Tiger Shark

The Tiger Shark is a large Tau fighter-bomber. Often encountered flying in support of Tau Hunter Cadres during major operations, it is faster and more manoeuvrable than the Imperium's direct equivalent -- the Marauder Bomber -- but the Tiger Shark lacks the large bomb payload. Tiger Sharks are never as numerous on the Tau battlefield as the Barracuda, but has many features and systems in common with it. All Tiger Shark crew come from the Tau Air Caste, giving them the natural advantage of superior three-dimensional awareness and tolerance for higher accelerations than a human pilot. The Tiger Shark's main role is the deployment of Drones into combat. The aircraft's Drone racks can deploy a shower of remote weapons platforms anywhere over the battlefield. Tiger Sharks are commonly armed with twin-Linked Ion Cannons and wing-mounted Missile Pods for ground attacks, as well as Drone-controlled Burst Cannons for defence against enemy fighters, although a flight of Tiger Sharks will usually also be accompanied by Barracudas that provide fighter cover. More recently, Tiger Sharks armed with multiple Seeker Missiles have also been encountered. Like the Barracuda, different the Air Caste of different Tau Septs may operate slightly different versions of the aircraft.

Tiger Shark aircraft serve in the fighter bomber role and are commonly utilised as air support for ground forces. They are commonly escorted by Barracudas into battle, which provide the needed fighter cover. The many roles that Tiger Sharks perform include the deployment of Drone reinforcements to aid Tau ground forces, the deployment of Aerial Drone Mines in airspace to hinder enemy aircraft movement, the bombing of enemy forces, acting as an aerial Seeker Missile platform, and the deployment of Remora Drone Stealth Fighters and serving as their aerial control platform while they make their assault. Once Tiger Sharks have completed their primary mission, they will either head back to their base for refuelling and rearming or stay in the battle, providing aerial fire support and strafing enemies with their Ion Cannons and Missile Pods. Tiger Sharks armed with Seeker Missiles commonly remain as air support for ground forces which can use their own Marker Light systems to guide Seeker Missiles from the Tiger Shark at enemy targets.

History
During the Taros Campaign, the Tiger Shark was used to support the Tau's rapid response force. Flying from well-hidden bases on the continent of Iracunda Isthmus, Tiger Sharks were often the first Tau forces to respond to the Imperial Guard's advances, quickly seeding an area with Drone squadrons, whilst other Tau ground forces were moved into place. Tiger Sharks were the first Tau forces to reach Hydro-Processing Plant 23-30 after the Elysian Drop Troops' surprise attack, quickly reinforcing the garrison with Drone squadrons.

Armament
Tiger Sharks are armed with twin-linked Ion Cannons, twin-linked Missile Pods, two Burst Cannons, a Targetting Array and a Drone deployment rack that can carry up to fourteen Gun Drones as standard. Tiger Sharks can also be equipped with a Blacksun Filter and a Disruption Pod. Some Tiger Sharks forgo the use of a Drone rack in favour of six Seeker Missiles while others modify the Drone rack to carry Aerial Drone Mines or two Remora Drone Stealth Fighters.

Tiger Shark aircraft have two crew members, a pilot and a navigator/ weapons operator. The Tiger Shark cockpit also serves as an escape pod, which can detach from the aircraft's fuselage in an emergency, and has limited gravitic mobility to bring the crew safely back to the ground. The Tiger Shark chassis is made of the same unknown nano-crystalline alloy used in many other Tau vehicles, and also shares the same swept wing design of many other Tau aircraft. Tiger Sharks feature a large holding bay that is commonly outfitted with a Drone deployment rack for the transportation of Drones to the battlefield. However, there are variants of the Tiger Shark that use the bay as storage for bombs while the AX-2-2 variant uses a special Drone deployment rack specifically designed to house two Remora Drone Stealth Fighters. Some Tiger Sharks forgo the use of a holding bay in favour of a missile rack that can hold up to six Seeker Missiles.

Variants

 * Tiger Shark A-X-10 - The Tiger Shark A-X-10 variant is a far more heavily armed variant of the standard Tiger Shark and is a relatively new innovation for the Tau Air Caste that was developed as a response to the Imperium's Titans. Armed with two Heavy Railguns, the A-X-10 is a dedicated ground attack aircraft that carries ferocious firepower.
 * Tiger Shark AX-2-2 - The Tiger Shark AX-2-2 variant is outfitted with a modified Drone Rack that can carry up to two Remora Drone Stealth Fighters. This variant also has built-in Drone Controllers to aid the deployment and use of the Remora Fighters.