Autumn of Fliers

[Harry]

At the risk of getting the cr@p kicked out of me ..... after the whole "summer of flyers" thing (with stickmonkey)
I have heard scraps that suggest there may well be something going on with 'flyers'.

I have heard some snippets about :

a) A kit for a SM flier called a "Storm Hawk" (A "Storm Hawk Gunship")
b) An Ork fighter kit (might have been a fighter/bomber?)
and
c) A 'fliers' supplement. (...as the first supplement to 6th Edition).
d) A Necron Flyer.

Now you have to remember I don't know so much about 40K OR follow 40K rumorz.
So .... I don't know:

a) If you have heard this already?
b) What I am talking about!

When I hear 40K stuff it really doesn't mean that much to me?
So I tried the google on 'Storm Hawk' and found this:

All of the following is from: Tempus fugitives - Age of the Emporer

"The Storm Hawk is a smaller, more agile transport from the same design lineage as the Storm Bird. Used extensively for small operations, as the Heresy progressed much of the STC data to build the Storm Hawk was lost although the Mechanicum have kept copies so that if it were to fall completely out of service a variant could be reintroduced at a later date."

Unit Type: Vehicle ( Fast Skimmer)
Wargear
• Cerberus Launcher
• Turret mounted Twin-Linked Autocannon
• Hull mounted Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter
• Four Hawktalon Missiles
(each a separate weapon)
Transport Capacity
20 Models (it has no firepoints
and may not carry walkers but
may carry Jump Infantry who
count as two models)
Special Rules
• Ceramite Shielding
• Power of the Machine Spirit
• Deep Strike
• Assault Vehicle

What follows is the posts from this thread which seem to support this notion:

The following reference to a Storm Hawk has been offered by The Auditor:
(Also the nugget from Jes Goodwin.)

Hi Guys. Storm Hawk is from A Thousand Sons by Graham McNeill (p207). It is a small single unit transport craft/gunship, similar in nature to the Storm Raven. It was in use with the Thousand Sons legion and possibly others. Space Wolves were using a storm crow (p201). Plenty of refences to Stormbirds in other novels. It would make sense that this is chosen as the generic Marine flyer, as it would then be a kit that could be used by both Chaos and Vanilla marine codecies. As has been mentioned above. Jes Goodwin was very clear at UK GD that vanilla marines would not gain access to the Storm Raven, but was equally clear that they would gain a flyer of their own in the future.

First time posting, but as I knew where the reference comes from, I thought I'd but in.

and provides the following details and commentary:

Quotes from A Thousand Sons:

"He reclined in a converted gravity harness built into the crew compartment of a heavily modified Stormhawk transporter......"
"A dozen warriors of the Scarab Occult stood behind him in vertical restraints...."
"Within Ahriman's Stormhawk, internal spaces normally reserved for troops and heavy equipment were filled with banks of surveyor gear...."

If they chose to follow the fluff they have already put out, we are looking at something bigger than a Storm Raven, but smaller than a Thunderhawk. Perhaps capacity of 20.

Follow on from MajorWesJanson's theory. If the Storm Raven is a related STC to the Storm Hawk, then it would be a discard of some internal capacity if favour of dreadnought cradle externally.

However, I really hope the design is something completely different.

Also, the book heavily references the Hawk as a transport, rather than as a gunship with transport capacity. Read into that what you may.

The following support for this notion has been offered by StraightSilver

Well there will be something involving flyers for 6th Edition, and it will be a big deal apparently, but I don't think it will be this year (of course I could be wrong), possibly next Summer?

There apparently will be a new Marine Flyer, similar size but different load out to the Storm Raven.

Chaos should get a Locust equivalent, and if Tau do come out next year they should also get something.

I hadn't heard about an Ork flyer, but I really wouldn't be surprised, although if that was coming this year I am assuming it would have White Dwarf rules?

More from StraightSilver

...
I also had it from a good source (not one of my usual sources, and not as directly involved, but a good source none the less) that there is a big change coming to the hobby regarding flyers.

I don't honestly know if that means rules in the core rule book, or a supplement, but they will apparently be getting a lot of attention.

For everyone hoping for a Thunderbolt, Barracuda, Remora etc though I think that's very doubtful as Forge World produce them and the guys I've spoken to at GW are quite adamant that it isn't in their interests to tread on their toes.

Therefore expect something similar design wise, but not the same.

and this from me:

Oh, and we get both Tau and Eldar next year and they both come with Fliers.

and adding more support we have hastings:

Whilst I'm not going to say there is an "Autumn of Fliers" (as the phrase seems as overused as the wfb equivalent "return of Nagash"!) I will add to this that along with the bits Harry mentioned I'm also aware of a couple more fliers ready to go (and being worked on). I am not sure if they're for drip/splash releases over the next year-18 months or to accompany updated army books in some cases (which you can probably hazard a guess at) but it wouldn't be inconceivable to hold them all in a "holding pattern" and release them alongside some kind of fliers supplement.

I will just add, as I have said a couple of times in the thread but so it doesn't get missed. I have heard about a number of other fliers which I imagine will be released with there army books. I do not expect a big release of fliers all in one go. I have only heard about these two mentioned in connection with a supplement. I only used the phrase "Autumn of flyers" as a gentle nod towards the train wreck that was the 'summer of fliers' last year.

Also if I am right about the timescale then no 'holding pattern' will be required as most of the other flyers I have heard about will come out after this with their books.

and from theDarkGeneral:

In a month or two, White Dwarf will shed more light upon the dawn of flyers. Currently Apoc counts pintle mounted weapons as AA. Look to many Apoc rules being converted over to 6th edition.

More from Straight Silver

I had heard that Jes was working on an Eldar Super Heavy, hence my Baneblade analogy but this may well turn out to be what Stickmonkey is referring to as their Land Raider equivalent.

And this is just a rumour and I don't know how accurate it will be but apparently flyers are split into 3 classes with appropriate rules differences:
Fighter / Interceptor
Bomber
Heavy
Which is interesting as not all Codexes currently have one of each....

and a bit from me:

I will say that whilst I also heard three classes .... those are not the same three classes that I heard

and out of the blue we have this:

Well, there's the Storm Eagle from Forgeworld:



Perhaps this was thought to be the Storm Hawk? Or is that yet another Space Marine flyer doing the rounds?

Apparently from the forgeworld site, here is a slightly more in context link

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Home/Spa...tormeagle.html

and interestingly this from reds8n ... looking very similar to the TF stuff posted above.

From a long, long time ago



looks to me like this vehicle has been in the works for a while now eh ?

and more from StraightSilver:

Black Library have delayed the release of Dan Abnett's Interceptor City, which is the follow up to Double Eagle.

The reason for this is that GW apparently wanted to include some new things in the novel that haven't happened yet (the so called "big change to the hobby").

I don't know if that's new fliers, ant aircraft weapons etc but given the nature of what Double Eagle and Interceptor City will be (aerial combat novels in the 40th Millenium), and the fact that both Imperial and Chaos factions will no doubt be the central focus I figured it had to be related to a 40K fliers supplement.

So I guess once we know a date for Interceptor City we will have more of an idea of this release.

Some more support for the Ork Fighter from The Underdog:

Sorry if this repeats any info from the rest of the thread as I haven't had time to read it all - just skimmed the last page but I can confirm the existence of the Ork flier. No idea what it is for certain but there are boxes on the shelves of the GW distribution centre containing what appeared to be an Ork aircraft - I assume this means we will see it in the next few months!

(please note: I did not get a close look at this and merely saw it on a shelf at a distance - I did also see Necron wraiths and tomb spiders though and the cover of the next white dwarf - with a large Necron on it!)

This from Kijamon suggests it is right around the corner:

Heard that a space marine flyer (not the storm eagle) is to be announced in the next WD.

Exciting isn't it?

BRING IT ON!

PLEASE REMEMBER THESE IS JUST RUMORZ

I have based this on the smallest scraps of information, from different places.
It is possible I have been mislead or I have put two and two together and come up with complete bobbins.