MARINE SPACE ASSETS

The Adeptus Astartes is not the Imperial Navy; it was never intended to fight fleet actions on its own. Marines do, however, have their own organic transport capability and support vessels. In this they differ greatly from the Imperial Guard, who is entirely dependent on the Navy for transportation and combat support (intentionally – the High Lords wills it to be so).

The Battle Barge is a massively oversized battleship-class vessel optimized for planetary assaults; heavy shields and armour, massive launch bays and drop pod launch batteries, augmented by interlaced point-defence batteries and ample space-to-ground ordnance. A Battle Barge will typically carry into battle one Battle-Cohort (5 companies) of Marines, plus their supporting elements and assets. With such an arrangement the Battle Barge has the capacity to launch the Battle-Cohort in one go and provide it with support through all phases of the assault. Obviously more Marines can be carried if needed, but if so the Barge is reduced to effecting a staggered launch and it loses the ability to provide full command and fire support for all launched Marine elements. Battle Barges lack in speed and long-range weaponry and should not voluntarily engage in fleet actions. Most Chapters control 2-3 of these vessels, although older and renowned chapters might have acquired more though their Mechanicus contacts, while less fortunate Chapters might have access to only one.

Green Knights Chapter Adeptus Astartes Battle Barge Glorious Retribution here seen in orbit over Protasia. Battle Barges such as this one are marvels of ancient technology. Also note the cavernous launch bays on either side of the vessel, ideal for quickly launching squadrons of Thunderhawks and support craft. Smaller Astartes Strike Cruisers look like slender versions of the Battle Barges.

The Strike Cruiser is a smaller vessel (cruiser-sized) that like the Battle Barge also lacks heavy long-range weaponry. It does, however, have ample speed (unlike the Battle Barge) and protection, making it a potent infiltrator. Its main task is quickly delivering a strike force of Marines onto a target and then withdrawing. A Strike Cruiser can carry up to a Battle Cohort of Marines, but will more typically be assigned to transport one Tactical Company and their support. The Strike Cruiser can deliver and support an entire Company and its support elements in a single swift drop. While launching a Cohort-sized formation staggered follow-up drops must be utilized (usually avoided since it makes the Strike Cruiser vulnerable to attack and deprives the Marines on ground of their organic aerospace support assets).

Assault Transports are the smallest autonomous vessel (it is comparable to a Navy frigate in size and power) regularly employed by Marine Chapters; it is a heavy transport capable of carrying up to a full company of Marines and their support elements into battle (more typically carrying anything from one squad to a Battle-Company). The Assault Transport is, like all Astartes craft, heavily armoured and shielded, with several defensive weapons batteries. Most Chapters will have a number of such transports patrolling their regions of space and/or standing by to reply to distress calls from Imperial Commanders.

The Astartes also have a wide variety of support ships available; including space-capable interceptors and strike craft. Once again the Marines are not geared towards space supremacy operations, but towards strikes against planetary targets and boarding actions against spaceborne targets. As a result Marine small-craft are almost always multi-purpose and atmospheric capable. Most Marine craft are also heavily armoured and/or shielded and carries weapons and/or ordnance, but for extended operation the Marines have access to a lightly armed heavy lander type craft. Marines also employ two specialized types of small-craft; the drop pod for planetary assaults and the boarding torpedo for use against spaceborne targets. The drop pod and the boarding torpedo is really the same system, but the former is optimized for planetary landing and the other for penetrating deep into the hull of enemy starships. Common for both of them is their very low sensor profile, extremely high speed, and massive shielding systems; all needed to deliver the Marines onto target with minimum chance of detection and interception. Combat craft are almost always commanded/piloted by Marine Officers or Flight Crew Specialists. Support craft, as well as the majority of capital starship crews, can be run by non-Marines and/or servitors (many Chapters use failed Marine recruits as pilot-servitor material).

Some Chapters may have acquired other vessels over the years and have the resources to refit, maintain, and crew them. The Adeptus Terra is, however, very suspicious of Marine Chapters acquiring significant space assets. In the past chapters have been forced to disband their fleets (877.M38 – Destroyers Chapter stands down its considerable fleet of capital ships, acquired over the span of almost ten thousand years of fighting) or failing that have been declared Excommunicate Traitoris and destroyed (346.M37 – Fiery Hearts Chapter destroyed by Battlefleet Tempestus and the Brazen Claws Chapter).