Blackshield forces are a heterogeneous mix of Legiones Astartes elements, and in theory have access to the full arsenal of weaponry and equipment the Space Marines were granted at the outset of the Great Crusade. In practice however, most Blackshield groups abandoned the use of heavier war machines such as super-heavy tanks, as well as static defences and heavy equipment that required support or recovery units to retrieve after battle, in particular the range of drop pods used throughout the Legiones Astartes. Instead, most Blackshield forces favoured lighter, multi-purpose vehicles that complemented their particular mode of warfare—rapid orbital insertion followed by highly mission-focused assaults, quickly backed up by the exfiltration of?all attack elements. To?this end, although no two Blackshield forces were exactly alike, most made extensive use of Storm Eagle gunships, while most had access to at least a handful of Thunderhawk gunships. The most fortunate could call upon the lighter patterns of Stormbird lander, the most prized being the Sokar pattern.

黑盾部隊(duì)是各種各樣軍團(tuán)阿斯塔特的混合，理論上他們能接觸阿斯塔特在大遠(yuǎn)征開始時(shí)被授予的全套武器裝備。然而在實(shí)際作戰(zhàn)中，多數(shù)黑盾戰(zhàn)幫都放棄了諸如超重型坦克之類的重型戰(zhàn)爭機(jī)器，以及那些需要補(bǔ)給或者需要回收部隊(duì)在戰(zhàn)后進(jìn)行收回的靜態(tài)防御裝備和重型裝備，尤其是所有的軍團(tuán)阿斯塔特們都會(huì)使用的空降艙之類的裝備。相反，多數(shù)黑盾戰(zhàn)幫偏好輕型多用途載具，這類載具能補(bǔ)充他們的特殊作戰(zhàn)形式——先是快速軌道插入，隨后是高度集中于任務(wù)的攻擊，并且通過所有攻擊部隊(duì)悄悄越過封鎖線的滲透行動(dòng)迅速得到支持。為此，雖然不存在兩支完全相同的黑盾部隊(duì)，但多數(shù)黑盾部隊(duì)都會(huì)大量使用風(fēng)暴鷹炮艇，而大多數(shù)黑盾部隊(duì)至少也有幾架雷鷹炮艇。最為幸運(yùn)的那些黑盾戰(zhàn)幫則可以呼叫輕型風(fēng)暴鳥登陸艇，其中最被看重的種類是索卡爾型號風(fēng)暴鳥。

In general, most Blackshield forces deployed only those ground units that could be rapidly set down onto a planet's surface from orbit, limiting ground vehicles to Rhino and Land Raider variants that could be carried by a Thunderhawk Transporter or within the hold of a Sokar pattern Stormbird. Nevertheless, there were several known exceptions and not every Blackshield force operated in this manner; the group known as the Gerasene Host, for example, deployed without warning into the northern sulphur deserts of Treab's World and fought for many months before departing just as suddenly using craft they are thought to have secreted in hidden caverns near the planet's northern pole.

通常來講，大多數(shù)黑盾部隊(duì)只會(huì)部署那些可以從軌道上快速降落到行星表面的地面部隊(duì)，這就把地面載具的種類限制為可以用雷鷹運(yùn)輸機(jī)運(yùn)載或者可以裝在索卡爾型號風(fēng)暴鳥的貨倉中的犀牛和蘭德掠奪者的變種型號。不過，也存在很多已知的例外情況，并非所有黑盾部隊(duì)都會(huì)按照這種形式進(jìn)行作戰(zhàn)。例如，被稱為“老者圣體”的黑盾戰(zhàn)幫毫無預(yù)警地部署到Treab世界北部的硫磺沙漠，他們奮戰(zhàn)數(shù)月，之后他們使用某件制品突然離開，人們認(rèn)為這件制品（之前）隱藏在行星北極附近隱藏的洞穴里。（機(jī)仆：黑盾戰(zhàn)幫會(huì)使用各種武器，不乏一些異形裝置和被帝國視為禁忌的武器）

In common with the Blackshield warriors themselves, most vehicles had their original Legion heraldry deliberately obscured. As the Horus Heresy ground on, many individual Blackshield groups developed their own unique heraldic identifiers or came to use their own often highly idiosyncratic sigils and identifiers. The Dark Brotherhood for example, came to be known for the use of a ragged, skeletal version of the Imperial Aquila, rendered in ghostly white or pale gold. It was by such symbols of?death and doom that many Blackshield groups would become known, making for a spectacle as terrifying as any Legion force deployed in the armies of Loyalist or Traitor alike.

就像黑盾戰(zhàn)士一樣，大多數(shù)黑盾載具的原始軍團(tuán)紋章都被故意遮住了。隨著荷魯斯叛亂的爆發(fā)，很多獨(dú)立的黑盾戰(zhàn)幫發(fā)展出了他們自己獨(dú)一無二的紋章標(biāo)志，或者開始使用他們自己那通常極其特殊的符號標(biāo)志。以黑暗兄弟會(huì)戰(zhàn)幫為例，他們以使用殘破的骷髏帝國天鷹標(biāo)志而聞名，骷髏天鷹呈現(xiàn)出幽靈般的白色或淡金色。很多黑盾戰(zhàn)幫正是因?yàn)檫@些代表死亡和毀滅的象征標(biāo)志而廣為人知，這制造了一個(gè)和任何忠誠派或者叛軍軍團(tuán)部署的部隊(duì)一樣可怕的奇觀。