The Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is a super-heavy siege tank that was used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
The Typhon is a variant of the super-heavy Spartan Assault Tank also used by the Legions, and both were developed simultaneously using the same hull, armour, and chassis design.
While the Spartan Assault Tank was developed by the ancient Mechanicum in response to the Space Marine Legions demanding a vehicle as powerful and versatile as the Land Raider Proteus yet also having the ability to carry Terminators into combat, the Typhon was developed at the request of Perturabo, primarch of the Iron Warriors Legion, who wanted a tank that could rival the great artillery batteries of the Imperial Army in firepower, but maneuver and deploy at the speed of a Space Marine force.
The Typhon Heavy Siege Tank was used in small numbers by many of the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, and in much larger numbers by the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists who specialised in siege warfare.
After the Legions were broken down into Chapters during the Second Founding, it is unknown if the newly-formed Space Marine units retained any of these powerful vehicles in their armouries.
It is also unknown if the Adeptus Mechanicus is able to build new Typhons in the 41st Millennium or if the technology has been lost like so much else from the Great Crusade era.
Armament[]
The Typhon, named after the Great Beast of ancient Terran myth, is armed with a single, massive, forward firing cannon known as the Dreadhammer Siege Cannon.
This massive weapon was designed in part by the Iron Warriors' Primarch Perturabo himself and is a modified version of an unknown class of static siege gun that was used to pound cities into dust.
The weapon fires massive, multi-tonne shells that are powerful enough to liquify flesh and bone and destroy even the most well-fortified bunkers and strong points.
The Typhon's structure is so densely constructed and heavily reinforced to withstand the force of its main weapon that it has the side effect of being able to completely pulverise anything smaller than itself, allowing the tank to cross through difficult terrain, such as rubble, wrecks, ruined buildings, or barricades with little difficulty.
Other than the tank's main weapon, the Typhon is only lightly armed compared to the Spartan Assault Tank or the Land Raider Proteus, featuring only two sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy Bolters, one on each side.
The tank was always outfitted with a Searchlight and Smoke Launchers. The Typhon could also be outfitted with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher for extra firepower or Armoured Ceramite Plating for better protection from enemy fire.
The tank could also be equipped with a variety of pintle-mounted weapons including a twin-linked Bolter (Combi-Bolter) or other Combi-Weapon, a Heavy Bolter, a Heavy Flamer, a Multi-Melta, or a Havoc Missile Launcher.
Unit Composition[]
- 1 Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank (41st Millennium Only)
- 1 Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank (31st Millennium Only)
Wargear[]
A Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is armed and equipped with:
- Dreadhammer Siege Cannon
- Smoke Launchers
- Machine Spirit (artificial intelligence)
- Crushing Tracks - The Cerberus can crush smaller vehicles under its behemoth weight.
A Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank may take the following sponson-mounted weapons:
A Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank may take one of the following pintle-mounted weapons:
Horus Heresy Wargear[]
During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Typhon Heavy Siege Tanks of the Legiones Astartes featured different weapon loadout options than those still found during the 41st Millennium.
A standard Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is armed and equipped with:
- Dreadhammer Siege Cannon
- Searchlight
- Smoke Launchers
- Flare Shield
- Machine Spirit (artificial intelligence)
- Crushing Tracks - The Spartan can crush smaller vehicles under its behemoth weight.
A Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank may take the following sponson-mounted weapons:
A Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank may take one of the following pintle-mounted weapons:
- Twin-linked Bolters (Combi-Bolter)
- Combi-Weapon
- Heavy Bolter
- Heavy Flamer
- Multi-Melta
- Havoc Missile Launcher
Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tanks may also have a variety of vehicle equipment such as:
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications[]
Vehicle Name: | Typhon Heavy Siege Tank | Main Armament: | Dreadhammer Siege Cannon |
---|---|---|---|
Forge World of Origin: | Mars/Anvilus IX | Secondary Armament: | 2 sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy Bolters |
Known Patterns: | I-III | Traverse: | N/A |
Crew: | Commander, Driver & Gunner | Traverse & Elevation: | Sponsons -10°-5° / +20° |
Powerplant: | Unidentified meta-thermic hybrid, with auxiliary reactor | Main Ammunition: | 12 rounds |
Weight: | 170 tonnes | Secondary Ammunition: | Unlimited cell feed |
Length: | 10 metres | Armour: | |
Width: | 6.1 metres with sponsons | ||
Height: | 5 metres | Superstructure: | 95mm |
Ground Clearance: | 0.5 metres | Hull: | 95mm |
Max Speed On-Road: | 35 kph | Gun Mantlet: | Unknown |
Max Speed Off-Road: | 30 kph | Vehicle Designation: | Undesignated |
Transport Capacity: | N/A | Firing Ports: | N/A |
Access Points: | 2 Side Doors, 1 Top Hatch (Crew Only) | Turret: | N/A |
See Also[]
Sources[]
- Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes (8th Edition), pg. 18
- Imperial Armour Volume 2, Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes, pp. 108-111
- Imperial Armour Volume 13 - War Machines of the Lost & The Damned, pp. 62-63
- The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 46-47, 225, 249
- The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 130
- The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 126-127
- The Horus Heresy - Book Six: Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 150
- The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Army List, pg. 87
- Forge World - Typhon Heavy Siege Tank