HAVw A6 Juggernaut/Legends

The Heavy Assault Vehicle/wheeled (HAVw) A6 Juggernaut, also known as the Turbo Tank, was an upgraded version of the A5 Juggernaut heavy assault vehicle.

Characteristics
The A6 Juggernaut model was twice as large as its predecessor. It measures 30.4 meters in height and 49.4 meters in length. Its interior space was greatly increased to allow for up to three hundred troopers and equipment, a complement of close support craft like speeder bikes and light airspeeders, or a mix of both. A combination of twelve crew members were required to pilot and control the massive vehicle, although with an automation package that requirement could be reduced to just two pilots.

With thicker, thermally superconducting armor (capable of absorbing enemy fire and dispersing heat over a wide area) and a heavier load, the A6 Juggernaut could only achieve 160 kilometers per hour, and the turning issues of the A5 model were magnified with the A6. The slowness required for negotiating turns encouraged the A6's use on open terrain rather than urban battlefields.



Weapons systems were also upgraded to include a heavy laser cannon turret, a rapid repeating laser cannon, two medium antipersonnel laser cannons, two twin antipersonnel blaster cannons, and two turreted projectile launchers, loadable with variable-yield concussion grenades for close support or missiles for added anti-armor firepower. Missile range was 30km. Against an unshielded target, a Juggernaut could deliver the heat of a nuclear bomb into a small area.

From a small pod above the vehicle's back, a spotter kept lookout for enemy forces. Though there was a large view of the area, he was an easy target for hostile troops. This observation mast could be retracted when not in use.

History
The A6 model saw its heaviest use in service of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. Due to a flawed direct-delivery system maintained by Kuat Drive Yards during the conflict, some A6 Juggernauts also fell into the hands of the CIS.

At least one juggernaut was used during the First Battle of Felucia (Clone Wars), where it served as the command vehicle of Commander Ahsoka Tano, fighting alongside two AT-TEs, but was destroyed shortly after Tano's forced evacuation by enemy droids.

They were used fairly extensively in the Battle of Kashyyyk alongside AT-APs, where they went up against enemy NR-N99 tank droids.

After the Clone Wars, the Imperial Army developed sleeker and more versatile combat vehicles. The various Juggernaut-models were gradually phased out, and during the Galactic Civil War, they primarily served on battlefronts in the Outer Rim. Some fell into the hands of the Rebel Alliance. It appears that the Heavy Assault Vehicle Transport B5 Juggernaut served as its successor, even though its purpose was different. A6s were deployed in the Battle of Hoth.

Later-generation AT-ATs would borrow certain design-elements from the Juggernauts.

Behind the scenes
The Juggernaut's designs entered the Expanded Universe via Joe Johnston's sketches of an unused heavy assault vehicle intended for The Empire Strikes Back. It and its role in the film was replaced by the AT-AT.

When chosen to appear in Revenge of the Sith, the realization of its scale and weapon systems greatly outstripped those imagined by the Expanded Universe, being roughly larger by a scale factor of two, or eight times larger in volume.

To accommodate this, the version that appears on-screen was denoted as the A6 model, with the smaller, EU model already denoted as the A5.

The "Clone Turbo Tank" name possibly arose because at the time of the release of the prequels, Toy Biz owned the rights to produce toys named "Juggernaut" (as they had the Marvel license). Though Hasbro now has the rights to this name, The 2009 toy was still named Clone Turbo Tank. LEGO also made a model of an A6 Juggernaut in 2005, called Clone Turbo Tank. LEGO also is releasing a set in August 2010 called 8098 Clone Turbo Tank.

Appearances

 * Jedi Trial
 * Star Wars The Clone Wars Volume 2: Crash Course
 * Star Wars Republic: The Siege of Saleucami
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith comic
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith game
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hidden Enemy
 * Star Wars Republic: Into the Unknown
 * Star Wars Dark Times: The Path to Nowhere
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars Rebellion: The Ahakista Gambit
 * Entrenched
 * LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
 * LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick