Tau Strike Craft
Improvised killers

Barracuda Supremacy Fighter

Length: 14 metres

Wing span: 16 metres

Crew: 1 (Pilot).

Sub-light engine: 2 Ion-Thrust engines

Power supply: Cold-Fusion Plasma Generator.

Standard Armament: 1 Nose-Mounted Ion Cannon, 8 Wing Mounted Missile Tubes, 2 Drone-Controlled Burst Cannons

FTL capable: no

Lore: The Barracuda is the most common fighter craft known to be in regular use with the Tau. In the Void-fighter role, its small size and high mobility make it exceptionally difficult to target and hit with conventional weapons, only made worse by the skill of Air Caste pilots and the sophisticated early warning systems built into the craft. However, they are slow by void-craft standards, meaning a Barracuda caught out of position is unlikely to escape the claws of an enemy.

In terms of firepower, they lack the raw power of some of their larger competitors, but a single shot from its nose-mounted Ion Cannon or a single of its missiles is more than capable taking down on of the Imperial Navies Fury Interceptors or its equivalents.

This grizzly fact coming to surface during the disastrous Damocles Crusade, where the Barracuda proved its deadly potential by inflicting horrific damage on the Imperial Air and Void fighter fleets across numerous engagements. The Navy repeatedly prevented from securing air supremacy, and endlessly harassed at every step by Barracudas and Mantas. Although the Barracuda was not meant as a Void Craft, they have certainly carved out a name for themselves among Imperial veterans.

Manta Missile Destroyer

Length: 35 metres

Wing span: 60 metres

Crew: 8 (Pilot, Gunners. Sometimes also a Commander and/or Ethereal).

Sub-light engine: 2 Heavy Ion-Thrust engines

Power supply: 2 Cold-Fusion Plasma Generators.

Standard Armament: 2 Wing-Mounted Heavy Railguns, 6 Wing-Mounted Ion Cannon, 10 Nose-Mounted Missile Tubes, 16 Drone-Controlled Burst Cannons. Can use transport capacity to carry up to 40 Heavy Anti-Shipping Missiles, Anti-Shipping mines, or 2 Anti-Shipping Gravatic Torpedoes

Troop Capacity: Upto 188 Fire Warriors, 24 Gun Drones, or 12 Heavy Weapon Drones, or 44 Kroot Warriors, 4 Medium vehicles (Devilfish, Hammerheads, Sky rays or Piranhas) as well as 10 Crisis Battlesuits, or 5 Broadside Battlesuits.
Or alternatively 50 Crisis suits, 25 Broadside suits, 36 Heavy Gun Drones, 12 Drone Sentry Turrets and 12 Tetras.

FTL capable: no

Lore: The Manta is designed and built like a miniature warship, and to all intents and purposes it effectively is. Able to carry an entire Hunter Cadre into battle, pack the firepower of several tank companies into one craft, and pack enough anti-shipping weapon to crack open even the most well protecting of enemy vessels. It often takes whole Imperial Fighter Squadron's combined effort to successfully stop a single Manta from reaching their target, and often at a steep price.

While not as massive as the Star Hawk, the Manta makes more efficient use of its internal and exterior spaces. Having far greater firepower and protection than the larger vessel, although suffering from a slow speed just like its Imperial rival. In an attack on a capital, there are few things more terrifying than a flight of Mantas. Being almost impossible to stop, and able to devastate the hull of most ships in one pass. Failing that, they can deploy dozens of Battlesuits, and fire warrior breacher teams to board a vessel, and wreak havoc on internal system. A few Mantas even able to completely flood the decks of smaller capital ships with troops and battlesuits.

However, they were not purpose-built for this role, and despite being fairly well protected, they suffered heavily when pitted against some of the largest vessels in the Imperium. The lordly vessels simply shrugging aside their blows and rarely allowing many Manta's to return to their home bases. As such, Tau commanders are hesitant to join the Mantas as launch an attack on an Imperial fleet, as they usually would during a land-based assault. As such operations are normally costly, and Tau Commanders would easily become the victim of an Imperial Fury or PD gunner.