Manta

Type: Super-Heavy Flyer: Orbital Lander

Structure Points: 10

Crew: 9, Tau Air Caste

Weapons: The Manta is armed with twin-linked heavy railguns, 3 x twin-linked long-barrelled ion cannons, twin-linked missile pods, 16 drone-controlled long-barrelled burst cannons (fired using BS2), 10 Seeker missiles (fire a maximum of 2 per turn) and a networked Markerlight.

The Manta is always equipped with a Targeting Array for its main weapons. It also has an Energy shield, a Blacksun filter, Escape pod and Decoy launchers.

Options: None.

Transport: 188 Tau warriors* (see below).

Super-Heavy Detachment: As a Super-heavy Flyer the Manta must be taken as a separate detachment. A detachment consists of 1-3 Mantas.

Access Points: 2. The Manta's lower transport deck is an access elevator. It also has a rear ramp.

Special Rules

Upper Transport Deck Capacity: The Manta may carry 48 Tau warriors*, or up to a maximum of 12 Heavy Gun Drones (each Heavy Gun Drone counts as 4 Tau warriors), or up to a maximum of 24 Kroot Hounds (each Kroot Hound counts as 2 Tau warriors).

* Tau warriors includes Fire Warriors, Kroot, Stealthsuits, Pathfinders or Gun Drones. If a Pathfinder squad is deployed from a Manta they do not have to take a Devilfish troop carrier.

Lower Deck Capacity: The Manta may carry 140 Tau warriors** in its lower deck, or up to a maximum of 4 Devilfish Troop Carriers**, or up to a maximum of 4 Hammerheads or Sky Rays, or up to a maximum of 4 Piranha.

In addition to the 4 vehicles, the lower deck may also carry up to 10 Crisis battlesuits or 5 Broadside battlesuits.

Alternatively, instead of vehicles the lower deck may carry: up to a maximum of 50 Crisis battlesuits, or up to a maximum of 25 Broadside battlesuits, or up to a maximum of 36 Heavy Gun Drones, or up to a maximum of 12 Drone sentry turrets, or up to a maximum of 12 Tetra speeders.

** Tau warriors includes Fire Warriors, Kroot and Kroot Hounds, Stealthsuits, Pathfinders or Gun Drones. If a Pathfinder squad is deployed from a lower deck of a Manta then they must take a Devilfish troop carrier. Additionally, Devilfish may also be pre-loaded with up to 12 Fire Warriors or Pathfinders.

Air Fire: Due to its size, when firing at a Manta the enemy do not require 6s to hit, as with other aircraft, instead they can always use their own basic BS, just like firing at any other vehicles.

Energy Shield: The Manta is equipped with powerful energy shields and counter measures and has a 4+ Invulnerable Save against all hits.

Decoy Launchers: Decoy launchers are mounted near the engines of the Manta and fire clouds of reflective strips and tiny emitter drones to protect the vulnerable airframe. The Manta gains a 4+ Save against the effects of an Engines Damage result on the Super-heavy Flyer Damage tables. Roll a dice, on 4+ the result is ignored.

Drone Controlled Sub-Munitions: The Manta's sub-munitions are drone controlled for greater accuracy. When firing sub-munitions the Manta does not roll the additional D6 for deviation whilst moving; it always deviates by a single D6.