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- How to unlock the Maelstrom tank: the Armored Eagle Major Order
- TD-110 Maelstrom stats: crew, guns and cooldown
- The 40-degree aiming arc: why the Maelstrom cannot turn its guns around
- Maelstrom tank patterns in the Ironclad Democracy Warbond
- Helldivers 2 services for the Maelstrom and the Warbond
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources and update history
You unlock the TD-110 Maelstrom tank in Helldivers 2 by taking part in the Armored Eagle Major Order that went live with patch 7.1.0 on September 22, 2026. Deploy to Marfark or Phact Bay, where a free prototype Maelstrom stratagem is issued for the duration of the order; when the order succeeds, every Helldiver who participated gets a permanent permit. It is not sold for Super Credits.
The tank arrived with the Devoid of Liberty: 7.1.0 patch and Arrowhead’s “Meet the TD-110 Maelstrom” trailer, the same week as the Ironclad Democracy Warbond. If you are here for the Warbond rather than the tank, our new Warbond guide and Ironclad Democracy item list cover it.
How to unlock the Maelstrom tank: the Armored Eagle Major Order
The Major Order text, as transcribed on the community-run Helldivers Wiki, says the Ministry of Defense has contracted AM Defense to build the Maelstrom Tank for civilian purchase, enemy aggression threatens the territory set aside for the factories, and Helldivers are ordered to liberate Marfark and Phact Bay. AM Defense “has graciously provided, free of charge, prototype Maelstrom Tank models” for the operation. The listed order reward is 50 Medals, and the campaign reward is the Maelstrom stratagem itself.
- Open the Galactic War map and read the Major Order. It began on September 22, 2026 and had no published end time when this was written.
- Deploy to Marfark or Phact Bay. On those planets the Maelstrom appears in your stratagem list as a prototype permit, with its call-in and cooldown shown, without you buying anything.
- Play missions that count toward liberation. Your contribution is what earns the permit; you do not need to drive the tank to qualify.
- When the order succeeds, the permit becomes permanent for everyone who took part. If it fails, Arrowhead has not said what happens to the tank, so treat the current window as the only guaranteed way to drive it.
Whether the tank will be purchasable for Requisition Slips after the order, the way the FRV is, has not been announced. Everything in this section comes from the order text and the wiki’s transcription of it; the stratagem’s behaviour is below.
TD-110 Maelstrom stats: crew, guns and cooldown
The figures below come from the community-maintained Helldivers Wiki (wiki.gg), which logged the tank on the day of the patch; Arrowhead has not published a stat sheet. They match what the trailer shows: twin rotary guns up front, missile pods at the rear, a smoke launcher.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Stratagem code | Left, Down, Right, Down, Left, Down, Up, Left, Right |
| Call-in time | 10.5 seconds |
| Cooldown | 780 seconds (741 with Morale Augmentation) |
| Uses | Unlimited |
| Crew | Driver (front right), Gunner (rear), two passenger seats in the side casemate who can use their own weapons |
| Main guns | Twin triple-barrel rotary guns, 300 rounds per belt, 7 belts (2,100 rounds), Heavy armor penetration (AP4) |
| Missiles | Twin laser-guided pods, 10 missiles each (20 total), Anti-Tank I |
| Driver tools | Movement, gear shifting, handbrake, smoke flares |
A 780-second cooldown is 13 minutes, so on a 40-minute mission you get one tank, maybe two. Losing it early costs you more than losing an Eagle, which is why the aiming limits in the next section matter.
The 40-degree aiming arc: why the Maelstrom cannot turn its guns around
The rotary cannons and the missile guidance laser both have roughly a 40-degree lateral arc, about 20 degrees left and right of the hull’s facing, according to the wiki’s measurement. The turret does not rotate 360 degrees. That is the “one big problem” players were arguing about before launch, and it is real: the driver has to point the whole vehicle at the target, and the gunner’s job is fine adjustment inside that cone.
Practical consequences: keep the tank on ground where it can pivot, do not park it nose-first into a chokepoint, and let the two passengers cover the flanks with their own weapons, since the casemate seats exist for exactly that. The 7.1.0 patch also stopped enemies from targeting unoccupied vehicles, so an empty Maelstrom is safer to leave for a minute than it would have been before September 22.
Maelstrom tank patterns in the Ironclad Democracy Warbond
The Ironclad Democracy Warbond, which launched the same day for 1,000 Super Credits, includes three “Tank Exclusive Patterns”: Verdant Camouflage, Glacial Polymer and Executive Onyx. The PlayStation Blog’s Warbond post lists them alongside the two armour sets, the AR-11 Arbitrator, GL-15 Evictor and P-34 Breacher.
The patterns are cosmetic; the tank itself comes from the Major Order, not the Warbond. If you want them, farming the 1,000 Super Credits is the free route, and our Warbond ranking puts Ironclad Democracy in context against the other 24.
Helldivers 2 services for the Maelstrom and the Warbond
Two things in this guide take time: the order missions on Marfark and Phact Bay, and the 1,000 Super Credits for the tank patterns. These are the services we run for both.
1000 Super CreditsExactly the price of the Ironclad Democracy Warbond that holds the three Maelstrom tank patterns.No account login · just your friend codeFrom $1.89View offer
All Warbonds PackageIronclad Democracy is the 25th Warbond; the pack covers all of them, patterns included.From $99.99View offerFrequently asked questions
Do I have to buy the Maelstrom tank?
No. It is issued free as a prototype on Marfark and Phact Bay during the Armored Eagle order, and becomes a permanent permit for participants if the order succeeds.
When does the Armored Eagle Major Order end?
Not confirmed. The order started September 22, 2026 and no end date had been published when this was written. Check the in-game order timer.
Can the tank turret rotate 360 degrees?
No. Community measurement puts the guns and missile laser at about a 40-degree arc, 20 degrees either side of the hull.
How many people fit in the Maelstrom?
Four: a driver, a gunner and two passengers who can fire their own weapons from the side casemate.
Are the tank patterns free?
No. Verdant Camouflage, Glacial Polymer and Executive Onyx are in the Ironclad Democracy Warbond, which costs 1,000 Super Credits.
Will the Maelstrom be sold for Requisition Slips later?
Not confirmed. Arrowhead has said nothing about post-order availability.
Sources and update history
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Devoid of Liberty: 7.1.0 patch notes, Steam, September 22, 2026
- Arrowhead / PlayStation, Meet the TD-110 Maelstrom trailer, September 22, 2026
- PlayStation Blog, Helldivers 2 Ironclad Democracy Warbond launches Sept 22, September 15, 2026
- Helldivers Wiki (community), TD-110 Maelstrom and Campaigns (Armored Eagle), checked September 24, 2026
Update history: Published September 24, 2026. Facts last checked September 24, 2026 against the sources above.
