T'au Battlesuit

A Tau Battlesuit is an exo-suit that protects a Tau Fire Warrior from enemy fire while enabling him to wield heavy armaments, better sensory arrays, and more battlegear such as Marklights and Jetpacks. The Battlesuits are mainly used by the higher-ranking warriors of the Fire Caste.

All Battlesuits are essentially the same but can be customized and then given an alphabetical classification code of XV, which is followed by two digits. The first digit indicates the size of the suit: "1" being a complete exoskeletal version of standard Tau body armor, while "8" represents the heaviest available Battlesuits. The second digit indicates the role or status of the particular suit design: "2" marking an experimental design, "5" representing a Battlesuit with stealth capability, and "8" denoting a Battlesuit outfitted to provide heavy fire support. Variations of a Battlesuit may be given other numbers as well.