Description
Pictured Above: Blood Angels Veteran Legionary clad in Mark 3a Indomitus pattern Terminator Armour (earliest-iteration).
The Mark 3a was the initial phase of the development of Indomitus pattern Terminator Armour. This pattern is essentially a Mark III prototype with visible modifications in the form of improved heat sink intakes (above the head) and a new helm. So effective was its design that Terminator suits were employed for a far wider array of missions than the tunnel-based actions they had previously been confined to.
Developments in articulation and balance systems mean that the suit is very versatile and broken, boggy and slippery ground no longer prove hazardous. Hence Mark 3a suits have been used for trench warfare, desert conflicts, ice-world pacifications and operations in the dense undergrowth of agri-worlds.
The elements of the initial Indomitus pattern retained a slight curvilinear quality inherited from the Mark I, which is the most visible way it differs from the latest phase (Mark 3c). It is common for the large surfaces to sport chapter icons, personal heraldry and kill-markings. The Aquila or Imperialis icon prominently displayed on the chest plastron is another feature that the Mark VII 'Aquila' pattern power armour would inherit from Terminator development.