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AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter

2020-11-27T03:34:35Z

2601:4C1:C400:4050:416D:2813:2A70:86E2: /* IRL */

[[File:TUBX21-03.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Apache gunships in the sky, SF Rangers flying high! -Yusha Thomas]]
[[File:TUBX21-10.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Longbow]]

{{topquote|Now if there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that nothing is more powerful than a young boy's wish. Except an Apache helicopter. An Apache helicopter has a chaingun, rocket pods AND some of the most modern missiles of the time. It is an unbelievably impressive complement of weaponry, an absolute death machine.|Sir Patrick Stewart from the film Ted.}}

You know it, you love it. Whether your a gamer, ever seen a few modern war films or just a military buff you should already know what it is. It's the fucking Apache helicopter in service of American (Boeing), British (AgustaWestland) and Israel Armed armed forces. Though Israel adopted them in 1990 and the Brits in 2004. It is currently fielded by at least seventeen nations. Obviously no Apache for anyone except America in Team Yankee. Nor anyone else who bought them long after 1986 for that matter. Unless Gale Force Nine wants to go full crazy for their alternate history game or wants some extra cash.

==In Team Yankee==
[[File:TUBX21-19.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Stats]]

As helicopters go, the Apache is a frightening beast. Along with Thermal Imaging, it has a 'take-all-comers' loadout of:
* Hellfire ATGMS and their 25 AT that will make short work of any tank it can get its sights on while it hovers well out of the range of AA.
* for infantry or soft vehicles (or if another helo tries to get rowdy), there's your M230 with ROF 6 AP 8 if you hover. I pity the non-armored fool that thing is pointed at...
* In case of artillery parking spot, once per game you can drop an AT4 Salvo onto their top armor of mostly zero. Not a sure kill, but it certainly will hurt a lot.

Like all NATO helo's it has the Hunter Killer special rule: use terrain as concealment and unless you fire, you're concealed and only being hit on a roll of 6+.

As is mostly the case with such units, the downside is cost: two Apaches will hurt you for 12, the full platoon of four for 24. They're expensive, but just like the [[AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter|Cobra]], in the right conditions they'll murder the hell out of any Soviet that has the misfortune of being in front of them.

==IRL==
[[File:XTuRieTnpjFpEk9TLTDKDGdM 2IsnouZtvvRKfKL8hE.jpg|300px|right|thumb| *insert your favorite early to mid 90s metal song here*]]

The Boeing AH-64 Apache strangely enough, shares its origins with the [[A-10 Warthog]]. Because USAF flyboys like to play fast and loose with the CAS mission [[derp|and believe every problem on the ground can be solved with strategic bombing.]] In the 1970s, Lockheed's compound helicopter the AH-56 Cheyenne made chair force generals shit their collective panties. As allowing the US Army to have such a chopper would make them irrelevant during CAS missions and look like bigger idiots than they already were.(see Century Series fighters, F-111 and lack of a gun on the F-4) This forced them to stop thumbing their noses at the Fighter Mafia's CAS proposal. Having no choice but to adopt the Warthog in order to force the Army into canceling the AH-56.

In the end , the Army got what they wanted. Than issued an RFP for a conventional Attack Helicopter. In 1975 Boeing's YAH-64 won the contract over Bell's YAH-63. The first combat mission was George HW Bush's illegal invasion of Panama. While the true test of the Apache's effectiveness came during the Gulf War. Out of 277, only one AH-64 was shot down during Desert Storm via close range RPG. The only real issues the army experienced were logistics and workload. During operation Allied Force in 1999 other problems also cropped up. Since post 2000 variants don't have those issues. It was obviously due to the inferior tools, technology and training of the day.
The Apache biggest successes were during the Afghan and Iraq Wars. Many of the choppers that were shot down were eventually restored to working order.

The typical armament of the AH-64 is the M230 30mm Chaingun. A huge pain in the ass to reload. The rockets it mounts are either Hydra 70s, CRV7s or APKWS rockets. Missile options consist of AGM-114 Hellfire, AIM-92 Stingers(obviously the A2A version of FIM-92) or Spike Missiles. Which is something the US Army adopted as an interim solution. Obviously because of the incompetence America's Military Industrial Complex. The AH-64D Longbow variant has additional hardpoints for A2A Stingers.
The most significant upgrade is the AH-64E Guardian. Allowing the gunner to control RQ-7 Shadow or MQ-1C Grey Eagle drones for recon or additional firepower.

Proposed upgrades for the Apache are a laser weapon system(likely as an upgrade from the M230 because again reloading it sucks ass) and replacing the tail fan with a pusher propeller. The latter which will increase its speed to 185 knots and range to 460 NMI. From 158 knots and 257 NMI respectively. Since the Cheyenne the USAF whined about was one of the earliest compound helicopters. If the AH-64E Block 2 Compound were adopted it would be the ultimate irony, if that upgrade ever became reality. It would look like the Army is metaphorically poking the flyboys in the eye with one hand while flipping the bird with the other.

The Apache will mostly likely serve along side and eventually be replaced with the Sikorsky–Boeing SB1-Defiant by the US Army in the 2030s. Another Compound Helicopter like the Cheyenne. The Defiant is the contract winner of the Future Vertical Lift program alongside the Bell V-280 Valor. A tiltrotor aircraft more advanced than the V-22 Osprey.

It is also a [[meme|gender.]]

{{US Forces in Team Yankee}}

Gloriana-class Battleship

2020-11-27T03:24:09Z

2601:4C1:C400:4050:416D:2813:2A70:86E2: /* Chariots of the Primarchs */

[[File:GlorianaCobraComparison.jpeg|300px|thumb||A Gloriana-class of the Iron Warriors compared to a Cobra-class escort]]

The '''Gloriana''' is a rare class of [[Battleship]] fielded during the [[Great Crusade]]. Created to be the flagships of the [[Emperor]]'s [[Primarch|sons]] and their [[Space Marine]] legions, each and every one is armed to the teeth and heavily armored, on top of being customized depending on each Primarch's needs. At least two different patterns of the class were made as a base to build on, with the Scylla pattern being slightly larger than the Circe pattern. The four largest Glorianas were stated to be the Iron Blood, the Conqueror, The Hrafnkel, and the Vengeful Spirit.

It's important to not understate how ''massive'' each individual Gloriana was. They averaged around ''20 kilometers in length'', and they were capable of holding entire expeditionary forces ''and'' their support staff ''and'' equipment complement. Many of them could hold a sizeable portion of a Titan legion inside them, something that normally requires a single dedicated ship to do so. The entirety of a full-strength "modern-day" [[Chapter]] of Space Marines would have trouble filling out even a tenth of their cavernous holds. They were built to such exacting standards that it took nearly 10% of Mars' entire production output working flat out for years to build them.

Not only that, but their firepower was immense as well, with enough lance turrets, macro-cannons, torpedo tubes, and fighter launch bays to fight off entire ''fleets'', with a good chance of the Gloriana coming out on top. Indeed historically, the only way to take out a Gloriana was either through sheer numbers and/or weight of fire, or with ''another'' Gloriana.

That said there were several exceptional ships, like the Terminus Est, Infidus Imperator, and the [[Abyss-class Super Battleship|Abyss Class Super-Battleships]] that could give Gloriana Class a run for their money.

*'''Length:''' 20-26km

==Chariots of the Primarchs==

During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, each Legion had at least one Gloriana class warship as their Legion Flagship, except for the Imperial Fists who had the larger and even more deadly [[The Phalanx|Phalanx]] (and the Alpha Legion which secretly had two flagships).

*[[Dark Angels]]: The First Legion were given several at the start of the Great Crusade, taken from what had survived Old Night and equipped from the forbidden armouries of Terra. Though the exact number is unknown; "many" of their fleets were supposedly headed by one. Since Dark Angels were made of six wings at the time. They at least had that many by the time of the Horus Heresy. Any surviving vessels would have likely given to the new chapters. Some to be used as mobile [[Fortress-Monastery|Fortress-Monasteries]].
**The ''Paradigm of Hate'' and ''Truth's Razor'' both participated in the First Rangdan War. Though the ''Paradigm'' was lost and unsalvageable, the ''Razor'' survived to fight again later.
**The ''Invincible Reason'' survived the Horus Heresy and currently serves as the Dark Angels' flagship.
*[[Emperor's Children]]: ''Pride of the Emperor'' (Crippled during the Battle of Thessala, one of the few battles [[Roboute Guilliman|Girlyman]] lost. No further updates on its status)
*[[Iron Warriors]]: ''Iron Blood'' (Unknown, probably reconstructed as a space station or [[Perturabo]] keeps it in reserve on Medrengard)
*[[White Scars]]: ''Swordstorm'' (Became one with the speed force during the Battle of Catallus, after Jaghatai attempted to use it as a trap to kill Mortarion.)
*[[Space Wolves]]: ''Hrafnkel'' (Galaxy's largest space tavern. Was crippled by the Sons of Horus during the Battle of Trisolian, where it narrowly managed to escape the Vengeful Spirit. There has been no known activity with it since, and the Wolves aren't talking about it either.)
*[[Imperial Fists]]: ''Eternal Crusader'' (Currently serving with the [[Black Templars]], as the Imperial Fists have the [[The Phalanx|Phalanx]].)
*[[Night Lords]]: ''Nightfall'' (Last seen during the Siege of Terra, where one of its last duties was containing Angron within its many mazes because he was having one of his temper tantrums, at Kharn's request. He was later sent down on Terra once the fighting begun. Nobody knows its current status, making it a Grimdark version of the Batcave.)
*[[Blood Angels]]: ''Red Tear'' (Sanguinius asked a woman to park it. As a consequence, mostly because she was driven mad by Chaos, it crashed on Signus Prime and got transformed into a fortress. It was later towed back into space, repaired, and served in the Horus Heresy. No other activities after that)
*[[Iron Hands]]: ''Fist of Iron'' (Was severely damaged by the ''Pride of the Emperor'' after Fulgrim failed to turn Ferrus. No details about its ultimate fate)
*[[World Eaters]]: ''Conqueror'' (Formerly ''Adamant Resolve''. Continues to be in active service after the Horus Heresy, last seen during the 13th Black Crusade.)
*[[Ultramarines]]: ''[[Macragge's Honour]]'' (Guilliman’s space chariot/boat. It used to be a shrine ship after Guilliman's defeat against Fulgrim, but after the Primarch's awakening, it was restored to battle-ready condition and is currently being used as his flagship while cruising the galaxy. Fully playable in Battlefleet Gothic 2 and is one of the best ships in the game.)
*[[Death Guard]]: ''Endurance'' (In service to Nurgle, so its a big garbage truck. Last seen during Mortarion's Plague Wars campaign.)
*[[Thousand Sons]]: ''Photep'' (Was sent away by Magnus with a contingent of Thousand Sons marines before the Burning of Prospero. Later before the Siege of Terra, they returned to their legion on [[Sortiarius]].)
*[[Luna Wolves]]/Sons of Horus: ''[[Vengeful Spirit]]''/''Magna Tyrannis'' (The ''Vengeful Spirit'' is currently used by Abaddon whenever he has a [[Black Crusade|temper tantrum]]. The ''Magna Tyrannis'' is currently renamed as the ''Harbinger of Doom'', and serves as the Spirit's equally competent but more obscure sibling.)
*[[Word Bearers]]: ''Fidelitas Lex''/''Chronicle of Ashes'' (The ''Fidelitas Lex'' was destroyed by the Ultramarines over Nuceria during the Shadow Crusade. Role as flagship was taken over by the Trisagion. The ''Chronicle of Ashes'' was captured by the Ultramarines during the Great Scouring; after being cleansed of Chaotic taint, it was renamed the ''Lex Talionis'' and given to the Nemesis Chapter, an Ultramarine successor.)
*[[Salamanders]]: ''Flamewrought'' (Disappeared after the Drop Site Massacre. A Battle Barge named in itss honor later served as the Salamanders' flagship.)
*[[Raven Guard]]: ''Shadow of the Emperor'' (Destroyed by the ''Terminus Est'' during the Drop Site Massacre. Its successor, the Second Shadow, was destroyed 10,000 years later, also by the ''Terminus Est'').
*[[Alpha Legion]]: ''Alpha''/''Beta'' (''Alpha'' was last seen during the Battle of Pluto. ''Beta'' was last seen under the command of Omegon after a warrior claiming to be Alpharius died on Pluto. Much like the Alpha Legion: both ships seemingly disappeared into thin air.)

==Swords of the Emperor==

There are few Gloriana-class still in active duty in the modern-day Imperium, and in all cases these honored relics are in command of [[Space Marine|Astartes]] Chapters rather than the [[Imperial Navy]]. Needless to say, these old survivors have near-legendary reputations or honor rolls that would fill the libraries of entire planetary systems.

The '''Eternal Crusader''', formerly of the [[Imperial Fists]] Legion, still lives up to its name, serving as the mobile Chapter-monastery of the [[Black Templars]]. Up until recently it had been in pursuit of the infamous [[Warboss]] Ghazgul, but has since then been deployed for the Cardinal Worlds Crusade in the wake of the formation of the [[Great Rift]].

The '''Invincible Reason''' still remains the flagship of the [[Dark Angels]], though in practice it mostly serves as the escort of [[The Rock]] in its travels through the galaxy. Much like the Rock, it's currently deployed in Imperium Nihilus.

The '''[[Macragge's Honour]]''' of the [[Ultramarines]] by comparison spent much of the intervening millennia as a spaceborne shrine to their [[Roboute Guilliman|Primarch]], and has only relatively recently returned to active service. For a time it was [[Derp|lost]] to the [[Red Corsairs]] in the wake of the disastrous Terran Crusade, but has since then been recovered, and [[Awesome|once more serves as the Lord Commander's flagship]].

Finally there's the '''Chronicle of Ashes''', formerly of the [[Word Bearers]], it was captured, renamed the '''Lex Talonis''', and had since then served the [[Nemesis]] Chapter as their flagship. One can only imagine how long it took and how hard it was to cleanse such a huge vessel of chaos taint, and there's a good chance the depths of the ship still aren't completely safe.

==Echoes of the Old War==

[[File:VengefulSpirit13BC.jpg|300px|thumb||Still as deadly as ever]]

There are several ''Gloriana''-class ships known to be still in service to the [[Chaos|dark powers]].

The most infamous of them all, the '''[[Vengeful Spirit]]''', flagship of the archtraitor [[Horus Lupercal]], still bedevils the Imperium well into [[Age of the Dark Imperium|the current age]]. Now under the command of his successor, the Warmaster [[Abaddon the Despoiler]], the ship leads the fleets of the [[Black Legion]] in their rampage out of the [[Eye of Terror]] after the fall of [[Cadia]].

Likewise the '''Magna Tyrannis''', renamed the '''Harbinger of Doom''', flies the colors of the [[Black Legion]] and serves as the second flagship of the Black Fleet.

[[Mortarion]] still commands the plague-ridden '''Endurance''', and used it during the [[Plague Wars]] to terrorize the worlds of [[Ultramar]], exchanging a couple broadsides with the Macragge's Honor before retreating. Likewise the '''Conqueror''' still remains under the control of the [[World Eaters]], who use it to wreak havoc in [[Khorne]]'s name, presumably [[Angron]] takes command when he is summoned to the Materium.

It's conceivable that the '''Alpha''' and '''Beta''' of the [[Alpha Legion|Legion that doesn't exist]] are still in operation, but given how that Legion functions, no one knows for sure.

==In Battlefleet Gothic==

The ''Gloriana''-class was not statted out when the [[Battlefleet Gothic|specialist game]] was first released. Eventually we were provided the stats of the ''Vengeful Spirit'', but it was underwhelming to say the least, being a slightly more boarding-effective [[Chaos]] Battle Barge. It doesn't even get Chaos-specific benefits, especially compared to the other Chaos God-aligned battles barges statted out (see the '''Terminus Est''' of the [[Death Guard]]).

Not exacly reflecting its reputation as a ship capable of fending off entire Loyalist fleets, and enduring the world-breaking duel between the [[Emperor]] and Horus.

The sidebar to the ''Vengeful Spirit'' also mentions its equivalents still serving the Imperium are considered "relic" Battle Barges that can customize their weapon load-out before deployment for free, and come with a Space Marine crew by default. Again, a far cry from what's expected of a ship class that can fend off fleets on its own.

==In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2==

The ship class makes its debut in the sequel game, with ''Macragge's Honour'' representing the Imperium while the ''Vengeful Spirit'' appears on the Chaos side. Each is easily twice as powerful and durable as a "regular" battleship of their faction. Just don't send them without escorts however, as they can still be overwhelmed by multiple ships ganging up on them. The ''Macragge's Honour'' rolls with massive fighter complements, but its primary punch is its mix of lances and torpedoes. Since the torpedoes are parallel, they can hit a target eight times with one button press; good for boarding actions with that Astartes muscle backing it up.

Hilariously, if you play the Chaos campaign: there's a mission that has you defeating the Macragge's Honour, taking Guilliman prisoner (somehow). This results in the Word Bearers gleefully corrupting the Macragge's Honor and re-christening it as the "Monarchia Redeemed".

==Homebrew Stats==

The lack of "official" stats that reflect the actual capabilities of the class hasn't stopped players from trying to create some of their own. The following statistics are one of the more ''reasonable'' tries at this:

{| class=wikitable
! Class || Pts || Type/Hits || Speed || Turns || Shields || Armour || Turrets
|-
| Gloriana || 750 || Battleship/14 || 20 cm || 45 degrees || 5 || 6+ || 4
|}

{| class=wikitable
!Armament || Range/Speed || Firepower/Str || Fire Arc
|-
| Port weapons battery || 60cm || 6 || Left
|-
| Starboard weapons battery || 60cm || 6 || Right
|-
| Port weapons battery || 45cm || 6 || Left
|-
| Starboard weapons battery || 45cm || 6 || Right
|-
| Dorsal Lance turret || 60cm || 6 || Left/Forward/Right
|-
| Port Launch Bay || Thunderhawk 20cm, Stormhawk 30cm || 3 Squadrons || -
|-
| Starboard Launch Bay || Thunderhawk 20cm, Stormhawk 30cm || 3 Squadrons || -
|}

* '''Relic''': The Gloriana-class is an irreplaceable remnant of a better but bygone age. The loss of such a ship is considered a grievous blow to the Imperium as well as the Forces of Chaos. The Gloriana gives 50% more Victory Points if Crippled, and 200% more Victory Points if Destroyed.

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