Archaeopter
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"Your logic and... perseverance... are compelling. Request granted. Archaeocopter deployment approved."
- – Magos Dominus Bartolomus finally accepting the skitarii's requests for flyers after long negotiations
The Archaeopter is the first exclusive Adeptus Mechanicus flyer in 8th Ed. From what we know, it comes in transport, gunship and bomber varieties, though more info will be released in the future. Design-wise it, like the overwhelming majority of Imperial aircraft, appears to be a real-world helicopter airframe that's exchanged its rotors for wings, albeit this time around the wings are a bit... unconventional.
It is considered as the workhorse of the Mechanicum, the aircraft has been at the forefront of Tech-Priest expansion for millennia. The aircraft is an agile, fixed-wing aircraft. Piloted by a Pteraxii whose legs and scapuli superior are hardwired into its controls, the nano-carbon fibre-weave of the Archaeopter's wings is capable of morphing - a property it shares with Pteraxii flight packs. This affords great manoeuvrability and enables it to operate within changing pressures.
Its ornithopter design is quite unique in the Imperium of Man in comparison to many of the boxy designs of flyers of the Space Marines or the Guard. Its appearance suggests yet another Dune reference in 40k, while its name is a combination of Archaeotech/Archaeopteryx and Ornithopter.
Archaeopter Stratoraptor
The vanilla variant of the family that is nothing more than a ground attack aircraft. It is armed with 2x Cognis Heavy Stubbers, 2x Phosphor Blasters, and supposedly a Twin Linked Lascannon hanging off the back. It is essentially the gunship of the Archaeopters.
The Archaeopter Stratoraptor can also be upgraded with chaff launchers to thwart incoming enemy fire. If you're after a dogfighter to clear the skies of enemy aircraft or some aerial fire support against ground targets, look no further than the Archaeopter Stratoraptor.
Archaeopter Fusilave
The bomber variant of the family, has a circular rack of bombs mounted in the ass, which means that the Fusilave shares the same design philosophy as the Swooping Hawks and the Skystalkers. It's just like a metal pigeon, just with more explosives.
The Archaeopter Fusilave is armed with no fewer than four cognis heavy stubbers as well as the aforementioned bomb rack of tectomagnic munitions which it can drop on enemy ground forces from above. Archaeopter Fusilaves are great options for countering enemy assaults, blunting their advances with bombing runs that are equally destructive and disruptive.
Archaeopter Transvector
Troop transport used for Explorator duties. Transports up to 6 Secutarii, Electro Priest, Tech Priest or Skitarii kiddies into a combat zones, so for all intents and purposes, it's a flying Chimera.
Comes armed with four Cognis Heavy Stubbers and a twin cognis heavy stubber with which it can lay down covering fire and not much else. The Archaeopter Transvector can also be upgraded with chaff launchers to thwart incoming enemy fire. Its speed, agility and the freedom of the skies grant the Archaeopter Transvector a pretty good advantage in quickly flying over and dropping off its load, before flapping away to safety.
Gallery
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Archaeopter Variants.
