So now what’s next for Aeronautica Imperialis?

Back in July 2020 I wrote a speculative piece about future releases for Aeronautica Imperialis and some personal preferences for models. I had written the post after finishing painting my Valkyrie Assault Carriers which had been released alongside there Skies of Fire boxed set which contained miniatures for the Tau and the Astra Militarum.

I started to think about which models I would get next, and that got me thinking what we have seen that still needs to be released and also what could be released in the future and what I would like to see in the future as well.

Since that article was published we have had some new releases for Aeronautica Imperialis from GW and resin models from Forge World.

Forge World released the Vulture Gunship and the Arvus Lighter in August 2020.

Continue reading “So now what’s next for Aeronautica Imperialis?”

T’au at Warhammer World

There were lots of T’au models on display at Warhammer World, including a massive diorama featuring the T’au fighting Titans and Knights.

In the display cabinets were various models. including this Battlesuit Commander Shas’o R’alai with Drones.

The Shas’vre assigned to pilot the XV-9 Battlesuit armour are combat veterans, each a survivor of the deadliest battles against the Greater Good’s most savage foes. The Fire Caste of Ke’lshan has mastered the use of the XV-9, and within this cadre of solemn and determined warriors Shas’o R’alai is a paragon amongst veterans; his skills have been rewarded with the most advanced weapons and equipment produced by the Earth Caste.

XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit and behind it a KV128 Stormsurge.

A huge, deadly and nigh-undetectable weapon of impressive killing capacity, the XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit is a formidable display of T’au war technology. Piloted by a single, hand-picked T’au warrior, a lone Ghostkeel is capable of appearing from seemingly nowhere, unleashing a storm of incredible firepower with its fusion collider and disappearing into the mayhem and confusion of battle. This battlesuit bristles with a vast array of advanced countermeasures, making it invisible to enemy sensors – weapons simply refuse to lock-on and the few that manage to loose off a shot are baffled by a spectacular display of flares and electronic countermeasures.

As seen already on the blog there was also a Devilfish Troop Carrier.

More photographs of the T’au.

T’au Devilfish Troop Carrier

This T’au Devilfish Troop Carrier was on display at Warhammer World.

A TY7 Devilfish armoured troop carrier is the primary anti-gravitic skimmer transport utilised by Tau ground forces and can carry twelve Fire Warriors or Pathfinders into combat in relative safety, and then provide mobile fire support once they disembark. A resilient and versatile transport, it is the TY7 Devilfish that allows Fire Caste ground forces to successfully execute many of their strategies, whether by rapidly relocating Fire Warriors to new coordinates as part of grand strategic manoeuvers, or punching through enemy lines, guns blazing, to extract Pathfinder teams before they can be overwhelmed. These ubiquitous transports are exceptionally popular with the Fire Caste, and their courageous pilots are offered great respect.

New Aeronautica Ground Assets on pre-order

The ground assets for Aeronautica Imperialis that reflect the forces in the Skies of Fire boxed set and the Taros Air War campaign are now available to pre-order from Forge World.

Unlike the previous release of ground assets which was a plastic kit, these are resin models from Forge World.

For the Astra Militarum there will be a Hydra Flak Battery, a Basilisk anti-aircraft emplacement and a really nice sturdy refuelling station to represent as an objective.

The T’au weapons are the KV 126 Skyfire Platform and the KV 129 Stormfury Platform, and there is a nice T’au Air Caste communications tower as well.

Each set consists of the three models and are £22 each and are available to pre-order now.

T’au Barracuda AX-5-2

This beautifully painted T’au Barracuda AX-5-2 was on display at Warhammer World.

To combat the ever-increasing diversity of enemies faced by the expanding T’au Empire, the AX-5-2 Barracuda was developed as a multi-role fighter by the Earth Caste of the Vash’ya Sept. This new pattern maintained the unmatched agility and manoeuvrability of its forebears, but benefitted from an improved power grid and enhanced combat avionics systems, as well as a variable weapons fit so that it could be rearmed swiftly between missions.

Tau versus Adeptus Mechanicus

This diorama was on display at Warhammer World in 2018.

T’au battlesuits flew over the attacking forces attempting to stop them.

The Reaver Titan was marching forward despite being repeatedly attacked by T’au forces.

Imperial Warlord Titan engaging the T’au.

Another view.

See more photographs of the diorama.

KX139 Ta’unar Supremacy Armour with Heavy Rail Cannon Array

T’au Supremacy armour is larger than any other current class of battlesuit. It is intended to meet a threat that the T’au Empire has not yet prepared for; the defence of worlds within their growing domain from the counter-expansion forces of other races. Lacking the manoeuvrability of other battlesuits, the KX139 Ta’unar Supremacy Armour was designed for static defence, carrying massively destructive, long range weapons.

KX139 Ta'unar Supremacy Armour

The T’au Heavy Rail Cannon Array is the most powerful armament yet developed to be mounted on the KX139 Ta’unar Supremacy Armour without structural damage being incurred from its use. It was created to eliminate the toughest enemy targets at extreme range.

New Aeronautica Ground Assets

We will be getting some more ground assets for Aeronautica Imperialis that reflect the forces in the Skies of Fire boxed set and the Taros Air War campaign.

This was announced on the Warhammer Community site, and it looks like we will be getting the following new models.

For the Astra Militarum there will be a Hydra Flak Battery, a Basilisk anti-aircraft emplacement and a really nice sturdy refuelling station to represent as an objective.

The Hydra makes sense, not so sure about using the Basilisk as an anti-aircraft weapon, well then why not if you need to blow one of those Ork Air Waaagh! Mega Bommers out of the sky.

I quite like the T’au weapons, which includes the KV 126 Skyfire Platform and the KV 129 Stormfury Platform.

These are really nice models.

I like the T’au Air Caste communications tower as well which can be used, like the refuelling station as an objective.

As per usual no release date, but I am expecting it available to pre-order around the 20th November if other releases are anything to go by.

If Games Workshop ever went down turning Adeptus Titanicus into a fully fledged Epic style game with infantry and tanks and Xenos races, then the T’au would be a really tempting force to buy.

Tau Armour at Warhammer World

At Warhammer World there were lots of fantastic Tau models in the display cabinets.

The Tau (or T’au) are a young, humanoid and technologically-advanced intelligent race native to the Eastern Fringes of the Milky Way Galaxy who are fighting to expand their interstellar empire and extend a philosophical concept they call the “Greater Good”.

The Manta, more formally known as the Manta Missile Destroyer, is a super-heavy Tau spacecraft that is also the Tau Empire’s closest equivalent to the Imperium of Man’s Titans and Ork Gargants. It is well-armoured for use in frontline combat and can deliver massive amounts of firepower to the battlefield to help support Tau ground forces during a frontal assault against entrenched enemy positions.

Manta

A TX4 Piranha is a type of lightly armoured combat scout skimmer used by the Tau Fire Caste – a mobile weapons platform that is capable of great speed and manoeuvrability. Using its jet-thrusters and anti-gravitic engine, a Piranha is a fast moving craft that is extremely hard for a foe to hit, its twin crew well able to hug the terrain and make the best use of any cover. Furthermore, a Piranha’s weaponry allows it to punch well above its own weight, either using its Burst Cannon to slaughter enemy infantry, or using a Fusion Blaster to blow apart battle tanks many times its own size. Along with a nose-mounted main armament, a Piranha carries two Gun Drones — either retained on the vehicle to add firepower, or detached into AI (Artificial Intelligence) mode to perform some other mission. When operating as lone hunters, Piranhas are dangerous enough, but it is when they are fielded in teams that they become truly lethal.

The T’au XV104 Riptide is the pinnacle of the Earth caste’s battlesuit development. It stands twice as tall as the XV8 Crisis suit, but its movements are more like those of its smaller cousins than the mechanical stiffness displayed by Imperial walkers with their crude servo-motors.

The Sky Ray Missile Defence Gunship is a specialised variant of the Hammerhead that replaces its turret gun with an array of deadly seeker missiles.

See more photographs of the Tau.

What next for Aeronautica Imperialis?

Aeronautica Imperialis Logo

I’ve enjoyed painting my Aeronautica Imperialis models and even I am impressed that I have managed to build, undercoat and paint them in a relatively short timeframe. I did my Valkyrie Assault Carrier in a week! I would usually take a few years to paint them (if at all….).

I started to think about which models I would get next, and that got me thinking what we have seen that still needs to be released and also what could be released in the future and what I would like to see in the future as well.

Some of these are obviously core Games Workshop releases, some could be plastic kits and I think others might be Forge World models or upgrades to plastic kits.

Forge World have released some kits for Adeptus Titanicus, such as weapon upgrades, new titans and scenery. I would like to think that they would do something similar for Aeronautica Imperialis.

What I might get next?

So, there are now quite a few released models for Aeronautica Imperialis, Ork, Imperial and now T’au aircraft. I bought Wings of Vengeance, so I already have Ork Dakkajets, Fighta Bommerz as well as Imperial Thunderbolts and Marauders. I also bought a box of Valkyrie Assault Carriers.  I was lucky enough to find a box of Ground Assets recently, so I have those as well.

The obvious answer for me is a pair of Grot Bommerz. I do like the concept of these, though I am not a big fan of the actual models, but Orks is Orks, so they are next on my shopping list.

Aeronautica Imperialis Ork flyers from Warhammer World

If I get those then I might get the Heavy Ork Bommerz as well. Continue reading “What next for Aeronautica Imperialis?”