Will the Primaris Marines ever get their own Aircraft? …Do they even need one? Let’s chat.
We’ve had a bunch of new reveals from the upcoming Black Templar. They have some new units and they even have updated “Primaris Scouts” with the new Neophyte models. That got us thinking about units that the Primaris still haven’t “replaced” yet. One thing popped up in particular – Aircraft.
Sure the Primaris army has tons of units that have the Fly keyword – but none of them are Aircraft. For example the Storm Speeder is the Primaris version of a Land Speeder, and while it certainly looks like a Aircraft, it’s technically not.
While it does have the Fly keyword – it’s not a Aircraft in the traditional sense. It doesn’t have Supersonic, Airborne, Hard To Hit, or the movement stat of a typical Aircraft. But the fact that it DOES have the Fly keyword does raise an interesting point about Primaris in general: Do the Primaris even need a traditional flyer?
Primaris Are Good On Flying Units
When the Repulsor was introduced it laid the groundwork for all Primaris vehicles moving forward. Not only were they going to be larger and more imposing, they were also going to have the newer repulsor tech and be able to hover. And for the most part GW has carried that aesthetic throughout all the Primaris Vehicles. The notable exceptions have been the Outriders and the Invader ATV.
When you have tanks that can basically fly (at least in terms of movement/terrain interactions) you’ve got a serious leg-up. While the keyword Fly isn’t as potent as it once was, it sure didn’t hurt the rise of the Triple Executioner Meta and Irons hands.
Never Forget
Again, it wasn’t JUST the Fly keyword that was the problem. There were definitely some unforeseen consequences an interactions and both the ITC and GW had responded. I think that many of the changes in 9th are a direct result of these things…but that’s another topic.
The fact still remains that the Primaris will have more than enough hover/anti-grav/keyword Fly tanks to make the Aeldari jealous. And while they aren’t “traditional” Aircraft, they kind of fill that role thanks to their mobility. Sure, they can’t move quite as far, but there’s no minimum move speed for these either. These tanks can slow-roll with your army and provide cover and fire support almost better than a traditional aircraft. So it’s not a bad trade off at all.
Do you even need me anymore?
These tanks also have enough shots (and access to enough AA guns) that the Primaris don’t really need any dedicated AA options. Pair that with the fact that negative modifiers top out at -1 total and a dedicated AA option almost feels like overkill. Hellblasters and the changes to plasma suddenly made them a great option for dropping an Aircraft. They are still just as good at shooting down Aircraft as before and can do it even safer than before.
Who’s good at shooting down aircraft? That guy. That Primaris right there.
So with all the hover tanks and changes coming down the line, again I ask: Do Primaris even NEED a new Aircraft unit? I don’t think so. Will we probably get a new Primaris Aircraft? I think eventually when GW decides to buff Aircraft again and try and push them we might see a new Primaris unit lead the charge. But I don’t think that’s going to happen in 9th edition.
But I wouldn’t rule it out because while the Primaris don’t need a new Aircraft, there are folks out there that might *want* one. And there is another really big factor why GW would make one:
What do you think? Do the Primaris need an Aircraft and, regardless, how long before we see one?
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
