A Mars Pattern Devil Dog of the Astra Militarum
The Devil Dog is a variant of the Hellhound flame-thrower tank that is used by the Astra Militarum. Both vehicles are based upon the Imperial Chimera armoured transport chassis. The Devil Dog variant replaces the Hellhound's Inferno Cannon with a snub-nosed Melta Cannon and is used by the Imperial Guard for anti-armour combat, and for engaging enemy heavy infantry such as those wearing Power Armour. As the Devil Dog is a variant of the Hellhound, its troop compartment has been replaced with an armoured storage area for a pyrum-petrol fuel mix.
Acquiring its name from the high-pitched howl its Melta Cannon makes upon firing, the Devil Dog is capable of punching far above its weight in armoured combat. Indeed, many Devil Dog crews style themselves as big game hunters or monster slayers, excelling in the eradication of enemy armour and exceptionally heavy infantry assets. A foe forced to fight protracted campaigns in dense terrain against the Astra Militarum soon learns to dread the hunched silhouette of the Devil Dog -- those who don't find their vehicles reduced to molten slag by this aggressive and fast moving tank hunter.
The pairing of Devil Dogs with Hellhounds on the battlefield is commonplace among the battle groups of the Imperial Guard -- so much so that an entire page of the Tactica Imperium is dedicated to the deadly synergy achieved by fielding them in mixed "Desolation Squadrons." The Hellhound, being vulnerable to heavily armoured enemy tanks, is protected by the liquefying melta blasts of the Devil Dog -- conversely, the rivers of flame that pour from the Hellhound's Inferno Cannon immolate any massed infantry trying to swarm the Devil Dog. Working in concert, these two tanks make short work of the foe.
There are several different patterns of the Hellhound and its variants in use by the Imperium, such as the Artemia Pattern which replaces the vehicle's turret with one that is remotely controlled from inside the tank by the vehicle's commander that allows the tank to make do with a crew of only two, and the Mars Pattern which replaces the standard pattern's single large fuel tank with several smaller fuel tanks that can be hidden inside the remnants of the Chimera chassis' troop compartment. The use of the smaller fuel tanks is preferred as they make the Hellhound and its variants more difficult to identify when compared to standard Chimera transports.
Armament[]
The Devil Dog's turret-mounted Melta Cannon
The Devil Dog replaces the standard hull-mounted Inferno Cannon found on the Hellhound with a Melta Cannon. A Melta Cannon is an Imperial Melta Weapon that makes use of a miniature fusion reaction to produce a concentrated beam of intense, searing heat. This weapon system is commonly mounted on Reaver-class and Warlord-class Titans, yet the Devil Dog uses a scaled-down version of the same technology. The Melta Cannon used by the Devil Dog, while not nearly as powerful as the full size Titan version, is still one of the most powerful Melta Weapons used by Imperial ground forces and is very capable of destroying enemy heavy infantry and armour in short order. When the weapon is fired, it makes a high-pitched howl as the moisture in the air vaporises, becoming a roaring blast as the target detonates. The vehicle is also armed with a hull-mounted Heavy Bolter, which can be replaced with either a Heavy Flamer, or a Multi-Melta. The tank can also be outfitted with the following enhancements: camouflage netting, extra armour plating, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, improved communications equipment, a mine sweeper, rough terrain modifications, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, track guards, a searchlight, a dozer blade or mine plough, and smoke launchers.
Unit Composition[]
- 1-3 Hellhounds, Devil Dogs and/or Bane Wolves in any combination.
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications[]
| Vehicle Name: | Devil Dog | Main Armament: | Turret-mounted Melta Cannon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forge World of Origin: | Graia, Mars, Artemia | Secondary Armament: | Hull-mounted Heavy Bolter |
| Known Patterns: | Unknown | Traverse: | 360 degrees |
| Crew: | 1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 Gunner | Elevation: | -8 to 25 degrees |
| Powerplant: | Vulcanor 16 Twin-Coupled Multi-Burn | Main Ammunition: | Unlimited |
| Weight: | 35 Tonnes (approx) | Secondary Ammunition: | 400 Rounds |
| Length: | 6.90 metres | Armour: | |
| Width: | 5.70 metres | ||
| Height: | 4.10 metres | Superstructure: | 150 millimetres |
| Ground Clearance: | 0.45 metres | Hull: | 120 millimetres |
| Max Speed On-Road: | 70 kilometres per hour (approx) | Gun Mantlet: | N/A |
| Max Speed Off-Road: | 55 kilometres per hour (approx) | Vehicle Designation: | Unknown |
| Transport Capacity: | N/A | Firing Ports: | N/A |
| Access Points: | N/A | Turret: | 150 millimetres |
See Also[]
Sources[]
- Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pp. 45, 105
- Codex: Astra Militarum (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Hellhounds," "Fast Attack-Hellhound Squadron"
- Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pp. 50, 101
- Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pp. 73, 262, 267
- Imperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pg. 196