The Swordfish gunship is a Tau vehicle that is a relatively new addition to the Fire Caste’s armed forces. Its design is based on the familiar chassis of the Hammerhead and Devilfish. The Swordfish’s defining feature is the huge, twin-linked Railgun mounted on its turret, which makes it extremely effective at eliminating enemy armour at great range. It was for this explicit role that the vehicle was originally developed by the Tau, after the sometimes painful encounters by the Fire Caste with Imperial armour and heavy armour during the Damocles Gulf Crusade.
The Swordfish was not designed as a replacement for the Hammerhead gunship, but instead as an addition to the Tau vehicle arsenal that could take on exceptionally well-armoured, super-heavy targets. However, the Swordfish design is not yet fully developed and the vehicle does suffer from several minor deficiencies, especially during extended campaigns. This is because the Swordfish requires an extensive amount of maintenance and repair or refit after each engagement. However, its impressive fighting capabilities make up for this drawback.
