1.4 FD P-Tower/Legends

"When the P-Tower gets ready to fire, you can feel the charge, hear the hum, see the dish light up&hellip;it's a moment of hope. And then the blast just bounces off an AT-AT and you realize that the situation is hopeless&hellip;"

- Lak Sivrak

The Atgar 1.4 FD P-Tower, manufactured by Atgar SpaceDefense Corporation, was a 2.8-meter tall dish-shaped laser cannon dating back to the Clone Wars.

History
The Atgar 1.4 FD P-Tower laser cannon was first introduced in the Clone Wars as a anti-vehicle weapon. The Galactic Empire had largely abandoned the artillery piece in favor of newer and more effective models by the time of the Battle of Hoth, leaving the Alliance to Restore the Republic to adopt it as their own. A few Atgar 1.4 FD P-Towers were still in use by imperial garrisons on lower-tech Outer Rim worlds by the time of the Rebellion.

It was not a particularly trustworthy weapon, for if even one of its 16 micro-power routers were to short circuit or otherwise malfunction, the entire cannon would be rendered useless. It was also not very conservative, expending its batteries after a mere eight shots, though its ammunition was unlimited when fed by a power generator. The 2.8-meter tall dish-shaped power router grid made an easy target for enemy fire. They were also used by numerous other factions such as the Hutt Cartel.

Offsetting this, however, was the fact that, if it did work, the P-Tower was capable of disabling an Imperial All Terrain Scout Transport with a single shot. It also was very cost-effective, compensating for its poor reliability, and allowing smaller groups such as the Rebellion to get their hands on it. The Atgar P-Tower saw use by the Alliance during the Battle of Hoth, proving its ruggedness in the extreme temperatures of the planet. They were also installed on Amphibions.

The weapon was manned by a crew of four, or a skeleton crew of two. Its fire capability ranged from distances of 2-10 kilometers. Typically, Atgar marketed the weapon at 10,000 credits, though it could be obtained used at a discounted rate of 2,000 credits. It was capable of rotating at 360 degrees.

Behind the scenes
A likeness of the Atgar 1.4 FD P-Tower was released as an action figure accessory under the name "Radar Laser Cannon" as part of Kenner's The Empire Strikes Back mini-rig toy line. Smaller than vehicles or playsets, the mini-rigs were fairly inexpensive and provided more play value at a lower cost to consumers than many of the larger accessories. As with many Kenner toys, a secret button caused the cannon to "explode".

The November 2003 The Empire Strikes Back expansion set of the Star Wars Trading Card Game features an image of the Golan Arms DF.9 anti-infantry battery on the set's "Antivehicle Laser Cannon" card, which actually describes the 1.4 FD P-Tower laser cannon.

Appearances



 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
 * The Night Beast
 * Star Wars Rebellion 1: My Brother, My Enemy, Part 1
 * River of Chaos
 * Entrenched
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars 40: The Empire Strikes Back: Battleground: Hoth
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * ''Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * ''Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Queen of the Empire
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * Dark Empire II
 * Dark Apprentice
 * ''Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron

Notes and references
1.4 FD P-Turm