Best Imperial Repulsortank

[montypython]

Of the various models of repulsortanks used by the Imperial Army during the Galactic Civil War, which one would be considered the best overall performing model when judged by the criteria of speed, protection and firepower?

[Darth Hoth]

Is there any quantifiable data available on them? Most tend to make single appearances or so, and then it is in some comic or videogame.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Strictly speaking, I don't believe there is; comparative rules of thumb, best guesses, suppositions such as that if a gun of X size has Y destructive potential than a gun of B size should have C potential- nothing remotely rigorous.

On the other hand, let's try and achieve something, even if it is only a wild- ass guess. What are the candidates?

Of those that can properly be called tanks, it seems to me to resolve itself down into the Imperial class mod 1-H, the units of the TX-130 Saber series and the S-1 FireHawke class.

Fortunately, they're distinct enough that even a broad brush can find some differences between them.

The TX-130T has two 'heavy' laser cannon, on either side of the superstructure, which- well, I'm looking at the illustration and wondering how muuh lateral traverse they have. I think this is closer to being an assault gun than a real tank; it doesn't look as if it's main guns have much movement.

It does have a secondary weapon which is visually unimpressive, light autocannon size, smaller than an E-web and doesn't look beefy enough to be credible in the antivehicle role. It is shielded, has the smallest ground footprint, but is also the slowest crusing at 193km/h.

The FireHawke was the standard up to the middle of the galactic civil war, comes in at 10.1m long, somewhat larger than real, 21st century Earth tanks for reference, appears to be unshielded and reliant on armour, carries one heavy laser in a turret right over the stern of the vehicle with a barrel at least half the length of the tank, one presumably antispeeder/anti-infantry blaster in a shallow secondary turret forward of the main turret and under the traverse of the barrel. Rated to 400km/h.

The Imperial standard 1-H is a soggy, bloated blimp of a tank by comparison, listed as 20.5m long- making it more than four times the footprint and (2^3, ~) eight times the mass of the FireHawke it replaced, and it would be interesting to see good numbers to see if it gains capabilities remotely worth what has to be massively increased cost and weight.

To be fair, the actual illustration doesn't look remotely that size; there's an armoured man standing next to it, the thing looks to have a length roughly equal to three times his height, meaning it's a very human looking small walker, or they're nowhere near the size the list stats suggest.

One heavy laser and three medium blasters, a different model of laser- nowhere near as visually prominent, shorter and thicker barelled. They are much slabbier looking, as if that means anything for the actual thickness of the armour, and supposed to only do 300km/h.


If something as crude as first glance means anything, I'd say the FireHawke. It looks like a tank, it has the weaponry and speed. Armour's an unknown though, that might be where the I-class has it's advantage.

[Darksider]

as a contender there's also the 2-M Repulsor Tank from Empire at War.

it seems to be in the same size and weight class as the Firehawke, but also mounts a pair of missile launchers in addition to it's main turret and it's secondary blaster. The main heavy laser cannon turret has a 360-degree fire arc, so that gives it a one-up on the Saber.

EDIT: Also, it's shielded, unlike the Firehawke or the Imperial.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

The 2-M is a later variant of the TX-130 Saber; the line of development seems to be the orignal TX-130, the later clone wars TX-130T, then the 2M.

The original version seems to have it all, missiles, fuselage side lasers and turret, and the later versions don't seem to get any better; same burst speed, reduced armament- what's the tradeoff here? Ease of production? One turret laser, more useful, less power requirement, smaller cheaper generators, more tanks in the long run?

How much use are small unit shields, anyway? Based on their presence and absence in surface vehicles, they don't seem to offer sufficient clear advantage to make them indispensable. Some of this may be doctrine, some preference for quantity over quality, but it does seem to be the case.

Functionally, there may be not much in it at this scale between shielding and thermal-conductive armour spreading the impulse of a shot- and without a shield generator, you can spend the internal volume, credit cost and maintenance time on a better powerplant, giving the motive power to lift more armour anyway.

Micro- theatre shields are a different story, but we're not looking at them- although wouldn't that be useful, an escort version AT-AT with a small dome shield in place of a troop complement? Slightly OT, I know.

If memory serves, in all the ground battles we never saw much vehicle based point defence, single missiles are a serious threat to repulsor and ground vehicles in a way ship to ship missiles simply aren't to their targets. Especially with the performance of SW drive units, the Saber's missiles should give it an advantage, a reach that it seems inexplicable none of the later types tried to exploit.

Unlike the shielding, I've got no argument for this. it seems backwards that missiles disappeared from the later tank types- what's the reason for this, or what could it credibly be?

[Darth Raptor]

The Baktoid Armor Workshop Armored Assault Tank was used by the Imperial Marines after the Trade Federation was Imperialized, so assuming it counts as an Imperial repulsortank, it's more of a proper MBT than the fighter tanks (though how it stacks up against the FireHawke and 1-H is anyone's guess). That said, videogames are a poor source, as their portrayals of Imperial surface maneuvers are inevitably Marines and walker-centric (to the point that one could be excused for concluding that the AT-ST is somehow the primary MBT of the Imperial Army). The best tanks were tracked though, and I refuse to believe that the Yutrane Trackata T3-B and T4-B Attack Tanks could have been the backbone of the Allied and Neo-Republican armies without being at least somewhat prevalent in the Imperial Army first.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

If I was going to make that guess, I'd say; poorly. It seems to have been the low end of a high-low production plan, cheap and disposable quantity to the likes of the IG-227 Hailfire's quality. The only things it has going for it are the ability to plough through terrain, an admittedly sensible looking main gun, and the missile mounts.

Against that, it's frankly pathetic speed means it can't chase and can't evade, can't disperse- any attempt to operate in small numbers, patrol, presence, supporting infantry, broad front advance, could lead to their being locally outnumbered and defeated in detail. The armour is much thicker (going by the cross section) on the base than the body, and at least one was taken down by off- mainstream Naboo militia gun speeders.

The rebel treaded tanks are interesting, but the T-4B does have that glasshouse in the centre of the hull. I know it's almost certainly transparisteel, but it's a damn' strange place to put an observation dome. The T-3 looks more sensible, decently armed, but the tracks are just hanging out there, nothing protecting them at all. Mobility kill, anyone?

So, high marks for weaponry, mobility less certain, survivability- depends on how much abuse the glasshouse and the exposed treads can take. Less silly than some, though.

[Darth Raptor]

Both models are shielded, so the Blaster Master cockpit isn't all that worrisome. A strange design choice to be sure, but probably not an Achilles' heel.

[DarkAscendant]

The TX-130T has two 'heavy' laser cannon, on either side of the superstructure, which- well, I'm looking at the illustration and wondering how muuh lateral traverse they have. I think this is closer to being an assault gun than a real tank; it doesn't look as if it's main guns have much movement.

It seems to me that the fighter tanks are more like modern helicopters with tank guns and armor strapped to the fuselage than an analog of modern tanks.