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I re-entered the hobby last year and started re-collecting Astra Militarium, as who doesn't love squishy humans! I decided to theme them around a drop troop company, modelling wise and I have added some Mk3 space marine backpacks to one squad as grav chutes and wondered if anyone else had any ideas how the mighty Guard might deploy some semi elite troops to the battlefield. It will be a force of infantry and Valkyries mostly.

So far I have come up with a few ideas but wanted to see if I could pick people's brains

- Grav Chutes
- Ropes from Valkyries etc
- Parachute (metallic or cloth)
- Drop Pod (obviously slower than a Space Marine one, wouldn't want to completely liquidize the troops)
- Gliders

Thanks for any thoughts and ideas that anyone has!

Look at the Elysian Drop Troops, that’s how it’s done

Consider a 40k version of the assault glider; or an ornithopter; or a drop pod that is a helicopter in crash mode - auto rotating blades that shift pitch before impact to slow descent, with added impact protection.

In WW2 Crete, the assault troops were glider deployed, main force by parachute, and consolidation troops by transport plane.

Recent deployment of vehicles by air have tried parachute with rocket decelleration, low level parachute exits and rolling off the rear ramp of a wheels down transport.

I expect some of it is basically like a valkyrie zipping down to throw them out the back window, too, only from a slightly higher altitude than normal troops can handle. Since elysians are "air dropable, once."

Don't forget by Basilisk.

Teleport belts might be too rare/risky, but there might be elite groups (Tempestus, basically) equipped with them.

As I recall, there are also mole transports. Rocket packs might also be possible.

Parachute dropping directly into a combat zone tends to end poorly. True parachute drops deploy troops in a safe area near the target zone, troops collect and hoof it to the battle site. That's what makes 40K's drop pods so unique - they drop straight into the heart of a warzone.