"...Fall back! They are inside the perimeter, fire, fire everywhere...We...death...death has come!"
- — Last transmission of the Brotherhood of the Free, Second Galen Rebellion
The Siege Dreadnought is a specialised variant of the standard Imperial Castraferrum Dreadnought combat walker used by the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Dreadnoughts are cybernetic combat walkers that house the mortal remains of a fallen Space Marine hero, so that he may continue fighting for the Emperor and his Chapter even after his body has been fatally crippled.
Dreadnoughts are classified in several different ways, the most common of which is simply by their armament. Standard Dreadnoughts are equipped with a long-range weapon such as an Assault Cannon in place of one of their arms and their other is tipped with a Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon, such as an enlarged Powerfist.
Siege Dreadnoughts are specifically armed for either taking part in or actively leading an assault on heavily fortified enemy positions, such as armoured pillboxes and ferrocrete bunkers. These variants of the Dreadnought have their Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon on their left arm replaced with an Assault Drill and built-in Heavy Flamer, and their right weapon arm replaced with an Inferno Cannon.
The Assault Drill with its built-in Heavy Flamer allows the Dreadnought to grind its way through ferrocrete in a matter of solar seconds. After the hole in the enemy fortification is completed, it unleashes a blast of super-heated Promethium into the structure, burning enemy infantry out of their fortifications or simply engulfing them in flames. The walker's other weapon, the Inferno Cannon, is a massive Dreadnought-sized Flamer that allows the Siege Dreadnought to excel at close-quarters fighting, such as in dense street-to-street combat.
Armament[]
The Siege Dreadnought was specifically designed to fight in close-quarters, such as breaking through a static defence line, capturing enemy fortifications, or taking part in dense urban combat. The Siege Dreadnought's armament relies heavily on the fear-inducing power of fire, which can easily clear entire rooms and defensive structures with ease.
The Siege Dreadnought's Assault Drill is capable of creating breaches in enemy walls and bunkers, and its in-built Heavy Flamer can clear the other side of the breach of enemies, thus allowing friendly troops to enter the fortification without immediate retaliation. The Assault Drill also makes for an extremely effective close-combat weapon, one that is capable of destroying hardened rockcrete just as well as flesh and bone.
The sight of a massive machine spouting fire and using a rock-crushing drill to utterly destroy all in its path is very effective at demoralising enemy forces. The Siege Dreadnought's Inferno Cannon can be used to clear entire streets as well as the inside of enemy buildings and fortifications. The Siege Dreadnought can have its Inferno Cannon replaced with a Flamestorm Cannon or a Multi-Melta.
The Siege Dreadnought can be outfitted with extra armour plating, allowing it to shrug off even more enemy fire, and up to two Hunter-Killer Missile Launchers can be attached to the top of the walker's chassis. It can also be equipped with smoke launchers and a searchlight, while a Storm Bolter can be attached to the underside of its sarcophagus for additional anti-infantry firepower.
Unit Composition[]
- 1 Siege Dreadnought
Wargear[]
A standard Siege Dreadnought is armed and equipped with:
- Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon (Seismic Hammer) with built-in Meltagun
- Dreadnought Inferno Cannon
- Smoke Launchers
- Fragstorm Launchers
A Siege Dreadnought may replace its Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon (Seismic Hammer) with:
- A second Dreadnought Inferno Cannon
A Siege Dreadnought may replace one of its Dreadnought Inferno Cannons with any of these options:
Known Siege Dreadnoughts[]
The following is a list of known Siege Dreadnoughts and the Chapters to which they belong:
- Brother Daeres - Brother Daeres is a Siege Dreadnought who is part of the Red Scorpions Chapter's 6th Company. Brother Daeres took part in the fighting during the Siege of Vraks, where his Assault Drill proved to be a valuable asset to the attacking Imperial forces.
- Brother Voral - Brother Voral was a Siege Dreadnought of the Astral Claws Chapter. He was destroyed while fighting the Loyalist forces during the Invasion of Pireaus in the Badab War.
- Ancient Herulian - Ancient Herulian is a Siege Dreadnought of the Novamarines Chapter. Ancient Herulian fought against the Secessionists during the Badab War.
- Sura'kan Foehammer - Sura'kan Foehammer is a Siege Dreadnought of the Salamanders Chapter. He fought against Secessionist forces during the Badab War.
- Brother Galtus - Brother Galtus is a Siege Dreadnought of the Red Scorpions Chapter.
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications[]
Vehicle Name: | Siege Dreadnought Mark IV | Main Armament: | Weapon arm-mounted Inferno Cannon |
---|---|---|---|
Forge World of Origin: | Incaladion | Secondary Armament: | Weapon arm-mounted Assault Drill with in-built Heavy Flamer, hull-mounted Storm Bolter |
Known Patterns: | I - V | Traverse: | 360 degrees |
Crew: | 1 Pilot | Elevation: | -90 to 90 degrees |
Powerplant: | Thermic Reactor | Main Ammunition: | 12 Shots |
Weight: | 11.5 Tonnes | Secondary Ammunition: | 1,000 Rounds |
Length: | 2.2 metres | Armour: | |
Width: | 3.4 metres | ||
Height: | 3.7 metres | Superstructure: | 75 millimetres |
Ground Clearance: | N/A | Hull: | 75 millimetres |
Max Speed On-Road: | 8 kilometres per hour | Gun Mantlet: | N/A |
Max Speed Off-Road: | 5 kilometres per hour | Vehicle Designation: | 8681-756-0115-DR 040 |
Transport Capacity: | N/A | Firing Ports: | N/A |
Access Points: | N/A | Turret: | N/A |
Canon Conflict[]
The Siege Dreadnought has been described as having both an Inferno Cannon and Flamestorm Cannon as its main weapon. On pages 131 and 132 in Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two, the Siege Dreadnought is shown as having an Inferno Cannon as its main weapon, along with a Storm Bolter, on its specifications page, and yet on the next page it is described as having a Flamestorm Cannon.
In Imperial Armour Apocalypse (2nd Edition) the Siege Dreadnought is described as having a Flamestorm Cannon as its main weapon, yet its picture and every other officially released picture of the Siege Dreadnought to date all show it as having the Inferno Cannon as a main weapon.
This book specifically points to the walker's Inferno Cannon and labels it as such. Until it is fullly clarified which is the vehicle's main weapon we can only assume that it is capable of being equipped with both.
Also See[]
Sources[]
- Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two, pp. 87, 128, 131-132
- Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One, pp. 9, 53, 122, 185, 191
- Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pp. 26, 42, 82, 188, 208
- Imperial Armour (Update 2006), pg. 11
- Imperial Armour Apocalypse, pg. 29
- Imperial Armour Apocalypse II, pg. 35
- Imperial Armour Apocalypse (2nd Edition), pg. 29
- Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes (8th Edition), pg. 25