Chimera

The Chimera is the standard armoured personnel carrier (APC) of the Imperial Guard and its
chassis is the basis for a large number of other Imperial armoured vehicles such as
the Basilisk artillery andSalamander scout vehicles. The basic Chimera is equipped with a
Multi-Laser but can also be equipped with a variety of other heavy weapons, such as Twin-
linked Heavy Bolters, an Autocannon or a Heavy Flamer.
The Chimera also mounts a hull-mounted Heavy Bolter or Heavy Flamer and 6 hull-
mounted Lasguns on the vehicle's sides which can be fired from the passenger compartment,
allowing the infantry inside to fire at the enemy. It can carry up to 12 Guardsmen or 6 Ogryns.
The Chimera also has amphibious capabilities, allowing it to take part in naval amphibious
assaults or overcome watery obstacles like swamps and rivers.

Hellhound

The Hellhound is a flame-thrower tank of the Imperial Guard that is based upon the
Imperial Chimera armoured transport chassis. Its main weapon is the Inferno Cannon, also
known as the "Dragonfire Thrower", which is a large Flamer that projects streams of burning
Promethium at range, making the Hellhound well-suited to close-range fire support missions
such as countering enemy melee units that attempt to assault Imperial armour and driving
dug-in enemies out of cover. The Hellhound replaces the troop compartment of the Chimera
with a large Promethium storage tank, as its main weapon needs a lot of fuel to function. The
large storage tank replaces the passenger area at the vehicle's rear, this makes the fuel tank,
and the vehicle itself, vulnerable to enemy weapons. The Hellhound is widely used by the
Imperial Guard as a useful weapon to clear enemies out of cover. Hellhound tanks usually
make up their own company in a regiment, but are rarely fielded as one. Instead the
Hellhound and its variants are attached to infantry and armoured regiments as they are
needed. There are very few Imperial Guard regiments lucky enough to possess an entire
company of these tanks. The crew of a Hellhound are often considered brave as the tank is
prone to exploding catastrophically if an enemy round detonates the fuel tank, but many
Hellhound crews are made up of pyromaniacs, who actually prefer the Hellhound's fire-based
weapons and spend much of their free time playing with the output of the Hellhound's
Promethium dispersal valves to increase the vehicle's fire output. This is discouraged by
Imperial Guard commanders, as it makes these vehicles even more prone to explosion.

Leman Russ Standard

Leman Russ
The basic and most common armament of the Leman Russ tank is a turret-mounted Battle
Cannon and a hull-mounted Heavy Bolter. Alternatively, a Lascannon can be mounted on
the tank's hull instead of the Heavy Bolter. The Leman Russ can be equipped with two
sponson mounts, one on each side. The most common configuration for the sponson-mount is
2 Heavy Bolters or 2 Heavy Flamers. Leman Russ tanks that are a part of a well-equipped
armoured regiment sometimes have 2 Multi-Meltas or 2 Plasma Cannons as their sponson
weapons. The tank can also be equipped with camouflage netting, extra armour plating,
a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, improved communications equipment, a mine sweeper,
a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a searchlight, track guards, rough terrain
modifications, a dozer blade, and smoke launchers.

The Leman Russ tank can exchange its main weapon for a different weapon which changes
the tank's designation and battlefield role. These variants include:

Conqueror

Leman Russ Conqueror

One of the less common Leman Russ variants, the Leman Russ Conqueror is only produced in
any significant quantities on the Forge World of Gryphonne IV, where the Standard Template
Construct plans for the design were originally rediscovered. Armed with the Conqueror
Cannon, as opposed to the standard Battle Cannon, the Conqueror sacrifices outright
destructive power in exchange for improved mobility and accuracy whilst firing on the move.
The Leman Russ Conqueror comes standard with co-axial mounted Storm Bolters and
searchlights, removing the need to expose a crew member to fend off oncoming enemy
infantry. The back of the turret houses an armoured ammunition access hatch, making re-
arming the tank quick and easy. This hatch is also used to dispose of spent Conqueror Cannon
shells.

Demolisher
Leman Russ Demolisher
One of the most common Leman Russ variants, the Leman Russ Demolisher is equipped with
the Demolisher Cannon, and is designed as a short-range bombardment and line-breaker
tank. The extreme power of this weapon is hampered by its short effective range. Demolishers
are valued as close heavy fire support vehicles by the Imperial Guard's infantry units, and it is
the most common variant of the Leman Russ that is equipped with Plasma Cannons and Multi-
Meltas on its sponson mounts in order to make them more effective against heavily armoured
units.
Executioner

Leman Russ Executioner

A variant now produced only on the Forge World of Ryza, the Leman Russ Executioner is
armed with the Plasma Destroyer, a slightly more powerful version of the Plasma Cannon. A
poorly understood and temperamental weapon, the Plasma Destroyer is often criticised for its
high power requirements, limiting the tank's effectiveness in extended engagements.
The turret features emergency vents, heat shielding and coolant to both protect the crew and
the weapon itself from damage should a plasma containment field failure occur. However, due
to bad design, the coolant feed lines run outside the turret, and are prone to damage,
rendering the emergency systems less than reliable. Crews dislike being made to work in the
Executioner, and are prone to bailing out at the first sign of trouble. Crews who willingly
command these tanks are often seen as foolhardy, extremely brave, or insane. However,
those crews who do stick to their tanks are among the best tank-killers in the Imperium, able
to take out even the most heavily armoured tanks and buildings due to their powerful main
gun. When the tank takes too much damage, the plasma containment field for the main gun
can short out, releasing an expanding shock-wave of energy that can incinerate any infantry
close to the vehicle.

Vanquisher

Leman Russ Vanquisher

A rarer and more advanced variant of the standard Leman Russ, the long-barrelled
Vanquisher Cannon mounted on the Leman Russ Vanquisher is capable of firing powerful
anti-tank shells. In addition, a Storm Bolter is mounted co-axially to the main cannon.
However, Vanquishers are becoming increasingly rare in Imperial service due to the actions of
the Ork Warlord Arrgard the Defiler, who scoured the Forge World Tigrus in the 35th
Millennium, destroying the only existing template for constructing the Vanquisher Cannon in
the process.
Annihilator

A Leman Russ Annihilator

The uncommon Leman Russ Annihilator variant replaces the standard tank's Battle Cannon
with a pair of Twin-linked Lascannons. This is similar to the identically-designated Predator
Annihilator tank of the Space Marines from which this variant of the Leman Russ takes its
name. This change requires the addition of extra power-cells inside the tank, but these use
the space saved by the fact that the Battle Cannon's ammunition no longer needs to be
stored. The Annihilator's twin Lascannons turn this variant into a true tank-hunter and it is in
this role that the tank excels. Of course, such sophisticated tactical planning is not regarded
as important by the Death Korps of Krieg Imperial Guard regiments that have been the most
common users of this variant of the Leman Russ. As such, where other regiments would
regard this tank-hunter as a defensive weapon, the Death Korps uses them as offensive
weapons to be thrown into the open assault across no-man's land during a planetary siege.
Exterminator

A Leman Russ Exterminator

The infrequently seen Leman Russ Exterminator variant is armed with turret-mounted Twin-
linked Autocannons and is generally deployed in an anti-infantry role. Sometimes the
Exterminator is also utilised as a stop-gap measure for anti-air defence due to its rapid firing
speed. It is especially effective against lightly armoured horde armies such as the Orks or
Tyranids, and when the tank is equipped with all anti-infantry weaponry, such as Heavy
Bolters, it is capable of laying down a withering hail of ballistic fire. While the Twin-linked
Autocannons have recoil dampeners they lack a muzzle brake or flash suppressor. The
Exterminator is unique in that it is also used in small numbers by the Space Wolves, making it
the only Leman Russ variant fielded by any Space Marine Chapter.
Eradicator

A Leman Russ Eradicator

A simple, destructive vehicle, the Leman Russ Eradicator was instrumental in the urban
conflict on Khai-Zhan. Its main weapon, the Eradicator Nova Cannon, gained a fearsome
reputation as a powerful anti-infantry weapon. The weapon's heavy, high-calibre ballistic
shells are capable of destroying both enemy barricades and any infantry sheltering behind
them with a highly volatile sub-atomic charge. This makes the Eradicator extremely effective
in cities, jungles or other dense terrain. With a blast radius close to that of the Demolisher
Cannon, but possessed of a longer range, the Eradicator Nova Cannon can effectively clear
buildings of enemy infantry before they can even get a shot off.
Punisher

A Leman Russ Punisher

The Leman Russ Punisher is the most potent anti-infantry vehicle in the Imperial Guard, and
amongst the best anti-infantry vehicles in the galaxy. Armed with the Punisher Gatling
Cannon, a large, multi-barrelled ballistic weapon, it is known as one of the fastest-firing slug
throwers in the Imperium's arsenal. The Punisher can shred even the heaviest of infantry units
with punitive ease, however, the Punisher can be outmatched by enemy tanks in a head-to-
head fight, and commonly only works with other Leman Russ tank variants to make up for the
loss of anti-tank firepower. The crews of Punishers have reputations for being very gung-ho
and extremely trigger happy.