Aeronautica Imperialis - Tau Auxiliary Aircraft

-

Aeronautica Imperialis - Tau Auxiliary Aircraft

The Tau Empire was released in the second box set for Aeronautica Imperialis, Skies of Fire. Since their release in 2020, the Tau have not received any additional rules for new aircraft. That was the case until the release of the Aeronautica Imperialis Companion. In the Companion, the Tau can now take human auxiliary aircraft. There is a small range of auxiliary aircraft that can be selected to operate with the Tau. 

The Tau can take one auxiliary aircraft for every five Tau aircraft. Even if they take five Remora Drones, the Tau must spend at least 70pts before adding the cost of the auxiliary aircraft. It is unlikely that any Tau player would just take Remora Drones. Realistically, the Tau player will be taking five Barracudas at a cost of at least 125pts. So, the auxiliary aircraft are only going to be used in larger games. 

Before I go on to consider which of the auxiliary aircraft are worth taking, I want to identify some of the weaknesses in the standard Tau aircraft. The first point is that Tau do not use bombs, or for that matter any designated Ground Attack weapons. The second point, although I accept it is not a compelling argument, is that the Tau do not have a dedicated Transport aircraft. The Tiger Shark has a Transport capacity, but I feel that it is a waste to use it in this capacity, as it stops the aircraft from firing whilst it lands and takes off. 

The Tau Barracuda is an excellent fighter aircraft. For this reason, I do believe it is worth taking the Thunderbolt, Lightning, or Avenger as the auxiliary aircraft, as these do little to improve the quality of the force.  




Next up we have the Marauder Bomber. This aircraft might be worth taking in specific missions that require the destruction of ground targets. The Marauder is cheaper than a Tiger Shark but less manoeuverable. It does, however, have bombs and can be upgraded to carry Hellstrike Missiles for even more ground attack punch. This aircraft is a simple swap for a Tiger Shark. It will be less effective than a Tiger Shark in aerial combat but far more effective at destroying ground targets.  


The final two auxiliary aircraft are the Valkyrie and the Vendetta (a Valkyrie with a bigger gun). These are dedicated transport aircraft, which are cheaper than the Tiger Shark. The Valkyries and Vendettas have a higher transport capacity than the Tiger Shark. In any mission, which requires transport, I would recommend taking one of these aircraft.   


In conclusion, the auxiliary aircraft can only be taken in larger games, and I would suggest it only when there is a specific need for a scenario. In most scenarios, the Tau already have an aircraft that can get the job done. Overall, the auxiliary aircraft do not add much to the Tau Air Cadre. 

If you would like to read any more of my Aeronautica articles, please check out the faction review links below.

If you have any questions or would just like to leave a message, please drop them in the comments below and remember ‘always watch your six.’  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How I paint - Gloomspite Gitz- Squigs

-
Image
When collecting Gloomspite Gitz it quickly becomes apparent that at some point you are going to paint squigs. This is my take on a classic red squig. Paints required: Wraithbone spray Khorne Red Army Painter Red Tone Averland Sunset Wazdakka Red Squig Orange Lahmian Medium Reikland Fleshwash Screamer Pink Pink Horror Pallid Wych Flesh Zandri Dust Agrax Earthshade Xereus Purple Genestealer Purple Yriel Yellow Druchii Violet .  Kantor Blue Thousand Sons Blue Ahriman Blue Temple Guard Blue . The miniatures were primed with Wraithbone spray. The scheme works over black, but you must build a nice sold layer of red at the start. This was then followed by a basecoat of Khorne Red . I thinned the Khorne Red with a little water. It took a few coats to get a nice solid finish. The miniature was then given a wash with Army Painter Red Tone thinned with a little water. The eyes were painted in with Averland Sunset .  To highlight the flesh, I began with Wazdakka Red . This was then foll...
Read more

How I Paint - Skaven - Clan Eshin

-
Image
As I continue to work through the various Warhammer Underworlds warbands, I finally reached Skittershank's Clawpack. The Clawpack are a group of Clan Eshin Skaven. I decided to paint them in classic scheme of brown fur and black robes. Here is my guide.  More of my  How to paint... articles  can be found here. Undercoats The miniature was undercoated with Chaos Black spray . I then gave the whole miniature a basecoat of Mournfang Brown thinned, with water. Once the basecoat was dry, I gave the fur a very light drybrush with Karak Stone .  This may look a little harsh but the washes will fix this in a later stage. Basecoats The next main step, was to block in all the basecoats on the miniature. I began with the flesh on the nose, ears, hands and feet. This was painted with a 1:1 mix of Bugman's Glow and Cadian Fleshtone . I made sure to feather the edges between the fur and flesh on the hands and feet. The eyes were painted in with Mephiston Red.  The tail was p...
Read more

How I Paint Zombie Flesh

-
Image
Zombies have been a staple of many Fantasy and Science Fiction setting for years. Warhammer is no exception. Over the years, I have mainly collected Undead armies for Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Age of Sigmar. Back when I had a Vampire Counts army, I had many hordes of Zombies. Now, I am looking to paint my Exiled Dead warband from Warhammer Underworlds. To do this, I decided to do some research on the Internet. I know I have ‘stolen’ these ideas from somewhere, but I wrote them done and cannot remember where I got them from. All the zombies were given an undercoat of  Chaos Black spray . I then gave the miniatures a light dusting with Zandri Dust spray . This will make applying the basecoats easier. Zombie #1 The flesh of the first zombie (or I this case Prentice Marcov) was given a basecoat of Mechanicum Standard Grey . When this was dry the miniature was washed with Reikland Fleshshade . The flesh was first highlighted with Dawnstone thinned with water ...
Read more

Like