Thunderbolt
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This article is about the Imperial Navy Fighter; for the Space Marine transport, see Thunderbolt Dropship. |
The Thunderbolt heavy fighter is the workhorse of the Imperial Navy.[2] A rugged and reliable design, with good firepower and maneuverability, the Thunderbolt has been in service for centuries and remains well-liked by its crews.[1a]
Contents
Overview
The Thunderbolt primarily serves as an air superiority fighter, given the task of hunting down enemy bombers or engaging enemy fighters in order to establish air superiority over the battlefield. However one of the chief advantages of the design is its versatility, allowing it to fulfill other types of missions. Thunderbolt fighters frequently serve as high altitude escort fighters for flights of Marauder Bombers. They can also be adapted to serve as low level fighter-bombers, night fighters and reconnaissance aircraft.[1a] Typically, Imperial Navy Thunderbolt Wings operate thirty aircraft.[2]
Attrition among Thunderbolt pilots is enormous, with few surviving for very long once deployed. Those that do survive may become deadly fighter aces remembered as heroes of the Imperium.[5] Besides the Navy, the Thunderbolt is also operated by the Tech-Guard of the Adeptus Mechanicus.[10]
History
The Thunderbolt has been in Imperial service for over ten millennia, thanks to its versatility, having been used to defend the Imperial Palace. During this period of service, the Thunderbolt has only been modified in minor ways for the myriad of different environments it has served in.[10]
During the Scouring various alternative weapon fits to better combat heavy tanks and Titans were trialed, but none were very successful, throwing the Thunderbolt off-balance and affecting the whole aircraft. These trials were finally ended with the development of the Marauder.[10]
Technical Specifications
The Thunderbolt is a tough aircraft to destroy, built around an armoured superstructure and cockpit,[2] made from armorplas and ceramite.[10]
Twin plasma ramjets[10] or twin F122v afterburning turbofans gives the Thunderbolt a good top speed in atmospheric flight, while a rocket booster engine allows it to operate in the vacuum of space and for fast take-offs when mounted on ground-based hydraulic ramps. The Thunderbolt should not be confused with a true "star-fighter" like the Fury Interceptor though, as its space capabilities are used primarily when deploying from an orbiting spacecraft into the atmosphere or likewise returning[1a] by engaging the rocket booster engine after reaching the Thunderbolt's atmospheric ceiling.[9a]
The Thunderbolt incorporates aircraft systems controls that feature life support, tactical and targeting readouts for all weapons as well as a damage diagnosis system. All these information can be directly accessed by the pilot through the tactical display of the Ryza pattern type IV flight helmet. These vital systems have backups in case of a malfunction in the helmet.[9b]
The Thunderbolt is equipped with a cogitator, a heads-up display,[15], incorporating a gunsight allowing for target lock-on,[13h] an auspex[13a] that includes a lock-on warning and collision warning system,[13b] electric autoloaders for the autocannons,[13g] a gun-cam,[13d] a vox linked to other aircrafts and mission control[13e], a rear pict unit,[13g] afterburners[13j] and flare countermeasure-launchers.[14] Thunderbolts used by the Solar Auxilia further mounted Flare Shields and Simulacra repair systems.[16]
The Thunderbolt also has vector-nozzles, allowing it to move in a non ballistic way by shifting sideways, nearly turning end-on-end,[13b] reversing thrust and pulling a near one-eighty turn,[14] braking up- or downwards during flight,[13h] coming almost to a standstill,[13f] or turning forward momentum into a gentle hover.[13c] The vector thrust system also allows the Thunderbolt to perform vertical takeoff and landing-operations both downwards[13c] and upwards[13e] by swivelling the nozzles.[13c]
The Thunderbolt can be modified for better night-fighting by mounting black, antler-like antennae arrays on the nose.[13c] It can also be modified, if necessary, to have its weapons controlled by a voice-activator,[13i] allowing for weapons switching and firing by voice-command.[13k]
Quad nose-mounted Autocannons serve as the primary dogfighting and anti-infantry weapons, while a pair of twin-linked Lascannons are normally used to engage enemy ground vehicles. Four pylons, two mounted underneath each wing, allow the fighter to carry up to four extra fuel tanks, Bombs, Hellstrike Missiles or, more rarely, air-to-air missiles.[1a] It can also mount additional equipment.
| Type | Multi-role Heavy Fighter[1b] | Operational Ceiling | 39,000m, with jet engines[1b] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Name | Thunderbolt[1b] | Max Speed | 2200kph[1b] at 5,000 feet[9a] |
| Forge World of Origin | Cypra-Mundi[1b] | Range | 12,000km in atmosphere[1b] |
| Known Patterns | I-XXI[1b] | Main Armament | 2x nose-mounted Lascannons[1b] 4x nose-mounted Autocannons[1b] |
| Crew | Pilot[1b] | Secondary Armament | 4x Hellstrike Missiles, 4x bombs[1b] or 4x Skystrike Missiles[9a] |
| Powerplant | 2x F122v Afterburning Turbofans[1b] | Main Ammunition | 30 shots from battery packs[1b] |
| Weight | 14 tonnes empty[1b] | Secondary Ammunition | 400 rounds[1b] |
| Length | 14.2m[1b] | Armour | |
| Wingspan | 16.06m[1b] | Superstructure | 45mm[1b] |
| Height | 3.5m with landing gear down[1b] | Hull | 45mm[1b] |
Known patterns and variants
Patterns
- Cypra-Mundi Pattern XVIIII[12]
- Cypra-Mundi Pattern XX[12]
- Cypra-Mundi Pattern XXI[11]
Thunderbolt Fury
The Thunderbolt Fury is one of the most common variants of the standard Thunderbolt fighter. This variant replaces the fighter's Autocannons with a pair of twin-linked Avenger Bolt Cannons. The combination of mass-reactive Bolt shells and the high rate of fire makes for a dogfighting aircraft of punishing repute. Many squadrons see a Fury or two amongst their ranks, though few consist of Furies alone as they are known to eat through ammunition at an astonishing rate.[5]
- 5th Khulan Flight Wing
- 43rd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing[5]
- 386th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing
- 490th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing
- 672nd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing
- 1303rd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing
- 3494th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing
- 3659th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing
Images
Epic Thunderbolt
Artwork of the Side View of a Thunderbolt[3]
Rear View of a Thunderbolt
Epic Thunderbolts and Marauders for Aeronautica Imperialis[8]
Thunderbolts of the 5th Khulan Flight Wing
Thunderbolts over Enothis
Thunderbolt of the 672nd, 'Dragon' squadron belonging to Richter Dagor-Jarni
Thunderbolt of the 3659th, 'Harrier' squadron. Camouflaged for low level woodland operations on Lammas.
Thunderbolt of the 490th, 'Wyvern' squadron. Camouflaged to fight above the ash wastes of Armageddon during the Third Armageddon War.
Thunderbolt of the 1303rd, 'Serpent' squadron. Camouflaged for operations on oceanic planet of Tyrama Secundus.
Thunderbolt of the 386th, 'Falcon' squadron. Standard codex grey colour scheme with red decals.
Thunderbolt of the 83rd, 'Eagle' squadron. Camouflaged for low level operations over deserts of Quatara-Prime.
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy
- 2: Apocalypse, pg. 126
- 3: The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book), pg. 82
- 4: Strategy Cards for Planetary Empires expansion game, card Interdiction - Minor Stratagem", (saved archive page, dated February 2011, last accessed 6 October 2015)
- 5: Aeronautica Imperialis: Wings of Vengeance, pgs. 39-40
- 6: Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost and the Damned, pgs. 25-26
- 7: Warhammer Community: New Reveals from Nuremberg (Posted January 29 2020) (last accessed 1/29/2020)
- 8: New Reveals at Gen Con! (Last Accessed August 2nd 2019)
- 9: Aeronautica Imperialis Game Rulebook:
- 10: White Dwarf 187 (UK), pg. 32 — Imperial Airpower
- 11: The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book), pg. 82
- 12: The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book), 2nd Edition, pg. 126
- 13: Double Eagle (Novel):
- 13a: Day 253 — Over the Lida Valley, 15.15
- 13b: Day 253 — Over the Lida Valley, 15.29
- 13c: Day 253 — Theda MAB South, 16.59
- 13d: Day 254 — Theda MAB South, 04.10
- 13e: Day 255 — Theda MAB South, 08.15
- 13f: Day 261 — Over the forests, 07.00
- 13g: Day 262 — Over the desert, 09.35
- 13h: Day 263 — Over the forests, 19.30
- 13i: Day 267 — Lucerna AB, 23.12
- 13j: Day 268 — Lucerna AB, 08.30
- 13k: Day 268 — Lucerna AB, 14.30
- 14: Apostle's Creed (Short Story) — Sabbat Worlds (Anthology)
- 15: Night Shriekers (Short Story) — Only War: Stories from the 41st Millennium (Anthology)
- 16: The Horus Heresy Book Four - Conquest, pg.275
- 17: The Art of Warhammer 40,000 (2025) - pg. 222
