Orca Dropship
The "Orca Dropship" is a dedicated orbital transport vehicle of the Tau. Unlike the Space Marine Thunderhawk gunship, or the Tau's own far larger Manta flyer, the Orca is not a front line vehicle; having but the minimal armament of a twin-linked long barreled Burst Cannons and a single Missile Pod, its primary role being troop transportation.
An Orca's large hold can carry up to 48 Tau Fire Warriors and their equipment. Two or three Orcas can transport an entire Hunter Cadre's worth of troops, drones, and battlesuits onto a planet's surface. Where the Mantas provide the bulk of the Tau forces transportation, Orcas allow Shas'o to be flexible in the deployment of their hunter cadres, with the Orca being frequently used on special missions where larger transporters would not be suitable. The Orca's anti-grav technology, toppled alongside its powerful quad ramjets lead to the Orca being unusually fast and highly maneuverable, despite its size and bulky appearance.
The Orca is crewed by a single Air Caste pilot, and its command centre is controlled by two Fire Caste operators. A Tau Commander, or Ethereal, can oversee operations from here.
