Devilfish

A Devilfish armoured troop carrier, as designated by the Imperial Guard and operatives of the Ordo Xenos, is the workhorse 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. Each armed with a fearsome Burst Cannon, a Devilfish can rapidly transport its passengers to their destination and then act as mobile fire support once they have disembarked. A Devilfish also carries a pair of Gun Drones to provide additional firepower. Highly mechanised Hunter Cadres rely on Devilfish to ensure that their Fire Warriors can travel and deploy quickly to wherever their gun lines are most required.

Construction

DevilfishArt — A Tau Devilfish in combat

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 on 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 obstacles and terrain that often litters a battlefield; obstackles 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 setup up in a firing position quickly. The armour of the vehicle is made from a dense nanocrystalline 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

Devilfish2 — 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 carried inside a Manta, which can transport four fully-loaded Devilfish from orbit to the ground and then once more to the battlefront, allowing Devilfish to be deployed where and when they and their troops are needed.

Armament

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, providing a self defence weapon that can also be used to complement the shooting of a diembarked squad. Secondary Weapons are mounted in the front recesses of the transport and and are primarily deployed as anti-infantry weapons. They can be one of the following:

Gun Drones - Most Devilfish are amred with two Gun Drones which ride with the vehicle in specially desigend recesses. These Gun Drones are able to lend to their Devilfish additional weight of fire, or can detach themselves and move off independently to perform missions of their own.
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.

Devilfish Troop Carriers can also have up to two Seeker Missiles which are fired and guided by Marker Lights. Devilfish are equipped with landing gear as standard, in the case of failure of the thruster engines, or for when the vehicle is simply parked. Devilfish transports can also be equipped with any of the following Tau vehicle upgrade systems:

Automated Repair System - Automated Repair Systems consist of advanced 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 magnetic spectra to make the vehicle harder to target.
Flechette Discharger - Flechette Dischargers line the hull 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 while 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 assualt 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

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