Today were taking at look at the purpose and construction of MK VI Beaky or Corvus Power Armor for Space Marines and what came next.
Via our good friends at Lexicanum
Brought in after the end of Mark IV production, the Corvus Armor saw heavy combat during the Horus Heresy, and would lead to the famous Mark VII Aquila Armor.
At the end of production of the Mark IV armor mark a long term research project began to replace the existing power armor. As this remained a theoretical endeavor for some time, it lead to the production of the Corvus Suit as a stopgap measure using a mixture of new and old features. The Mark VI prototype design (which bore the provisional designation of Mk V at the time) was field-tested during the Scalland Campaign by Legionaries of the Raven Guard, whose experiences and comments resulted in improved design features in the finalized armor mark. Mark VI armor offered no better protection-levels than the Mark IV, but incorporated more efficient internal systems where power-routing and auto-sense were concerned.
Power systems were given back-up redundancies with no increase in weight, while both olfactory and auditory sensors were improved. Additionally, the armor featured the best stealth capabilities of all power armor marks so far designed, as well as a new method of compartmentalizing components that allowed them to be swapped out with pieces from previous marks with ease. It is the lightest variant of power armor and featured dual technology circuits that allowed the replacement of rare or sophisticated parts with common or basic alternatives. It also included fail-safes such as duplicate power cabling. It also distinctive for its conical nose – designed to house additional systems including advanced auto-senses. The studded left shoulder pad, taken from the previous MkV pattern, commemorates the glory of those heroes who stood at the Eternity Gate alongside the Emperor himself.
The finalized armor mark was named Corvus Armour in honor of Corvus Corax, Primarch of the Raven Guard, and the first sets of it shipped to the Raven Guard Legion ahead of all other loyalist legions, in recognition not only of their role in the design process, but of the sacrifices made by the Raven Guard in the Drop Site Massacre and their determination to rebuild and rejoin the fight against Horus the Great Betrayer. The Mark VI features clean, sleek lines, due to the routing of power cables under the exterior armor plate (abdominal covering of these was one of the suggestions made by the Raven Guard) and the increased sloping of the helmet design. The left shoulder armor features the tell-tale molecular bonding studs of Mark V armor. The initial suits did indeed use the ablative technique pioneered in Mark V suits, as paucity of supplies during the Heresy meant that some sacrifices still had to be made, even with a new armor design. In later years, the left shoulder was armored to the same level as the right, but the studs were still affixed in a deliberate continuation of the honored design that had won the Horus Heresy for the Imperials.
The Alpha Legion was able to acquire small numbers of Corvus Armour and modified it according to their Legion’s own needs. Built in secret, the “Corvus-Alpha” pattern of Corvus Armour saw use openly during the Horus Heresy. Chaos Space Marines can be seen in this armor despite its association with Imperial Space Marines; they captured a significant quantity of the suits on Mars during the Heresy, as well as Mechanicum production facilities, and were therefore able to produce their own Mark VI suits.
