Eldar Falcon Grav Tank
The Falcon is the main battle tank of the Eldar, a fast, mobile and well-protected grav-tank carrying excellent anti-tank and anti-infantry firepower. In addition to the Falcon's considerable assets, it can also transport a small squad of Aspect Warriors or Eldar Guardians into battle, and its split wing design and single seat turret are a familiar sight to those enemy tank crews that face the Eldar on the battlefield.
Background
A Falcon anti-grav tank of Craftworld Ulthwé
According to Eldar race's long and complex mythical creation-story known as the War in Heaven, it was Faolchú, consort of the Great Hawk, a messenger of the Eldar gods who, according to myth, stole Vaul's mighty sword Anaris, one of the Swords of Vaul, and gave it to the Eldar hero Eldanesh so he might defeat the Eldar war-god Khaela Mensha Khaine. This principle of deliverance lies behind the Falcon grav-tank's design. As well as mounting a diverse array of potent weapons, it carries a small squad in its transport pod, delivering them to where their prowess is most needed and retrieving them once their mission is complete. The Eldar's enemies have learnt to fear the grav-tank's sleek silhouette, for if its deadly weapons do not bring about their doom, the Eldar inside it will.
Technical Information
The key to the Falcon's battlefield performance is its engine and anti-gravitic generators. The Eldar are masters of anti-grav technology, utilising it as readily as Mankind uses tank tracks. Their advanced technology means the Falcon's engines can generate an estimated top speed of 800 kph. Its advanced ant-grav generators are also capable of limited flight, climbing higher than the equivalent Imperial craft and thus giving them the added edge of altitude, allowing them to swoop down onto the battlefield at high speed, weapons locked on to their pre-selected targets. Each Falcon has a crew of two, the pilot and the gunner. These will be already experienced warriors, having most likely learned their skills within Jetbike squadrons or along other, similar paths, who intuitively handle the Falcon's complex and delicate control systems using both their mind and body. As befits its versatile battlefield role, the Falcon's armament is also very deceptive. Alongside its standard high-energy firing Pulsar, a Falcon can be equipped for just about any role: be it anti-infantry with scatter laser and shuriken cannons, or dealing with light armour with Starcannon, or in an anti-tank role with a bright lance or missile launcher.
Role
The Falcon forms a keystone of the Eldar's mounted warfare tactics. Supported by Fire Prisms, Fire Storms and Night Spinners, an armoured host will first move at speed to outflank and then surround an enemy force. Striking at top speed and withdrawing before the enemy's anti-tank weapons can be deployed to face them, a Falcon flight, sometimes referred to as a Cloudstrike squadron, can rapidly change position and strike again from another direction, breaking up an enemy's defensive cohesion or attack formations before the main Eldar assault hits.
Notable Variants
- Fire Prism
- Night Spinner
- Fire Storm
- Warp Hunter
Sources
- Codex: Eldar (6th Edition), pg. 45
- Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pg. 42
- Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition), pg. 14
- Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pp. 174-176
Gallery
