Model: Gat-12h Skipray Blastboat

Manufacturer: Sienar Fleet Systems

Designation: Defense and patrol blastboat

Length: 25 meters

Crew: 2

Cargo Capacity: 20 metric tons

Consumables: 1 month

Hyperdrive Multiplier: x2

Speed: 91 MGLT

Hull: 61 RU

Shields: 102 SBD

Special Features: Ventral and dorsal stabilizer fins for atmospheric flight which can rotate 180 degrees to a horizontal landing configuration.

Weapons: 2 Laser Cannons, 3 Medium Ion Cannons, 1 Proton Torpedo Launcher and 1 Concussion Missile Launcher.

 

Blastboats are assault gunships used by the Empire. They are larger and far more powerful than starfighters but are small enough to be carried oboard capital ships. The most prominent line of blastboat is the Sienar Fleet Systems GAT series, which includes the 12g, 12h, 12i, and the 12j models.

The 12g model was the first Skipray to enter Imperial service. It featured a tractor-beam where the concussion missile launcher would later installed. The 12h was released shortly before the destruction of the first Death Star and is the most common Imperial Skipray. The 12i upgrade was soon to follow and featured an improved sensor system. The 12j upgrade was released only weeks after the death of Emperor Palpatine at Endor. Its most significant additions is larger ammunition bays for the proton-torpedo and concussion-missile launchers, increasing the capacity to twelve torpedoes and eighteen missiles, respectively.

When the Empire chose not to purchase the Gat-12h Skipray in the quantities Sienar Fleet Systems had hoped for, the corporation began to sell the ships on the open market. Many can now be found in corporate, mercenary, pirate, and smuggler fleets.

The ships are only 25 meters long yet have an incredible weapon array, including three capital ship medium ion cannons, a proton-torpedo launcher, two laser cannons, and a concussion-missile launcher. The ion cannons gives the Skipray a reasonable chance of disabling larger combat ships. The hull plating is so heavy that most starfighter lasers would have a tough time penetrating the armor, making the ship impervious to all but the most powerful fighter weapons.

The Skipray's ventral and dorsal stabilizer fins assist the ship's atmospheric flight and rotates 180 degrees to a horizontal landing configuration. Blastboats are more maneuverable in atmosphere than in vacuum, and have a top atmospheric speed of 1,200 kilometers per hour. Skiprays are equipped with hyperdrives and nav computers, allowing them to operate independently of larger base ships.

The Skipray normally carries a crew of four; the pilot, the copilot and sensor officer, and two gunnery officers. In an emergency, the vessel can be flown by a single person. Blastboats are used for system patrol duty, point defense, or fire support for larger capital ships. They are normally deployed in pairs so that the ships can cover each other. Imperial commanders know that they can send these ships into the middle of a battle and expect them to come back.