Stealth Battlesuit

Tau Portal

The Stealth Battlesuit is an advanced Tau Battlesuit used for operating well ahead of the main Tau army, often behind enemy lines. They are worn by Stealthsuit Teams, and come in a variety of models.

XV15 Stealth Battlesuit

The XV15 is amongst the smallest Battlesuit ever used by the Tau - indeed the XV15 is hardly larger than a Fire Warrior in his typical armour - but that only enhances its role as infiltrator and saboteur.^[3] As with other battlesuits the XV15 incorporates multi-spectrum sensors and recoil absorption technology, but in addition it is also equipped with a jetpack and stealth field generator, a holographic disruption field making the suit harder to spot. The suit increases the user's strength, allowing them to hit harder in close combat and carry a burst cannon into battle.^[1]

XV15 Stealthsuit

XV22 Stealth Battlesuit

The XV22 is a new stealth battlesuit that is still in the field-testing stages.^[2a] It was first issued to Commander Shadowsun at the beginning of the Third Sphere Expansion, and is armed with two Fusion Blasters. In addition to its stealth field generator and jetpack, the XV22 comes equipped with a Multi-tracker, an advanced version of the Target Lock system, and a Drone Controller with a Command-link Drone and two MV52 Shield Drones. Shadowsun also carries with her a Bonding Knife.^[2b]

Since its first introduction, other Tau Commanders have been granted access to the XV22 suit, although these sometimes lack the stealth field generator common to Shadowsun's suit.^[4] The Earth Caste hoped to introduce the XV22 en masse to replace the XV15, however the Kappa Mortis Incident forced them to instead bring the easier-to-produce XV25 into full-scale production.^[6]

File:Stealth suit.jpg

An XV22 Stealthsuit

XV25 Stealth Battlesuit

The XV25 Stealthsuit is a much larger version than the XV15, remarked as being broader than a Space Marine.^[5] Their pilots are viewed as eccentric loners, operating either in single teams or as members of an Optimised Stealth Cadre.^[8] XV25 Stealthsuit first saw combat in the Kappa Mortis Incident and has since largely replaced the smaller XV15.^[6] Like the XV15, it is equipped with all the standard battlesuit systems, including a burst cannon, jetpack and stealth field generator.^[2a] It also incorporates full medical suite, passive sensor arrays and nutrient reservoirs. Because of its support systems, Stealth Teams can call in reinforcements, command Drones to aid them in battle, or direct seeker missiles straight onto the targets.^[8] Thanks to their larger frame and augmented muscles, XV25s can replace their burst cannon for a fusion gun, and may also take an additional Battlesuit support system. The team leader may also be equipped with a markerlight.^[2a] However, the XV25 provides little protection against large-calibre small arms such as Astartes bolters.^[5]

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  XV25 Stealth Suit with Burst Cannon

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  XV25 Stealth Suit with Fusion Blaster

XV95 Ghostkeel Stealth Battlesuit

The XV95 is the heaviest class of Tau stealth battlesuit, designed to infiltrate enemy lines and create confusion by unleashing a torrent of heavy weaponry before disappearing. It is considered the pinnacle of Tau stealth technology.^[7]

Also known as Ghosts of N’drasthe Ghostkeels until recently were restricted to covert missions only. Though the development of this battlesuit was completed around the beginning of the Third Sphere Expansion, it was decreed that these new weapons should remain hidden vecause their unveiling held the greatest inspirational value. Each Ghostkeel is piloted by a single, highly trained shas’vre, a former XV25 Stealth Team veteran. Chosen pilots were extracted from Stealth Team operations and secretly transported to a facility on J'ka'vo station, on the fringes of the abandoned sept of N'dras. Following orders from Aun'va himself, from there the first generation of Ghostkeels performed a serie of deep-cover operations, from the assassination of Cardinal Bocsh to the Vadenfall Station sabotage.^[8]

The pilot of the Ghostkeel is supported by an integrated AI that helps him in operating the Ghostkeel’s many complex systems and monitors his physical and psychological wellbeing during prolonged operations. As Ghostkeel pilots spend long periods of time isolated in enemy territory, many form uncommonly strong bonds with their battlesuit AI. It is known that in some cases these strange warriors become so introverted that they prefer the company of their suit’s AI to that of other Tau.^[8]

XV95 Ghostkeel

Sources

• 1: Codex: Tau (3rd Edition), pg. 16
• 2: Codex: Tau Empire (4th Edition)
  • 2a: pg. 35
  • 2b: pg. 46
• 3: Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pg. 280
• 4: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade
• 5: Courage and Honour (Novel) by Graham McNeill, ^{[Needs Citation]}, pg. 135
• 6: White Dwarf #321 (UK), pg. 76
• 7: White Dwarf 89 (2015) - XV95 Ghostkeel
• 8: Codex: Tau Empire (7th Edition), pg. 29, XV25 Stealth Battlesuits