- "We Endanger Species"
- —Decal Slogan[src]
The Bug Stomper's decal
The Bug Stomper was a UD4L Cheyenne dropship aboard the USS Sulaco, piloted by Corporal Ferro. It was notably involved in the initial USCM operation on LV-426 in 2179.
Bug Stomper was the dropship utilized by the Marines during the initial combat stages of the mission, and it was used to deploy ground forces to the Hadley's Hope colony. It was ultimately destroyed in a crash landing when its crew was slaughtered in flight by a Xenomorph Soldier.
History[]
Bug Stomper was used for the initial drop onto the surface of LV-426, deploying a detachment of Marines under Lieutenant Gorman's command. As per typical rapid deployment doctrine, the dropship released the M577 Armoured Personnel Carrier it was carrying on the moon's surface and then immediately moved into an overhead support pattern, providing aerial surveillance of the Hadley's Hope colony and its surroundings as the Marines advanced.
Once ground forces had secured the area, Bug Stomper pulled out and set down some distance away from the colony to await fresh orders.
Destruction[]
Unfortunately, at least one Xenomorph Soldier slipped aboard the dropship while it was on the ground. Following a disastrous ambush in the colony's Atmosphere Processor, Bug Stomper was called upon by the surviving Marines for immediate evacuation. En route, its flight crew, consisting of pilot Ferro and weapons chief Spunkmeyer, were attacked in mid-air; Ferro was killed while still sitting at the controls. The dropship consequently crashed before ground troops could be picked up.
In a cruel twist of fate, the crashing Cheyenne also destroyed the Marines' APC and much of their equipment with it. The flaming wreckage then tumbled into the Atmosphere Processor, causing considerable damage that contributed to its later meltdown and destruction.