The Hammerhead Gunship is the Tau Empire’s main battle tank, a grav-tank built on a Devilfish hull that trades troop space for a huge main gun. It’s the vehicle Imperial commanders learned to respect during the Damocles Crusade, and it’s still the backbone of Tau armoured warfare.
What the hammerhead gunship is
The TX7 Hammerhead Gunship is a hover tank that skims over the battlefield on the same grav-drive technology as the Devilfish troop carrier. The Tau stripped out the transport bay to fit weapon capacitors and extra armour, so it’s slower to carry troops but far deadlier in a firefight.
Imperial forces first ran into it during the Damocles Crusade and gave it the codename ‘Hammerhead’. The name stuck, and so did its reputation: Guard armoured companies learned the hard way that a single well-aimed shot could gut a Leman Russ.
Since then it’s shown up on Gravalax, Taros, Pavonis and plenty of other warzones. New variants keep appearing, with the Taros Campaign introducing several fresh weapon loadouts.
How it fights
Hammerheads hang back and let their railgun do the talking. That gun outranges most Imperial anti-tank weapons, so the Tau can pick off targets before the enemy gets close enough to reply.
But the Tau don’t use tanks as lone duellists. Hammerheads work alongside Fire Warrior and Pathfinder teams, and Markerlight beams from those spotters let the tank land shots that would otherwise miss. It’s a combined-arms machine, not a brawler.
- Primary weapon: railgun (most common) or ion cannon
- Secondary: burst cannons, smart missile system, or gun drones
- Chin turret holds targeting sensors and a Markerlight receiver
- Crew of three: pilot, co-pilot, commander, with automated overrides
Armour, crew and engines
Its hull is made from a nano-crystalline alloy that’s light, malleable and corrosion-resistant. That keeps weight down without leaving the tank naked, though Imperial battle cannons, lascannons and krak missiles can still punch through.
The pilot and co-pilot sit in a climate-controlled cockpit, with the co-pilot handling navigation, comms and secondary weapons. The commander rides up top and fires the main gun, helped by a targeting array.
Variants and recent developments
During the Taros Campaign, some Hammerheads turned up with entirely different main guns: twin-linked long-barrelled burst cannons, missile pods, twin-linked fusion cannons and twin-linked plasma cannons. The fusion and plasma versions were thought to still be in field testing at the time.
That flexibility is typical of Tau design. The same chassis can be re-armed for anti-infantry, anti-armour or close-range work, which keeps the Hammerhead relevant long after the Devilfish it’s based on starts showing its age.
Key facts
- The TX7 Hammerhead Gunship is the Tau Empire’s main battle tank.
- It’s based on the Devilfish chassis but swaps transport capacity for firepower and armour.
- Imperial forces named it ‘Hammerhead’ after encountering it in the Damocles Crusade.
- Its railgun outranges most Imperial anti-tank weapons, so it prefers to fight at distance.
- Markerlight support from Pathfinders and Fire Warriors makes its shots far more accurate.
- Taros Campaign variants carried fusion cannons, plasma cannons and missile pods instead of the railgun.
FAQ
What is the Hammerhead Gunship’s main weapon?
Most Hammerheads carry a railgun, a linear accelerator that fires solid slugs at hypersonic speed. The ion cannon is the other common choice, firing high-energy particles that react explosively at the atomic level.
Is the Hammerhead a transport?
No. It’s built on the Devilfish chassis but the transport bay is removed to make room for weapon capacitors and extra armour. If you want to carry Fire Warriors, you take a Devilfish instead.
Who crews a Hammerhead Gunship?
Three Tau: a pilot, a co-pilot who handles navigation and secondary weapons, and a commander in the top turret who fires the main gun. Automated overrides let any crew member cover another’s role.