Are Imperial fliers space worthy? (Double Eagle and Imperial flier discussion)

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**Tsagualsa**

Insectum7 wrote:

I guess I wonder what the motivation is to suggest that nowhere in the Imperium has anybody ever achieved putting sensors on small spacecraft in order to gather intelligence. I assume there are already satellites in place for purposes of weather forecasting (most obviously for the purposes of farming or travel) and communications satellites to that it's easy to send messages between hemispheres, either for harmless coordination between sectors or for broadcasting religious propaganda from a central authority.

If it is of any help, we do actually have at least one example of the Imperium explicitly deploying a "sensor net" of satellites for the explicit purpose of enabling communication, and surveying both the weather and the approaching enemy. It's in chapter one of the novel Caves of Ice; the novel describes this as within the means of a random, non-military transport ship that the protagonists have requisitioned, and goes on to mention that the deployment of a "proper orbital sensor net" was something that a "real troopship" would be better equipped for, but then says that the jury-rigged, civilian version is capable enough to deliver all of the aforementioned stuff (for example, it provides images that are good enough that you can clearly mark out the ork horde and later on recognize titan-scale vehicles, although not individual orks).

**Tsagualsa**

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Would it not depend on thrust ratio and overall weight and that?

If your wings are more mounting pylons for directional jets for Zero-G/No Atmosphere, there’s no guarantee they’d serve the necessary aerodynamic job of atmospheric flight.

They have quasi-unlimited amounts of energy for thrust, so they need not necessarily be aerodynamic; the more interesting question is if they're heat-shielded/aerodynamic "enough" to make that a survivable experience for the crew. (It's the Imperium, the answer is "no, why would they need to?").

OTOH, there are stories that were written after (while, really)

Battlefleet Gothic

introduced the Imperial Navy fighters and bombers that feature Thunderbolts and Marauders in what would be their role. For example, Acceptable Losses (orignally published in 1998, just shy of BFG) is about a wing of Marauders doing a space bombing raid against a Space Hulk (and a couple of rokks) with several flights of Thunderbolts as an escort. I suspect it's a case of very bad editing, because it's consistent in naming and describing both types, and clearly not meant to actually describe the much larger BFG naval ordnance types.

Aboard the Divine Justice Captain Kaurl introduces Flight Commander Jaeger to his new posting as leader of Raptor Squadron, a Marauder Bomber wing and one with a reputation for bad discipline as well as general unworthiness. Jaeger decides that it will be up to him to train the men hard and bring them up to standards, which over time he does. After two months of space patrol for the Divine Justice and hard intensive training for Raptor, the vessel encounters the Imperial Retribution, a cruiser that has been obliterated by a nearby Ork space hulk of some considerable size. Having studied the details and made their judgements Admiral Veniston, commanding officer of the Divine Justice and Kaurl decide that the only way to defeat the hulk would be to attack it quickly from the rear by sending Raptor Squadron to attack, taking out an unidentified target. Raptor is launched and along the way they encounter Ork fighters as well as an Ork rok which they must kill or be killed. After finally reaching the target they discover it is a huge gun emplacement, protecting the engines of the ship. Raptor destroy it with their torpedoes and are told to return to the Divine Justice. Wondering how the destruction of a gun turret would help destroy the hulk they discover that Devil squadron has been sent in to take care of the hulks engines. Angry that Devil should get all the glory, the remainder of Raptor join them.

Later back aboard the Divine Justice Jaeger enters the briefing room to hear Veniston declare that the mission was a success with acceptable losses, which upon witnessing Jaeger loses his cool and confronts Veniston and Kaurl over the fact that he lost 15 men whilst Devil sat back in the second attack wave, letting his squad take all the punishment before flying in to take all the glory. He then goes on to say that Veniston favours Devil because his nephew is her flight commander. Veniston leaves without a word, whilst Kaurl orders Jaeger to the brig. During the journey he takes him into a side alcove and shows him the 21 coffins of those lost during the assault, 6 from Devil squadron including Veniston's nephew. Upon realising this Jaeger is remorseful for his actions earlier. Kaurl goes on to explain that without the destruction of the gun turret then any attack on the engines was futile and if all of Raptor and Devil had been sent against the turret then there may not have been enough ships to attack the engines. Once in the brig, Jaeger meets Veniston who asks him to always trust in his superiors as no mission he'd flown or commanded had even been wasted in the Emperors name. After he leaves, Jaeger realises that he wears the same gloves he does, with the same symbol of Raptor squadron on them.

https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Into_the_Maelstrom_(Anthology)#Acceptable_Losses