Changes: TX-4 Piranha

Revision as of 07:51, 22 August 2012

Pirahna — A Tau Piranha armed with a Burst Cannon and 2 Gun Drones

The Tau Piranha is a light combat scout skimmer used by the Tau Fire Caste and its default armament is a Burst Cannon and two Gun Drones, similar to the Devilfish. It is sometimes fitted with a Fusion Blaster instead of a Burst Cannon, allowing it to fill a tank-hunter role on the battlefield. It can also be equipped with up to 2 Seeker Missiles, allowing Tau Pathfinder Teams to guide its missiles to armoured targets. The first time the Piranha was seen by the Imperium, it was used as a diplomatic transport by the Water Caste. During the Taros Campaign, it was field-tested as a military vehicle, and proved notably successful as an asset for Pathfinder Teams. It normally carries a crew of 2, a driver and a weapons operator. The weapons operator seat can also be used as a passenger seat.

History

Taros Campaign - During the Battle for Hydro Processing Plant 23-30, Piranhas were widely deployed in support of Remote Sensor Towers already in the area to provide Seeker Missile support. This caused the 114th Cadian regiment's relief column to be constantly harassed by missile strikes and day long battles were fought between Chimeras and Piranhas. This led to the relief column being delayed enough so that Tau Hunter Cadres could overrun the plant. Piranhas also played an important role in the desert warfare on Taros, harassing enemy forces with the support of Hunter Cadres and eventually pursuing Tallarn regiments as they withdrew back to their landing zones in the closing stages of the campaign.

Construction

The design of the Piranha consists of a central, open-topped chassis that can seat two crew members. Two engine thrusters are mounted on the the sides of the main body, with two winglets mounted on the sides of the engines in turn. Each of these winglets fufill a similar role as the lift fins on the Devilfish chassis, providing extra lift to keep the vehicle off the ground and also providing space for two recesess, each with a Gun Drone. Mounted on the front of the central section of the Piranha is a chin turret, which can be fitted with a Burst Cannon or a Fusion Blaster. The Piranha carries two crewmen. The crew member in the front seat is the pilot, and the crew member behind him operates the chin-mounted weapons system. However, when the Piranha is used in a non-combat role, the second seat is often given to an important passenger such as an Ethereal.

Combat Role

The Piranha was initially identified by the Imperium during a diplomatic mission on the Sept World of Dal'yth, where it was being used as an unarmed transport vehicle. It was during the Taros Campaign that it was first seen used in a military application and was subsequently coded the "Piranha". It has since been upgraded with armour and armament and usually is found supporting Hunter Cadres in the niche role of acting as a light combat and reconnaissance vehicle that can harass infantry and armour alike. It also commonly clashes with enemy scout forces during missions, and has been used by the Tau to provide armoured fire support in defence of an area by acting as part of a rapid-response force of Tau Pathfinders. In a reconnaissance role, the Piranha is a direct match to a Imperial Guard Salamander as it can tackle other light vehicles. This is a desirable asset due to first contact with an enemy often being a clash between scout forces. It is thought that the Fire Caste observed and learnt from the Imperial Guard's deployment of Salamanders and adapted the tactic for their Piranhas. However, this is pure speculation. Piranhas are also commonly equipped with Seeker Missiles, allowing them to strike at enemy armour from long range with the support of other Tau units outfitted with Marker Lights, such as Pathfinders. In peacetime, the Piranha can also fufill the role of an armoured personnel carrier, transporting important Tau diplomatic officials and Ethereals. Piranhas have also been identified operating as armoured support for teams guarding important strategic locations such as Tau airfields, where they act as a rapid response force. In this way, they act as security where heavier combat vehicles are not generally required.

Armament

A Piranha can be equipped with any of the following equipment:

Chin Mounted Weapon (Standard)
- A Burst Cannon, which provides rapid-firing anti-infantry fire, allowing the Piranha to harass enemy infantry.
- A Fusion Blaster, which changes the Piranha's role to a tank-hunter that can take down a range of light and heavy vehicles.
Two Gun Drones in front wing recesses (Standard)
Blacksun Filter which greatly extends the distance that can be seen in darkness.
Decoy Launchers which are mounted near the engines and are capable of firing clouds of reflective strips to protect the tank's thruster arrays.
Disruption Pods which display distorting holographic images in the visual and magnetic spectra to make the vehicle harder to target.
Flechette Dischargers which line the hull and fire high-velocity flechettes at infantry which try to assault the vehicle.
Computer-aided Targeting Array which enhances the gunners' capability to hit enemy targets
Multi Tracker which serves as an advanced stabiliser that allows the vehicle to fire accurately while moving
Sensor Spines which feed data to an advanced ground-following flight control system that allows the vehicle to avoid hazardous terrain
Target Lock which automatically identifies potential targets and plots fire plans accordingly, granting the gunner more choice in targets to engage

Two Gun Drones also ride with the Piranha, providing extra firepower with their twin-linked Pulse Carbines. The Gun Drones can also disengage from the Piranha to move off by themselves. Piranhas can also have up to two Seeker Missiles which are fired and guided by Marker Lights.

TX-42

The TX-42 variant of the Piranha is a more heavily-armoured version of the standard Piranha chassis and mounts heavier weapons. It has a semi-enclosed, armoured crew compartment and upgraded armament to turn the light Piranha into a heavier gunship, designed for frontline operations in support of Tau armoured units. It is can be armed with twin-linked Rail Rifles, twin-linked Missile Pods, twin-linkedFusion Blasters or twin-linked Plasma Rifles. To date, the TX-42 has only been encountered by the Imperium amongst the forces of the Sa'cea Sept operating in the Perdus Rift region during the Tau Empire's Third Sphere Expansion.

Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications

Serial Number	85673-908461	Main Armament	Burst Cannon in chin turret
Designation	Light Skimmer
Vehicle Codename	Piranha	Secondary Armament	2 Gun Drones
Vehicle Type	Grav-Speeder
Crew	2 (Pilot, Co-Pilot)	Traverse	120°
Weight	4.5 tonnes	Elevation	From -46° to +5°
Length	5.7 metres	Ammunition	2000 rounds
Width	6.4 metres	Armour Type	Nano-Crystalline Alloy Composition Unknown to the Adeptus Mechanicus
Height	2.4 metres
Max Recorded Speed	160 kilometres per hour

Sources

Imperial Armour Volume Three -- The Taros Campaign, pp. 181-183
Imperial Amour Apocalypse, p. 80

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:Pirahna.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[Tau]] Piranha armed with a Burst Cannon and 2 Gun Drones]]
 The [[Tau]] '''Piranha''' is a light combat scout skimmer used by the Tau [[Fire Caste]] and its default armament is a [[Burst Cannon]] and two [[Gun Drone]]s, similar to the [[Devilfish]]. It is sometimes fitted with a [[Fusion Blaster]] instead of a [[Burst Cannon]], allowing it to fill a tank-hunter role on the battlefield. It can also be equipped with up to 2 Seeker Missiles, allowing Tau [[Pathfinder|Pathfinder Teams]] to guide its missiles to armoured targets. The first time the Piranha was seen by the Imperium, it was used as a diplomatic transport by the [[Water Caste]]. During the [[Taros Campaign]], it was field-tested as a military vehicle, and proved notably successful as an asset for Pathfinder Teams. It normally carries a crew of 2, a driver and a weapons operator. The weapons operator seat can also be used as a passenger seat.
+==History==
+*[[Taros Campaign]] - During the Battle for Hydro Processing Plant 23-30, Piranhas were widely deployed in support of [[Remote Sensor Tower]]s already in the area to provide Seeker Missile support. This caused the 114th [[Cadian]] regiment's relief column to be constantly harassed by missile strikes and day long battles were fought between [[Chimera]]s and Piranhas. This led to the relief column being delayed enough so that [[Tau]] [[Hunter Cadre]]s could overrun the plant. Piranhas also played an important role in the desert warfare on [[Taros]], harassing enemy forces with the support of Hunter Cadres and eventually pursuing [[Tallarn]] regiments as they withdrew back to their landing zones in the closing stages of the campaign.
 ==Construction==
 The design of the Piranha consists of a central, open-topped chassis that can seat two crew members. Two engine thrusters are mounted on the the sides of the main body, with two winglets mounted on the sides of the engines in turn. Each of these winglets fufill a similar role as the lift fins on the [[Devilfish]] chassis, providing extra lift to keep the vehicle off the ground and also providing space for two recesess, each with a [[Gun Drone]]. Mounted on the front of the central section of the Piranha is a chin turret, which can be fitted with a [[Burst Cannon]] or a [[Fusion Blaster]]. The Piranha carries two crewmen. The crew member in the front seat is the pilot, and the crew member behind him operates the chin-mounted weapons system. However, when the Piranha is used in a non-combat role, the second seat is often given to an important passenger such as an [[Ethereal]].
 ==Combat Role==
-The Piranha was initially identified by the [[Imperium]] during a diplomatic mission on the Sept World of Dal'yth, where it was being used as an unarmed transport vehicle. It was during the [[Taros Campaign]] that it was first seen used in a military application and was subsequently coded the "Piranha". It has since been upgraded with armour and armament and usually is found supporting [[Hunter Cadre]]s in the niche role of acting as a light combat and reconnaissance vehicle that can harass infantry and armour alike. It also commonly clashes with enemy scout forces during missions, and has been used by the Tau to provide armoured fire support in defence of an area by acting as part of a rapid-response force of Tau Pathfinders. Piranhas are also commonly equipped with Seeker Missiles, allowing them to strike at enemy armour from long range with the support of other Tau units outfitted with [[Marker Lights]], such as [[ Pathfinders|Pathfinders]]. In peacetime, the Piranha can also fufill the role of an armoured personnel carrier, transporting important Tau diplomatic officials and [[Ethereal]]s. Piranhas have also been identified operating as armoured support for teams guarding important strategic locations such as Tau airfields, where they act as a rapid response force. In this way, they act as security where heavier combat vehicles are not generally required.
+The Piranha was initially identified by the [[Imperium]] during a diplomatic mission on the Sept World of Dal'yth, where it was being used as an unarmed transport vehicle. It was during the [[Taros Campaign]] that it was first seen used in a military application and was subsequently coded the "Piranha". It has since been upgraded with armour and armament and usually is found supporting [[Hunter Cadre]]s in the niche role of acting as a light combat and reconnaissance vehicle that can harass infantry and armour alike. It also commonly clashes with enemy scout forces during missions, and has been used by the Tau to provide armoured fire support in defence of an area by acting as part of a rapid-response force of Tau Pathfinders. In a reconnaissance role, the Piranha is a direct match to a [[Imperial Guard]] [[Salamander]] as it can tackle other light vehicles. This is a desirable asset due to first contact with an enemy often being a clash between scout forces. It is thought that the Fire Caste observed and learnt from the Imperial Guard's deployment of Salamanders and adapted the tactic for their Piranhas. However, this is pure speculation. Piranhas are also commonly equipped with Seeker Missiles, allowing them to strike at enemy armour from long range with the support of other Tau units outfitted with [[Marker Lights]], such as [[ Pathfinders|Pathfinders]]. In peacetime, the Piranha can also fufill the role of an armoured personnel carrier, transporting important Tau diplomatic officials and [[Ethereal]]s. Piranhas have also been identified operating as armoured support for teams guarding important strategic locations such as Tau airfields, where they act as a rapid response force. In this way, they act as security where heavier combat vehicles are not generally required.
 ==Armament==