A Hammerhead gunship armed with twin-linked Fusion Cannons as its primary turret weapon.
A Fusion Cannon is a T'au version of a Melta Weapon, and fires blasts of directed energy produced by a nuclear fusion reaction which can reduce even the most heavily armoured vehicles or fortifications to slag in the blink of an eye.
The Fusion Cannon is essentially a larger version of a Battlesuit-mounted Fusion Blaster. The Fusion Cannon has an extended range compared to a Fusion Blaster, and a larger blast radius that allows its fire to destroy closely packed groups of enemy vehicles and heavy infantry.
Hammerhead gunships are the only T'au unit armed with Fusion Cannons, as they can be mounted as a twin-linked primary turret weapon system in place of a more common Railgun or Ion Cannon.
The Fusion Cannon was first encountered by the armed forces of the Imperium of Man during the Taros Campaign, where Imperial tacticians believe the weapons were being field-tested for the first time by the T'au Fire Caste.
Ironclad Battleship Fusion Cannon[]
A weapon also known as a "fusion cannon" was deployed on some starships of the Imperial Navy, especially on the ancient, pre-Imperial Ironclad Battleships, a class of Imperial warship now generally retired from service. The Imperial fusion cannon was an extremely powerful weapon, but its energy output fell off at longer ranges.
Sources[]
- Imperial Armour Three – The Taros Campaign, pp. 158, 162
- White Dwarf 139 (US), "Space Fleet: Rules Expansion," pp. 8-36
- White Dwarf 140 (US), "Space Fleet: Additional Background, Rules, Data Cards & Counters," pp. 46-75
- White Dwarf 141 (US), "Space Fleet: Spaceships, Flagships & Scenario System," pp. 50-72