The century tank is a cheap mass-produced
ground combat vehicle that became popular duing the Imperial resurgence
after the death of Grand Admiral Thrawn and the campaign to recapture the
Imperial capital of Coruscant. While the proper name of the vehicle is
the "century tank," Imperial soldiers took to calling the vehicle the TIE
tank (or TIE crawler) becuase of the farmiliar command pod taken from the
TIE fighter.
The vehicle is a simple combat machine
with a modular components and simple controls. It is the perfect light
assualt vehicle, with a light drive system and respectable weapons. It
requires only a single crewman, who handles both piloting and gunnery.
The TIE tank has the same central
pod used in the standard TIE fighter. It is manufactured by Santhe/Sienar
Technologies, a sister corporatoin to Sienar Fleet Systems, manufactures
of the TIE fighter. The use of this pod, while awkward for old-line imperial
soldiers, cut the cost of the tank by thousands of credits per unit.
The twin Santhe SSct power generators
are attached to each side of the pod and drive the tread wheels. The TIE
tank has a top speed of only ninety kilometers per hour, but drive components
are common and cheap. The drive system is simple enough that many pilots
can fix the tank themselves if it is damaged in the field, and it is not
unusual to see damaged TIE tanks scavenged for parts.
The TIE tank can navigate most terrain
and is substantially cheaper than comparable repulsorlift craft. The weapons
are powered by a single power generator mounted in the rear of the command
pod, and they include two medium blaster cannons that are forward-firing,
while a retractable light turbolaser is mounted in the bottom of the command
pod and can fire in any direction. The TIE tank has light armor plating
on all surfaces, but the drive system and tread wheels are easily damaged
by enemy fire.
Personnel enter through a top hatch.
The pilot is strapped into and automatically adjusting grav-couch (slighty
modified from the original TIE-fighter). Foot controls adjust the angle
of steering and the speed, while the hand controls are tied into the weapons
systems and the targeting computer. The TIE tank uses the farmiliar N-s6
fire-control module for weapon targeting and utilizes many of the same
interfaces as the standard TIE fighter, requiring some retraining for ground
vehicle troops but allowing Imperial commanders to place Tie fighter cadet
washouts into the tanks.
