HAVw A5 Juggernaut

The Heavy Assault Vehicle/wheeled (HAVw) A5 Juggernaut was a large assault vehicle used during the Clone Wars by the Galactic Republic. During the last days of the wars, the Juggernaut was one of the most powerful ground vehicles. Soldiers commonly referred to the Juggernaut as the "rolling slab" due of its brute size and boxy appearance.

Characteristics
The Juggernaut primary frame was a 21.8 by 15 meter shell with heavy armor plating. Inside the armored box, the Juggernaut could carry from fifty to three hundred troops and equipment, a complement of close support craft like speeder bikes and light airspeeders, or a mix of both.

The massive frame rested upon five pairs of oversized wheels connected to a flexible system of shocks, servos and enhanced suspension that allowed the Juggernaut to achieve speeds of 160 kilometers per hour on flat terrain. This drive system allowed the Juggernaut a distinct advantage in urban atmospheres, but made traversing dense or unstable terrain a challenge.

Although fast on flat terrain, the Juggernaut was slow to move through its tight turning radius. The innovation of cockpits at both ends of the craft allowed to smooth the process, but also led to confusion when the pilots failed to coordinate, locking the wheels in opposite directions.

Six gunners that received targeting information from a spotter and sensor operator perched in a 360-degree-view sentry tower placed above the rear command cabin coordinated the Juggernaut’s weapons systems. Each gunner was responsible for one weapon system, which included two fixed forward-facing heavy laser cannons, one turreted heavy laser cannon, one turreted blaster cannon and two turreted concussion grenades. The predominance of turreted weaponry further enhanced the Juggernaut's usefulness in urban combat theaters, particularly the anti-personnel weapons that provided cover for disembarking troops.

Operational history
It is unclear when the Juggernaut first entered use by the Galactic Republic as a tactical vehicle in planetary defense forces, but its use during the Clone Wars was heavily documented. As the Galactic Republic engaged the Confederacy of Independent Systems in all-out war, Kuat Drive Yards, producer of the tank, took the initiative to distribute the craft to Outer Rim worlds poorly in need of armored equipment. Unfortunately, this method of delivery would sometimes lead to criminal elements and even the enemy itself gaining the enormous vehicles.

It should be noted that this was a rare instance of Kuat Drive Yards directly producing an armored ground vehicle for the Grand Army of the Republic, rather than use its Rothana Heavy Engineering subsidiary. Towards the end of the Clone Wars, the A5 model was replaced by the heavier and larger A6 Juggernaut.



As the Clone Wars came to a close and the Imperial military machine rose from the ashes of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Juggernaut was relegated to Outer Rim campaigns and backwater planetary defense forces as newer ground assault vehicles bolstered the Imperial Army.

The AT-AT, which included some design elements of the Juggernaut, became the premier heavy assault vehicle of the Galactic Empire and the AT-ST absorbed the close-support role the Juggernaut also fulfilled; Despite these advancements, many occupational governors and garrison commanders preferred the Juggernaut, regardless of its shorter range heavy weapon, due to its easier use in urban environments and more powerful close range weapons.

The Empire decommissioned many Juggernauts and sold others to planetary governments and corporations. Hundreds were purchased by the Hutt clans, which made the Juggernaut a common site in mercenary forces, private armies and other fringe elements. Some fell into the hands of the Rebel Alliance.

At the time of the Yuuzhan Vong War, very few remained operational.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 22"
 * Star Wars Empire: To the Last Man
 * Star Wars Empire: In the Shadows of Their Fathers
 * Star Wars Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy
 * Entrenched
 * Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Darksaber
 * Star Wars: Crimson Empire