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| - Ensconced in cover far from the front lines of battle, a Firesight Marksman scans the battlefield, using advanced optical sights to select prime targets. Above him float the rest of his team -- a group of Sniper Drones, each of them equipped with an underslung Longshot Pulse Rifle. The Longshot Pulse Rifle is a lethal weapon that can send its plasma pulse over a great distance. A well-placed shot is capable of taking out any target, and there are many accounts of Sniper Drone Teams single-handedly throwing enemy forces into disarray with their ability to rain down sniper fire from long range. As a result, Sniper Drone Teams are a deadly addition to any cadre as they are adept at picking off enemy leaders or eliminating key infantrymen, such as those carrying heavy weapons.
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| abstract
| - Ensconced in cover far from the front lines of battle, a Firesight Marksman scans the battlefield, using advanced optical sights to select prime targets. Above him float the rest of his team -- a group of Sniper Drones, each of them equipped with an underslung Longshot Pulse Rifle. The Longshot Pulse Rifle is a lethal weapon that can send its plasma pulse over a great distance. A well-placed shot is capable of taking out any target, and there are many accounts of Sniper Drone Teams single-handedly throwing enemy forces into disarray with their ability to rain down sniper fire from long range. As a result, Sniper Drone Teams are a deadly addition to any cadre as they are adept at picking off enemy leaders or eliminating key infantrymen, such as those carrying heavy weapons. Although the Sniper Drones are equipped with impressive artificial intelligence, it is the Firesight Marksman, a Shas'la, who is the brains behind the operation. He is masked by a small stealth field generator, meaning that he can secret himself into dense terrain where he will blend in, minimising the threat of return fire. The marksman is equipped with a drone controller, with which he commands his deadly charges, seeking out the most vulnerable quarry. Sniper Drones are modified from the standard Tau Drones, for they carry a Longshot Pulse Rifle and stabilising fins, as well as their own mini-stealth field generators. All members of Sniper Drone teams, whether they be Drone or Tau, are equipped with stealth-field generators to camouflage them perfectly against their background environment and allow the team to secret themselves in dense terrain; making them extremely hard to target, let alone be seen, by enemy forces. This minimises the threat of return fire whilst the team performs its role. Sniper Drone Teams are commonly found operating in groups of two to three teams where their combined fire can pin down even the most determined enemies. During fighting against the humans attempting raids in the Perdus Rift, a lone Sniper Drone Team claimed an entire Space Marine Terminator Squad -- each member shot directly through the armoured eye lenses of their helmets. Many Tau Commanders station Sniper Drone Teams behind their own gunlines, as this affords extra protection for Fire Warrior or XV88 Broadside Battlesuit Teams. Others use Sniper Drone Teams to dominate open territory -- deploying them in positions that overlook swathes of the battlefield, often covering the approach towards intervening friendly units. Thanks to their anti-gravitic jets, the Sniper Drones can move, momentarily steady themselves, shoot at their quarry, and then move back behind cover, making them very hard to target with ranged weapons. This particular technique was used to perfection in the battle against [[Hive Fleet Gorgon]] on Ke'lshan, with the threat of fire from massed banks of Sniper Drones causing even the largest Tyranid monstrosities to cease their headlong charges and instead attempt to move through cover. Firesight Marksmen are equipped with a Pulse Pistol, in case a foe attempts to close with them, and more importantly, a Marker Light. This is used to support nearby comrades or to launch Seeker Missiles, although some marksmen prefer to keep themselves out of the line of fire, exposing only their Drones to incoming shots. A marksman can command up to nine Sniper Drones, but when fielding that many, it is common to add additional controllers. Should all marksmen on the team be slain, the Sniper Drones have enough artificial intelligence to continue the fight, and Earth Caste engineers have been amazed to arrive upon a battlefield many hours after its conclusion to find the Sniper Drones still hovering on duty, their sniper rifles still turning, looking for new targets.
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