TIE Crawler

The TIE Crawler is an Imperial ground assault vehicle that was mass-produced after Admiral Thrawn's death by Santhe/Sienar Technologies (sister corporation to Sienar Fleet Systems). Although the official name is "century tank", Imperial pilots coined the nickname "TIE Crawler" because it utilized the TIE Fighter cockpit design.

The TIE Crawler's design is very simple and makes it cheap to produce. The cockpit consists of the standard TIE Fighter command pod. Two large drive treads are placed where a normal TIE Fighter would have wings. Each tread is powered by a Santhe SSct generator, located at each side of the pod. The tank's speed is only ninety kilometers per hour, a drawback of its simple design. However, this simplicity also allows pilots to easily repair the tank themselves if it is damaged in the field. Another generator at the rear of the pod powers the weaponry. Although light armor covers all areas of the tank, it can be destroyed by a single direct hit.

####\                     /####                             
#--# \       _____       / #--#       
#--#*|\_____/\___/\_____/|*#--#   
#--#*| -----|/   \|----- |*#--# 
#--#*| _____|\___/|_____ |*#--#
#--#*|/     \_____/     \|*#--#
#--# /                   \ #--#
####/                     \####
             Front



 /#############\
# -------|  |   #
#        |()|   #
# -------|()|   #
# -------|  |   #
 \#############/
       Side
(only the tread is visible)

Each Crawler is armed with two front-mounted medium blaster cannons on the lower part of the cockpit. A retractable light turbolaser is attached to the pod's underside and can be swiveled to fire in any direction. These weapons can drill through most weaker armor and defeat ground troops with ease.

The pilot enters the command pod by means of a top-mounted hatch. A grav-couch which is only slightly different from that of the standard TIE Fighter seats the pilot. Hand controls command the weapon systems, while foot controls manage the speed and steering. Most of the TIE Crawler's cockpit interfaces are the same as those in the TIE Fighter. As a result, Imperial commanders often place failed TIE Fighter cadets in charge of a century tank. True to usual Imperial combat doctrine, the TIE Crawler is weak by itself but powerful in large numbers.