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Ok so yesterday I got a Ravenhawk Assault Group - a Raven Guard formation with a Storm Raven that deep strikes into hover and drops off his Sternguard and Dreadnought cargo. It's the most stylish and cool formation that I can think off, and I want to make the Storm Raven look the part.

I know there are a couple of really smart and knowledgeable people in this subforum so maybe one of you can explain how a VTOL aircraft would come in hot into a combat zone to drop off special forces or something. Because that's what I'm thinking of when I look at this formation.

I'll try to have the jet engine pointing downwards and the ramps halfway open probably, but for instance the landing gear - that would be inside wouldn't it? As the aircraft wouldn't really land, or would it?

What about the dread, would it be dropped a few meters above ground or lowered somehow?

Would the engines emit visible smoke or flame?

I want to make this look REALLY awesome, and somewhat 'realistic' if you know what I mean. Maybe small tree being whipped by the downwash.

Thanks!!

Well. In reality, the hot dropping transport craft wouldn't stop at all, because you don't drop people straight into combat out of an aircraft.

If you were doing it, it would be out of a helicopter or a tiltrotor, not a jump jet, because the jet wash would burn the soldiers severely.

That said, if I were to make as realistic a Storm Raven dread/marine deployment as possible, I would have the engines rotated about 110 degrees from the horizontal (so the exhausts are slgihtly forwards of the intakes, pointing downwards). I'd have the nose lifted slightly and the Marines jumping out of the rear assault ramp while it hovers 3-5 feet off the ground.

I would not include any smoke or flames from the exhausts, but I would have a ring of debris from the ground being disturbed (like a ripple) from where the jets are pounding the ground into submission - engines only flame or smoke if something is very, very wrong with them or they're using afterburners, which it wouldn't be during this operation.

Basically it'll come roaring through the atmosphere, fire retrothrust to slow it down as it falls, then flies gently a few meters off the ground while it drops it's contents.

Marines would easily jump that, Dreadnought's can be dropped from actually quite high up in the lore, so I doubt it would need to stop and lower them.

Awesome, guys! That was exactly the kind of info I was after!

Just thought I would post in to let you know, this thread inspired me to deep strike my Ravenhawk assault group last night.

It felt so cool and worked a dream.