SW-4 ion cannon
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
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| SW-4 ion cannon | |
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SW-4 |
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The SW-4 was a dual ion cannon manufactured by ArMek during the early years of the Galactic Empire. It was most commonly used aboard BTL Y-wing starfighters of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
The SW-4 ion cannon was a notoriously delicate weapon system, and its internal crystal matrices invariably vibrated out of alignment during flight or combat. Rebel mechanics came to dislike the SW-4 due to the time they were forced to put in to maintain the cannons. At the Battle of Yavin, only two of the Alliance's Y-wing fighters had functional ion cannons.
The BTL-S3 Y-wing variant had space for a weapons systems officer, who manually operated the SW-4 turret when necessary. Single-pilot variants had their cannons locked forwards for optimum covering fire, though some pilots chose to lock it facing aft to counter pursuers.
[edit] Sources
- The Stele Chronicles
- The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
- Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections
- Starships of the Galaxy
- Prima's Official Strategy Guide: Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed
Star Wars Customizable Card Game – A New Hope Limited (Card: SW-4 Ion Cannon)
Y-wing starfighter in the Databank
