A-6 Sniper

The A-6 "Sniper" was a very small production run of Imperial fighters which
was a stepping stone to the eventual design of the A-9 Vigilance, which would
be introduced shortly after the defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Designed by
Kuat Drive Yards, makers of the infamous Imperial Star Destroyer, the A-6 was
their first attempt to steal some of the lucrative starfighter contracts
Sienar Fleet Systems had received for its TIE fighter series.

The A-6 was typical of many Imperial fighters - it had no shields and no
hyperdrive. Instead, it was compact, light, and fast and therefore was perfect
for shock attacks against reinforced New Republic bases or slower capital
ships and fighters. However, the A-6b was slower than a standard TIE/ln,
which made it a stepping stone rather than a full production run which would
later be seen with the A-9.

The hull was a crude, yet simple affair, with a central cockpit pod containing
the sensor arrays, computer systems and the main drive engine. Two support
wing jutted from the bottom of the cockpit pod, providing stabilization in
atmospheric flight. However, the basic design of the A-6 was anything but
atmosphere friendly, making it extremely difficult to control anywhere but
in the vacuum of space.

The weapons systems of the A-6 were uniquely designed. While the light ion
cannon was simply mounted on the nose of the cockpit pod, the double laser
cannon was an engineering achievement. The double laser cannon was mounted
on a specially designed arm, jutting from the ventral surface of the cockpit
pod and stretching out in front of the fighter. This arm contains its own
power generator, which in times of catastrophic damage to the main generators,
can be rerouted to power the engines of life support at minimul levels. The
arm itself can be moved up and down at a ninety degree angle, allowing the
cannon to fire directly below the A-6 - making it deadly against surface
targets. A similar system would later be incorporated into the A-9.

Kuat began selling limited numbers of the A-6 around the time of the Battle
of Endor, but bad reviews and the high cost kept sales down.

Due to the crude nature of the design, the A-6 was very difficult to repair
and maintain. Many technicians found themselves having extreme amounts of
trouble learning to repair the arm mount, the generator within and the servos
controlling it. Often times, the servos would be removed completely, locking
the arm in a forward firing position.

Some ingenious independent owners were able to add in small hyperdrive units
and shield generators by drawing the power generator in the arm mount. This
usually caused a drastic power drain in the double laser cannon, creating
decreased firepower for added protection and mobility.

Craft: Kuat Drive Yards' A-6 "Sniper"
Type: Interceptor
Scale: Starfighter
Length: 9.2 meters long
Skill: Starfighter piloting: Sniper interceptor
Crew: 1
Crew Skill: Starfighter piloting 4D+1, starship gunnery 4D
Cargo Capacity: 20 kilograms
Consumables: 2 days
Cost: 80,000 credits
Maneuverability: 2D+2 (1D in atmosphere)
Space: 9
Atmosphere: 280; 800 kmh
Hull: 2D+2
Sensors:
        Passive: 25/1D
        Scan: 45/2D
        Search: 80/3D
        Focus: 4/4D
Weapons:
Double Laser Cannon
        Fire Arc: Front
        Skill: Starship gunnery
        Fire Control: 3D
        Space Range: 1-3/12/25
        Atmosphere Range: 100-300/1.2/2.5 km
        Damage: 5D
Light Ion Cannon
        Fire Arc: Front
        Skill: Starship gunnery
        Fire Control: 2D
        Space Range: 1-4/15/36
        Atmosphere Range: 100-400/1.5/3.6 km
        Damage: 3D