The Railgun is one of the most powerful weapons in Warhammer 40,000 and is used by the Tau. It fires a magnetically-accelerated hypervelocity projectile to destroy heavily armoured vehicles.1 2 It can be used in conjunction with a Markerlight to make it even more accurate.
Overview
Known Tau vehicles which use the railgun:
The Railgun mounted on Hammerheads will easily punch through the front glacis of a Space Marine Predator.3 However, it will not penetrate the same spot on a Baneblade, though it may cause some minor damage against the side armour.3 It may also fire a special bundle of submunitions designed to take out a larger number of smaller targets such as infantry.2 Railguns also exist in the smaller rifle version (Rail Rifle) used by Pathfinder Teams and Sniper Drone Teams but isn't as reliable as the vehicle mounted version as it can sometimes kill the user (much like the Imperial Plasma Gun). However, as of the third sphere expansion, advancements in the technology have eliminated the possibility of a misfire.
Images
Related Articles
Further Reading
- Railguns in the real world.