E-Web

The E-Web is a repeating blaster manufactured by BlasTech Industries. It is one of the most powerful repeating blasters in the imperial arsenal, and had an optimum range of two-hundred meters with a maximum rangle of five-hundred meters. It was originally known as an Emplacement Weapon, Heavy Blaster. This was eventually shortened to E-Web. The original weapon was designed in a joint effort with Merr-Sonn, which produced its own version of the weapon under the designation EWHB-10.

The weapon was fairly mobile, but must be rigidly mounted in order to counteract the effects of its incredible firepower. It took a relatively long amount of time to set up, and required two crew members for optimal effectiveness. One crewer manned the cun, and the other monitored and adjusted the Eksoan Class-4T3 power generator. Like many high-yield generators, the 4T3 is prone to overheating-and potentially explosive overload-despite its advanced Gk3 Cryocooler cooling unit. Power is fed into the E-Web via a conduit that connects to the base of the TR-62 Autocushion Tripod. The built-in comlink with automatic encryption allowed for serured communication with other units. The computerised fire control and targeting system included infrared and StarVision low-light enchancement for use in night combat.

The long set-up time was the E-Web's primary limitation. If the 4T3 generator is "cold," it takes nearly fifteen minutes for the crew to deploy the weapon, calibrate the generator and configure the targeting software. Some Imperial crews pre-charged the generator before use for faster set-up, but this made it prone to power surges. Thus, the second crew member had to carefully adjust power flow to prevent an overload.

A single soldier can operate the E-web, but at greatly reduced efficiency. In such cases, the gunner chooses a power generator preset mode, which greatly reduces the rate of fire, but keeps the E-web and its generator operating at safe temperatures.

There were several upgrades to the E-Web on the market, including the F-Web and the EWeb(15).

E-Web Upgrades
The F-web adds a small shield generator that is powerful enough to block fire from small sidearms such as blaster pistols. The shield offered good protection, but it required a third crewer to operate.

The EWeb(15) was released the year after Emperor Palpatine's death. It offered improved fire control and targeting software. With the generator's autoconfigure setting, the weapon can be set up in less than five minutes. The cooling system is also upgraded to the advanced Gk7 Cryocooler offers increased power flow into the weapon without the risk of overheating. This allowed continuous fire for up to one hour. Many EWeb(15) units were equipped with a shield generator.

Appearances
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back