Devilfish

A Tau Devilfish supporting disembarked Tau Fire Warriors

A Devilfish armoured troop carrier, as designated by the Imperial Guard and operatives of the Ordo Xenos, is the primary anti-gravitic skimmer transport of Tau ground forces and can carry 12 Fire Warriors or Pathfinders into combat in relative safety, and then provide mobile fire support once they disembark.

The Devilfish armoured troop carrier is the workhorse of the Tau ground forces, granting the Fire Caste infantry much-needed speed and tactical mobility. It can transport up to twelve fully armed and armoured Fire Warriors or Pathfinders into battle in relative safety and then provide mobile fire support once they disembark. The highly mechanised Hunter Cadres rely on Devilfish to ensure that their Fire Warriors can travel and deploy quickly to wherever their gunlines are most required.

Mobility is essential for any Tau Commander and the Devilfish allows the infantry to keep pace with the armoured gunships. Whether manoeuvring troops to deliver the killer offensive of a Mont'ka, or rushing them into ideal firing positions to ensure a Kauyon ambush is properly set, the Devilfish is often key to victory. But the Devilfish is not used merely to ferry troops to the battle lines. In addition to the fire of its Burst Cannon, the Devilfish is on hand to quickly extract troops should enemy formations penetrate too closely. Given the Tau's loathing of close combat, a common tactic is to redeploy their gunlines when enemy units approach too closely, whisking their troops out of harm's way to set up new firing perimeters elsewhere on the battlefield. This re-embarking and relocating tactic allows Pathfinders to escape encirclement and helps Fire Warriors to keep their foe at arm's length, better enabling them to whittle down the enemy with repeated volleys of pulse fire.

A more aggressive ploy, employed by all Septs but made famous by those from Vior'la Sept, is a rapid delivery of Fire Warrior Teams into close range with an enemy target. Although a risky proposition, this allows disembarking units to emerge from their Devilfish to shoot point blank into their foe. When it works effectively, they drive back or destroy the enemy; however, failure to do so leaves the Tau vulnerable to assaults. These rapid counterattacks are a hallmark of Tau tactics and are often the final stroke in a well-planned Mont'ka. Such ploys are made even more effective by working in conjunction with other elements of the cadre, such as combining with other supporting firepower, coordinating to arrive at the same moment as incoming Battlesuits, or having Pathfinders light up the target with Marker Lights.

The Devilfish itself is armed with a Burst Cannon -- an ideal weapon to add suppressive fire in defence of any nearby allies. Two Gun Drones are also part of a Devilfish's standard armament, able to lend to the Devilfish their weight of fire, or detach on missions of their own. There are a number of upgrades that can augment the Devilfish, from Seeker Missiles for extra power, to defensive options like Decoy Launchers or target-shielding Disruption Pods.

Construction

A Tau Devilfish providing fire support to Fire Warriors

The ubiquitous Devilfish chassis consists of a sleek and light design powered by complex dual anti-gravitic and jet-propulsion motive systems so that a Devilfish almost glides over a planet's surface. The anti-gravitic engines generate "cushions" of air upon which the Devilfish floats upon, and its armoured bulk is then driven forwards by its two powerful multi-directional thruster jet engines mounted on the rear sides of the hull. By pivoting the propulsion units downwards, a Devilfish pilot can gain extra lift to clear the many obstacles and terrain that often litters a battlefield; obstacles that more mundane tracked vehicles can never hope to traverse. There are also two lift fins mounted on the front, each with a recess to house a weapon system or a Gun Drone. Since the Devilfish was designed with troop transport in mind, the pressurised interior has the space to fit 12 Fire Warriors along with all of their equipment and weapons. The vehicle also features two hatches on each side along with a door in the rear to allow troops inside to disembark and set up into a firing position quickly. The armour of the vehicle is made from a dense nano-crystalline metal, named Fio'tak in the Tau Lexicon, that is light, malleable, strong and corrosive resistant; reducing the weight of the vehicle whilst also providing excellent protection. There is only one crew member that pilots the Devilfish, operates the nose-mounted Burst Cannon, and manages the communication and tracking systems. All other systems are drone-controlled.

Tactical Role

A Devilfish delivering troops to the frontline

The Devilfish is primarily an armoured personnel carrier and is often considered the workhorse of Tau ground forces, with the capacity to carry a fully armed and equipped Fire Warrior squad rapidly to the frontlines in relative safety. Once the Fire Warriors have been dropped off, the Devilfish continues to act as mobile fire support, providing anti-infantry firepower where it is most needed. Mobility is essential for any Tau Commander, and Devilfish allow their infantry to keep pace with a Hunter Cadre’s armoured gunships. Whether manoeuvring troops to deliver the killer offensive of a Mont’ka, or rushing them into ideal firing positions to ensure a Kauyon ambush is perfectly set, Devilfish are often key to Tau victories.

However, Devilfish are not only used to merely ferry troops to the frontlines. In addition to the fearsome firepower provided by its Burst Cannon, a Devilfish is often on hand to extract Tau troops should enemy formations be in a position to overwhelm the Tau gunline, or if the Tau Commander decides that a tactical withdrawal is necessary. Given the Tau’s loathing of close combat, a common tactic is to redeploy their gun lines when enemy units approach; whisking troops out of harm’s way to setup new firing perimeters elsewhere on the battlefield. This re-embarking and relocation tactic allows Pathfinders to escape encirclement and helps Fire Warriors keep their foes at arm’s length, better enabling them to whittle down the enemy with repeated volleys of pulse fire. In this way, they enable a Tau force's hit-and-run tactics, and are the bane of many an Imperial commander. Devilfish are usually transported inside a Manta, which can carry four fully-loaded Devilfish from orbit to the ground, and then once more to the battlefront; allowing Devilfish to be deployed exactly where and when they and their troops are needed.

Armament

Primary Weapons

A Tau Devilfish in combat

Tau Devilfish Troop Carrier

A Devilfish is primarily armed with a nose-mounted Burst Cannon and a hull-mounted secondary weapon system. The nose-mounted Burst Cannon provides rapid-firing suppressive anti-infantry fire, acting as a self-defence weapon that can also be used to complement the fire of a disembarked squad. Devilfish are equipped with landing gear as standard, in the case of failure of the thruster engines, or for when the vehicle is simply at rest and deactivated.

Secondary Weapons

Secondary weapons are mounted in the front recesses of the transport and are primarily deployed to provide anti-infantry fire support.  The vehicle's secondary weapons can include either of the following:

• Gun Drones - Most Devilfish are armed with two Gun Drones which ride with the vehicle in specially designed recesses. These Gun Drones are able to lend to their Devilfish an additional weight of fire, or can detach themselves and move off independently to perform fire missions of their own.
• Twin-linked Smart Missile System - A Smart Missile System fires swarms of self-guided missiles, each with a built-in Drone intelligence so they can hunt down targets that could not normally be seen or targeted.

Upgrades

Devilfish transports can also be equipped with any of the following Tau vehicle upgrade systems:

• Automated Repair System - Automated Repair Systems consist of dispensers which release tiny maintenance Drones which swarm over damaged weapon and drive systems, repairing them in the midst of battle.
• Advanced Targeting System - An Advanced Targeting System assists the vehicle's gunner by identifying targets of particular value or danger, and plotting fire plans to counter them.
• Blacksun Filter- Blacksun Filters allow the vehicle's gunners to accurately see and target enemies in low-light conditions.
• Decoy Launcher- Decoy Launchers are a form of defensive measure that is mounted near the engines. They are capable of firing clouds of reflective strips and sophisticated electronic decoys, which are combined with flare and chaff launchers to protect the tank's thruster arrays from enemy missiles.
• Disruption Pod - Disruption Pods display distorting holographic images in the visual and electromagnetic spectra to make the vehicle harder to target.
• Flechette Discharger - Flechette Dischargers line the hull of the Devilfish and fire high-velocity flechettes at infantry which try to assault the vehicle.
• Multi Tracker - A Multi Tracker consists of advanced stabilisers that allow the vehicle to fire accurately even whilst moving at speed.
• Point Defence Targeting Relay - Designed to provide superior covering fire for nearby Fire Caste units, a Point Defence Targeting Relay automatically targets and engages enemies that try to assault the vehicle or nearby friendly units.
• Sensor Spines - Sensor Spines feed data to an advanced ground-following flight control system. This allows the vehicle to avoid hazardous terrain that could otherwise damage the vehicle's drive systems.
• Target Lock - A Target Lock computer automatically identifies potential targets and plots fire plans accordingly. This grants the gunners more choice and accuracy in engaging various targets.
• Targeting Array - Computer-aided Targeting Arrays are sophisticated targeting systems that aid the gunners' aim in firing upon enemy targets

Optional Weapons

• Seeker Missiles - Devilfish Troop Carriers can also optionally have up to two Seeker Missiles in addition to their primary and secondary armaments. Each Seeker Missile is most effective when fired and guided by Marker Lights.

Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications

Serial Number	85673-908325	Main Armament	Burst Cannon in Chin Turret
Designation	Troop Carrier
Vehicle Codename	Devilfish	Secondary Armament	Drone-Controlled 4x Pulse Carbines
Vehicle Type	Grav-Tank
Crew	1 Pilot	Traverse	160°
Weight	14 tonnes	Elevation	+30° to -15°
Length	8.25 metres	Ammunition	2000 rounds
Width	6.8 metres	Armour Type	Nano-Crystalline Alloy; Composition Unknown to Adeptus Mechanicus
Height	3.2 metres
Max Recorded Speed	75 kilometres per hour
Summary:	Armoured Troop Transport; holds twelve; Also can mount Seeker Missile Rack

Gallery

A Devilfish supporting Tau Fire Warriors in battle

A Devilfish Transport of the T'au Sept

A Devilfish used to transport Pathfinders during the Taros Campaign

A Devilfish deployed on Taros during the Taros Campaign via overhead Manta Missile Destroyers

Devilfish with Fire Warrior for size comparison

Sources

• Codex: Tau (3rd Edition), pg. 26
• Codex: Tau Empire (4th Edition), pg. 36
• Codex: Tau Empire (6th Edition), pg. 39, 66, 72
• Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 163-168, 284
• Courage and Honour (Novel) by Graham McNeill
• Deathwatch: Rites of Battle (RPG), pg. 193