Abetillo wrote:
About 1 the rules don´t prohibit it, and when they do they say as an Special Rule (Orks Fortress for example, but says nothing about Landas not being able to), so it would be a yes.
The exact quote from Thunderhawk Transport rules in Scions of Iron is "May transport two armoured vehicles (except Dreadnoughts) plus the units they can carry; Land Raiders count as two units each."
A problem with saying that they don't need transports to be carried is that it isn't specified how many infantry units they can carry, only the number of armoured vehicles. This gives it a variable transport capacity that depends on the type of formation it is carrying. I think the intention is that the infantry rides inside the armoured vehicles, not inside the thunderhawk transport itself.
This is also supported by the fluff. From Lexicanum: "The Thunderhawk Transporter is a logistical variation of the normal Thunderhawk gunship... The most noticeable difference is that it is missing the normal transport holds found on the Thunderhawk gunship, equipped instead with four massive magnetic clamping arms mounted on runners underneath the fuselage. These allow the Transporter to carry two Rhino or one Land Raider-sized vehicles, or an under-slung pod for carrying ammunition, fuel and other supplies.
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About 2 i would say yes again, but the guys left on ground would die for breaking the unit's coherence.
I remember a similar case on the forums about disembarking part of the formation to keep it safe in assaults (probably on the Leviathan) so it is OK. What the rules say, except in some cases where it talks about an exception is that they cannot be spread over several transports, but never says against tranporting half of the infantry, as that would kill most mechanized formations with losses amongst their transports.
The thing is that this mainly becomes an issue if the infantry cannot ride inside the Thunderhawk Transporter. If they can, then it isn't an issue. If they cannot ride inside the Transporter, then it becomes a pretty big issue and a big difference between it and the Landing Craft.