The Kestrel was the third combat vehicle commissioned from Blackwell by Wolf's Dragoons in 3007. For decades it operated as the Dragoons' primary special forces chopper, avoiding combat where possible. In the 3060s though, it was beginning to show its age and the Dragoons ordered an upgrade to the design. The upgrade came just in time for the brush fire wars throughout the Chaos March that expanded into the Word of Blake Jihad.

         Unlike the original, the Kestrel IIC is heavily armored for the modern battlefield, and the new fusion extra-light engine gives it impressive speed. The armor and speed makes it far more capable of insertion raids than the older version. Many other features of the Kestrel make it an even better choice for a special-operations role.
         The Kestrel's main rotor is made up of five thin blades. When running, these blades make a high-pitched, fanlike whispering sound rather than the traditional whop-whop-whop of four-bladed rotors. Under normal atmospheric conditions, observers cannot hear the Kestrel approaching until it is within 300 meters or less of their position. Normal background noises often further conceal the subdued sounds of the Kestrel's rotors , making the vehicle virtually indistinguishable from wind in the trees.
         The Kestrel's avionics are also specially designed to allow it to operate at extremely low altitudes at all hours of the night. The ultra-quiet fusion engine can run on any liquid the crew can find for far longer than the older turbine. But most important, the Kestrel's full-cockpit thermal imaging systems, internal and satellite navigation systems, and laser terrain avoidance system make the design a prime choice for covert insertions and extractions.
         Most configurations of the Kestrel have the BattleArmor bay and light weapons. The C and D configurations however carry heavy weapons and these gunship configurations have often been used to escort other Kestrels into their target if armed resistance is expected.

         The old Kestrel was used only by the Dragoon's Seventh Commando, but the new design has seen more widespread use. During the long Jihad, the Dragoon's ordered Blackwell to open up sales to anyone participating in the war against the Word. Even though it only had a five-ton cargo bay, good for Dragoon points but not for the larger seven-man BattleArmor squads becoming popular during that time, it became heavily used. When the Jihad ended, the Dragoons pulled back sales and in the quarter-century since they have only allowed members of the Allied Mercenary Command to purchase the design. Some Kestrels still exist outside the AMC but they have become rare since they often tend to disappear. The Dragoons of course deny that there is any organized campaign on their part to remove the design from foreign service.