Space Marine Chapters rarely deploy in large enough numbers to properly utilise the Rhino Advancer's large troop carrying capacity.
Armaments[]
The Deimos Pattern Rhino chassis is equipped with two top turret-mounted Bolters that are controlled by the vehicle's target-logis systems, or its Machine Spirit (artificial intelligence), but the Rhino Advancer's turret-mounted Bolters are controlled by the passengers and act as a pintle-mounted weapon.
Notable Users of the Rhino Advancer[]
- Adeptus Astartes - The Rhino Advancer and its Munitions Carrier variant were used by the Space Marine Legions as a troop or ammunition transport during large-scale operations. These vehicles are no longer used due to the Space Marines being divided into Chapters, and no longer needing these specialised vehicles and their large transport capacities.
- Space Wolves - The Space Wolves Legion used Rhino Advancers during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, particularly during large-scale operations like the Scouring of Prospero.
- Ultramarines - The Ultramarines Legion used Rhino Advancers during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy to transport and supply what was the largest of the Astartes Legions. Many of the Ultramarines' Rhino Advancers were lost during the Battle of Calth, where they were destroyed by the forces of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion.
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications[]
Technical specifications for this vehicle are not available in existing Imperial records.
Also See[]
Sources[]
- Know No Fear (Novel) by Dan Abnett, pg. 34
- The Horus Heresy: Collected Visions (Background Book), pg. 251