# Tau flyers?



## kiro the avenger! (Nov 8, 2010)

So, in the White dwarf look at the crusade if fire campaign book, I saw a picture of the fighter ace ability table, so, do the tau have some kind of flyer anywhere?


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## Arcane (Feb 17, 2009)

Only Forgeworld.


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## Insanity (Oct 25, 2011)

they have this baby, but it's Forgeworld only (Btw, not me in the pic, it's the only one i could easily find that shows how big it is, hope the guy doesn't mind)


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

That's a Manta which is not really a "flyer" in the conventional sense, think of it more as a Tau answer to a Titan.

The Barracuda is what you'd be after in a normal game of 40k, it is a Forgeworld model too but somewhat cheaper. It's rules are in Imperial Armour Aeronautica.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

Good grief, not only is their flier from FW but it has a cool name too, Barracuda. I wouldn't be able to field that with out playing Heart very, very loud on whatever music device I would have with me! :grin:


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## Barnster (Feb 11, 2010)

They also have the Tiger Shark, two variants, either heavy destroyer or lighter version, which is their variant of a Harrier/ Strike Bomber


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

Magpie_Oz said:


> That's a Manta which is not really a "flyer" in the conventional sense, think of it more as a Tau answer to a Titan.
> 
> The Barracuda is what you'd be after in a normal game of 40k, it is a Forgeworld model too but somewhat cheaper. It's rules are in Imperial Armour Aeronautica.


Actually the Tiger Shark is (and was, in the Damocles Gulf crusade defence) their answer to titans, in fact it stopped the Space Marines right away when the prototypes blitzed onto the theatre, destroying numerous titans on their "maiden voyage"/ inaugural mission.

The Manta is a short distance space ship with numerous roles, but most importantly space battle bombers and detachment dropships. What most people don't mention is that this unit, in 40K, _is an army_. It's not meant to be "heavy support" or an addition to anything, it quite literally is an army.

Within the Manta (and included when you buy one from FW) there are 2 Devilfish, 2 hammerheads, 8 (?) crisis suits, 40 Fire Warriors and I think around 20 gun drones. Slap me if I missed something. *This is included in it's points cost as well.*

The Manta is the link between the air caste and the fire caste, it is an exo/intra-orbital dropship that is also their main scramble bomber in space battles.

Basically, with a manta, you drop an army down, and the manta will enter and leave the battlefield making support runs from that point.

Naturally, the super-heavy railguns means it can also fulfill the role of a Tiger Shark if needed.

It's probably the most all-round versatile thing in the 40K universe that I'm aware of. It transports an entire cadre, can smack down titans, bomb and board space ships, and defend itself very well against numerous enemy fliers on it's own, due to the 24 (or is it 18) drone-operated long-barreled burst cannon turrets peppered across it's hull, with it's own integrated markerlights to boot. Naturally, it's the most protected flier you'll see as well.

Where if Tau had a choice, in a full scale war environment, they would prefer Tiger Shark detachments for titan/ enemy super-heavy hunting and use the Manta to transport a cadre to the battlefield and support them while the job is being done. But it's a flexible "little" beast.

But yeah, I rambled on a bit there.

As for the Barracuda, it's plastic GW version has allegedly been finished for 3 years +/-, just sitting in warehouses, you're 100% guaranteed to see them with the Tau codex coming in May. It is however nothing more than a fast and squishy hammerhead (more or less)


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Missing the point completely there. "Tau answer to a Titan" is only in the context that it is the largest model they can have in their army.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Barnster said:


> They also have the Tiger Shark, two variants, either heavy destroyer or lighter version, which is their variant of a Harrier/ Strike Bomber


Tiger shark is a Super Heavy Flyer tho' not really for a normal 40k game.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

Hmm... I would imagine that the Tau would have something along the lines of a colossal battle suit as a Titan.


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

Jace of Ultramar said:


> Hmm... I would imagine that the Tau would have something along the lines of a colossal battle suit as a Titan.


Tau consider Titans to be comic relief, cumbersome and ineffective showman's pieces that do not belong on a battlefield. Thus, I wouldn't count on seeing anything like it very soon.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

MetalHandkerchief said:


> Tau consider Titans to be comic relief, cumbersome and ineffective showman's pieces that do not belong on a battlefield. Thus, I wouldn't count on seeing anything like it very soon.


Ah, ok. Not very knowledgeable on Tau background.


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## Fallen (Oct 7, 2008)

the tau remora's are flyers, more like the dakkajet in comparison to a titan.


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