Please forgive the noobish question, but I'm trying to get to grips with the space marine air assault tactic. I've got the bit where you deliver a T-hawk full of assault and devastator marines to someones face, but I've seen some people talking about picking up another unit on the way out so that you can do it again the next turn... after a fairly thorough read of the book I can't for the life of me figure out how you do this, and in which section of the rules it indicates that flying transports can pick something up as part of the same action that they drop something off. If this is because I'm looking at the 08 handbook instead of the errata version then forgive me, but I'm still curious as to how this works.

You need a second empty thunderhawk to pick up the survivors.

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The transport can't pick something up as part of its own assault action, but other formations can use their own activation to move into the thunderhawk.

For example, you do an air assault, the guys get out and win, leaving the thunderhawk empty. Then, a different formation of assault marines marches into the thunderhawk, which takes off at the end of the turn.

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I'm not sure what you're referring to.

You need 2 Thawks or a turn between assaults to do a multi-air assault.  Most typical is this:

Turn 1 - Air assault.  Thawk disengages in the End Phase as normal.
Turn 2 - Thawk lands/shoots and loads troops as part of its action (the troops position themselves for loading during their action before the Thawk lands).  Thawk disengages in the End Phase as normal.
Turn 3 - Air assault with loaded troops.

Or you can have a second Thawk land/shoot/load in the first turn.  so, with 2 transports, you can tag team and assault each turn.

Another option, rarely used, is that a formation can load onto a grounded aircraft during the ground formation's action.  If they load, they cannot assault or shoot and lose most of their activation, so it's rarely worth it.  Occasionally an Eldar formation might be in a position to shoot-move/load with their special rule.

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Neal

The other guys said it better than me.

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Currently doing a plastic scenery kickstarter

Gotcha, thanks guys.

As a secondary question, is the second empty thunderhawk a useful way to go, or are you better off just having 2 thunderhawks full of assault/devs?

Well as ever its your choice really, but for what its worth the empty thunderhawk is now in many UK tournament marine lists.

In terms of tactics, there are two ways to achieve a 'permanent assault', both outlined by others above
1) Two Transports, which means that the infantry assaulting from the 1st THawk can be retrieved by the 2nd THawk for an assault in the following turn

2) Two infantry formations using a single transport, so after the 1st airborne assault, the 2nd infantry moves and embarks onto the THawk which can then make a further airborne assault the following turn.

Option #1 is probably the better because each formation is used to attack the enemy in some way; but it does cost the 200 points for the 2nd THawk. Option #2 can provide a bit of a surprise for your opponent - eg marching a set of assault marines into the THawk - but apart from providing a stalling activation and possibly a means for cross-firing with other formations, it does not really threaten the enemy.

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