XV25 Stealthsuit

The XV25 Stealthsuit is one of the smallest of all the various Tau Battlesuit variants, and is designed for use in operations that require a great degree of stealth and/or anonymity. Squads of Fire Warriors wearing XV25 Stealthsuits operate as the "lone wolves" of a Tau army, specialising in covert operations such as infiltration, sabotage, reconnaissance and ambush. The XV25 Stealthsuit is designed to be worn by a single member of the Fire Caste and is hardly larger than a Fire Warrior in standard Tau combat armour; even though it offers greater protection for the user than standard Fire Warrior Armour. However, this perfectly suits the XV25's role as the preferred Battlesuit of Tau infiltrators and saboteurs. XV25 Stealthsuits are significantly smaller than the XV8 Crisis Battlesuits, and, because of this size differential, carry less weaponry. What Stealthsuits lack in firepower, however, they more than make up for with the ability to move almost unseen by the enemy until the very last instant before contact. XV25 Stealthsuits are a relatively recent development of the Tau Earth Caste and shares many of the same features of its predecessor in the Tau armoury, the XV15 Stealthsuit. The XV15 Stealthsuit is currently being phased out of use by the Fire Caste and is being replaced by the XV25 Stealthsuit, which will serve as the new standard for all Tau forces in the years to come.

Notable Campaigns

 * Kappa Mortis Incident - The Kappa Mortis Incident was an important event that contributed to the future use of XV25 Stealthsuits. An Aquila Lander bearing captured Tau technology had crashed on the planet of Kappa Mortis, and an Ultramarines strike force was sent to retrieve any recoverable technology from the crash site for the Adeptus Mechanicus to examine. Meanwhile, Tau XV25 Stealthsuits were used to scout far and wide for the crash site. Once the site had been found, the XV25 Stealthsuit Team was given the task of holding up the Imperial forces already at the site until the main Hunter Cadre could arrive. Ultimately, the Tau were repulsed and the Ultramarines managed to recover a single helmet from an XV15 Stealthsuit. This forced the Tau Earth Caste to accelerate its development of a new type of Stealthsuit to counter the Imperium's acquisition of the older design, rushing the single-weapon XV25 Stealthsuit into service ahead of the much more difficult to produce XV22 Stealthsuit they had hoped to introduce en masse. This caused XV15 Stealthsuits to become less common in Tau Hunter Cadres due to their replacement as the standard Stealthsuit by the newer XV25.
 * WAAAGH! Skarkill – XV25 Stealthsuits were used as part of the first deployment of a specialist Stealthsuit formation known as the "Nighthunter Stealth Group" during the bitter fighting against the Ork WAAAGH! Skarkill. The Orks had captured an Imperial Mining World and were using the human colonists as slave workers to collect the planet's rich deposits of iron ore. This ore was used to begin the construction of a new Ork Stompa mob. The Tau found themselves hard-pressed to meet the Orks in open battle. Instead, Tau forces attacked the valuable mines, forcing the Greenskins onto the defensive. In doing so, the Tau gained the initiative in the conflict. In battle after battle, the Tau deployed their new Nighthunters. Each stealth group was inserted deep behind Ork lines or within the mine complexes themselves, using their stealth field generators to remain concealed. When the Hunter Cadres assaulted the Orks head-on in the mine complexes, the stealth groups opened fire on the Orks from the rear, negating the benefit of any cover they had taken amongst the overhead buildings. In all, the Nighthunter groups were deployed on 24 occasions. Though 8 of these groups were lost to Ork counter-attacks, WAAAGH! Skarkill was ultimately defeated thanks to their efforts. Warboss Skarkill's beloved Stompa mob was, thankfully for the Tau Empire, never built.
 * Achilus Crusade - During the Achilus Crusade in the Jericho Reach, stealth teams of the Velk’han Sept were left behind on those worlds from which the Tau had willingly withdrawn. The stealth teams were used to confound Imperial forces that came to these worlds after the Tau withdrawal, and gather strategic data on the xenos' strength and tactics so the Tau Fire Caste could ascertain the strength of the human foe before committing their forces en masse.

Tactical Role
XV25 Stealthsuits are worn by Fire Caste members who have attained the rank of Shas’Ui, normally after they have completed a tour of duty as the Shas’Ui of a squad of Fire Warriors. XV25 Stealthsuit squad leaders hold the rank of Shas’Vre. The whole squad is usually ritually bonded to one another according to the Tau custom of Ta’lissera, which is symbolised by a knife design painted onto the squad leader’s armour. XV25 Stealthsuit squads usually consist of 3 to 6 members. XV25 Stealthsuit teams either operate in support of larger Tau formations, or range ahead independently from the main Tau army. They are not factored directly into Tau battle plans and enjoy a great deal of freedom of action and autonomy within very broad parameters that have been set down by Tau Commanders. This is because they are encouraged to fight independently and use their own initiative in assaults, as befits their combat style and tactical specialisation. The leaders of Stealthsuit Teams are often regarded as being slightly eccentric by their fellow Tau and delight in employing new and unpredictable tactics because of this latent unpredictability.

XV25 Stealthsuits operate in many different tactical roles, ranging from ambushing isolated enemy troops when they least expect it, to intervening in support of friendly units when needed. In the reconnaissance role, Stealthsuits can infiltrate deep behind enemy lines or move into forward positions unseen, where they can assault enemy units while they are off-guard and disrupt supply lines, like vengeful ghosts striking at will. The XV25 Stealthsuit enhances these roles as its integrated holographic disruption fields allow its wearer to sneak forward unobserved into advantageous firing positions before a battle commences. The suit's stealth capabilities make its wearers extremely hard to detect and the XV25's Burst Cannon is the perfect weapon for ambushing lightly armoured troops and attacking the flanks of vehicles. XV25s can also be armed with a Fusion Blaster instead of a Burst Cannon, which provides the Stealthsuit the ability to hunt down even heavy vehicles. The XV25's Jetpack also gives its wearer the manoeuvrability needed to redeploy quickly on the battlefield as the situation changes. Jetpacks also allow for XV15 Stealthsuits to pounce out of cover towards the enemy and strafe them before retreating out of range again. This makes the Jetpack-equipped troops hard to counter and very difficult for the enemy to engage. A significant part of the success of Tau Hunter Cadres in many engagements in the past was due to the activities of the cadre’s stealth teams, whose role is to find the enemy, create diversions, and launch surprise attacks. Many a foe of the Tau Empire has found himself attacked from an unexpected quarter by Stealthsuit Teams positioned far ahead of the main army. XV25 Stealthsuits also act as rear-guards for Tau forces should a battle go poorly and a tactical withdrawal be deemed necessary.

When required, Tau Stealthsuit Teams will be grouped together into formations known as "Nighthunter Stealth Groups," or as they are sometimes known, "Optimised Stealth Groups." These teams primarily consist of warriors wearing the newer XV25 Stealthsuits, and will infiltrate far behind enemy lines long before the opening stages of a battle. Once the main Tau force engages the enemy, the Nighthunter Stealth Group reveals itself. It then sets about sowing confusion behind the enemy's lines, destroying ammunition dumps, cutting off communications, and even engaging enemy troops too busy holding off the main force to notice the Stealth Group's approach. Caught between the Nighthunters and the main Tau army, the enemy is faced with a stark choice -- surrender or be cut down in the deadly crossfire.

XV25 Stealthsuits have also been fielded in specialised formations known as “Rapid Insertion Teams”. The role of these formations is to strike suddenly against key enemy units and establish a perimeter where they can hold their ground until other Fire Caste forces arrive. A single XV25 Stealthsuit team will initially infiltrate into an advantageous position, before a heavily armed force of XV8 Crisis Battlesuits are dropped from transport aircraft accurately onto the Stealthsuit Team's position. The entire force will often train together to deliver a swift and effective attack that stuns the enemy, allowing further Tau forces to move forward unmolested.

Armament
The XV25 Stealthsuit incorporates many of the standard features shared by most Tau Battlesuits and is similar in many ways to its predecessor, the XV15 Stealthsuit. Similarities between the XV25 and XV15 include the incorporated Tau Jetpack, which combines anti-gravitic and jet propulsion technology. The Jetpack allows the Battlesuit to maintain a stable platform from which to fire its weapons, even when on the move, and provides a great deal of mobility to the user. The Jetpack also allows for the Stealthsuit to be deployed from high altitudes by Tau transports such as Orcas and Mantas, where the Jetpack will be used to safely slow the Battlesuit's descent. In addition to a Jetpack, an XV25 Stealthsuit also incorporates advanced sensors common to all Tau Battlesuits that are built into the helmet. This allows for the user to gather more accurate battlefield data which can assist informed decision-making on where to best deploy the unit to maximise its tactical effectiveness. XV25 Stealthsuits differ from XV15s, however, through the additional space provided with the slightly larger and bulkier form of the suit which allows for an XV25 to take a Battlesuit Support System to boost its combat effectiveness, whether it be through improved weapon accuracy, heightened sensor effectiveness in nighttime or other dark environments, the ability to identify and target multiple targets independently, or enhanced defensive measures. Before the development of the XV25, Battlesuit Support systems could only be mounted on XV8 Crisis Battlesuits.

The XV25 Stealthsuit also possesses the unique capability of camouflaging its wearer through the use of its stealth technologies. The suit's integrated holographic disruption field achieves its effects through a number of disruptor emitters arrayed all over the Battlesuit. This holographic disruption field can operate in two modes. The default, passive mode utilises a range of technologies to dampen the suit’s electromagnetic signature so that enemy scanners are far less likely to detect it. This mode is called "passive" because its use cannot be detected by enemy sensors. Rather than attempting to interfere with enemy sensor systems diectly, it simply masks the suit itself. In "active" mode, however, the suit's stealth field generator comes online. The suit's matte finish ripples and blurs, resolving itself into a nigh-perfect representation of the terrain that lies behind it, making the suit and its wearer all but transparent even to visual identification. In this way, the Stealthsuit's form is blended into the background as if its wearer were a Terran chameleon. In addition, when operating in active mode, the Stealthsuit's systems are actively interfering with and jamming enemy sensor devices. In so doing, the jamming itself will give away the fact that the Stealthsuit is present somewhere on the battlefield, but will make the detection of its actual location nearly impossible.

All XV25 Stealthsuits are armed with an arm-mounted under-slung Burst Cannon. This befits the Stealthsuit's role, as its wearer can lay down a hail of suppressive anti-infantry firepower using the weapon. The XV25 Stealthsuit can also use its Burst Cannon to target the usually more vulnerable side and rear armour plating of enemy vehicles. One in three XV25 Stealthsuits in a squad, however, can replace their Burst Cannon with a Fusion Blaster, which can provide the squad the ability to hunt down and effectively destroy heavy tanks and elite infantry. A Stealthsuit Team squad leader such as a Shas’Vre can take Battlesuit Wargear items, which includes such items as hard-wired versions of certain Battlesuit Support Systems, and other items such as Drone Controllers. A Drone Controller allows for two Tau Drones, such as Gun Drones, Shield Drones and Marker Light Drones, to accompany a Stealthsuit Team to lend additional firepower and protection. These Drones are equipped with the same stealth field generator technology that XV25 Stealthsuits use, which allows them to operate without compromising the Stealthsuit Team's ability to remain undetected. The Shas’Vre of the squad can also take a Marker Light to enhance the targetting capabilities of those Tau units the Stealthsuit Team is supporting.