DLT-20A blaster rifle

The DLT-20A (also called a "longblaster" or "longbarrel") was a blaster rifle manufactured by BlasTech Industries sometime before the Galactic Civil War.

Description[]

DLT-20A schematics

The BlasTech DLT-20A blaster rifle was a long-barreled rifle (sometimes referred to as a "longblaster") with a top-mounted rangefinder and electronic sight. It had automatic and semiautomatic settings and a rate of fire very close to that of the DC-15A blaster rifle and other longblasters. This was one of the few blaster models produced with a magnatomic adhesion grip, keeping the weapon firmly in the wielder's grip and making them more difficult to disarm.^[4] With additional collimating rings and longer conduits of galven circuitry, these rifles have improved consistency in their shots.^[4]

The DLT-20A required a power pack, which could hold 30 shots. The weapon cost 1,300 credits to purchase, but its sale and use was restricted to legitimate military organizations and police forces.^[1]

The DLT-20A was similar in design to the BlasTech A295 blaster rifle and the E-17d sniper rifle favored by the Rebel Alliance. From the design of the DLT-20A came the A280 blaster rifle.

History[]

DLT20A-CotF — IG-88 armed with a DLT-20A blaster rifle

The DLT-20A was primarily used by mounted troops, especially Republic recon patrols that used local planetary wildlife as their mounts.^[1] They favored this rifle since the ability to hit a foe at a great distance was highly valued in their reconnaissance missions.^[3]

This weapon was later commonly used by the stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire when other standard-issue blasters proved to lack long-range accuracy. The notorious droid bounty hunter IG-88 was also known to use this weapon. Because of its high precision, the DLT-20A was often a prized weapon on the black market.^[4]

Behind the scenes[]

Like many weapons seen in the original trilogy, this weapon appears to be cobbled together from parts of various real-world firearms, such as the action and trigger housing from a late World War II German StG44 assault rifle, with the perforated barrel sleeve from a Browning M1919 machine gun attached. The shoulder stock appears to have been custom-made by the Industrial Light & Magic prop department. While consisting of different parts, the gun is configured closely to the FG42 German Wehrmacht paratrooper automatic rifle, again from the World War II era.

A Hasbro IG-88 action figure (#87309, 2007) carries a DLT-20A. The Hasbro Battlefront Scout Trooper action figure (#85388, 2004), issued to commemorate the release of the video game, is also equipped with a DLT-20A, but in the game he carries an E-11s sniper rifle, which resembles a DLT-19 with scope added.

The DC-15x sniper rifle looks similar to these DLT weapons.