Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery

Production information

Manufacturer

Rothana Heavy Engineering^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Model

Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery^[1]^[2]^[4]

Type

Walker^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]
Mobile artillery^[1]

Technical specifications

Length

40.15 meters^[5]

Height/depth

20.6 meters^[6]^[4]

Maximum speed

35 km/h^[2]^[7]^[4]

Shielding

Equipped^[2]

Armament

Main weapon (1)^[3]^[8]
- Turbolaser^[7]^[3]^[8]^[4]
- Ion cannon^[3]^[8]^[4]
- Anti-vehicle laser^[3]^[8]^[4]
- Concussion missile launcher^[3]^[8]^[4]
- Mass-driver cannon^[7]^[4]
Antipersonnel blasters (12) (optional)^[3]^[8]^[4]

Crew

Primary crew (15)^[3]^[2]^[8]^[4]
Gunners (10)^[3]^[2]^[8]^[4]

Minimum crew

12^[9]

Passengers

20^[2]^[8] - 30 clone troopers^[9]

Cargo capacity

500 kilograms^[7]^[2]

Consumables

1 week^[7]

Usage

Role(s)

Self-propelled artillery^[1]

Affiliation

"Using this weapon against droids is a necessary evil. But what if such destructive power should be turned against living creatures? A sad thought, indeed."

―Mace Windu^[6]

The Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery (SPHA) walker, also known as the Mobile Assault Cannon (MAC),^[12] was a modular heavy artillery unit used by the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars, and by the Galactic Empire afterward. It bore a resemblance to the smaller RX-200 Falchion also utilized by the Republic during the Clone Wars. Depending on the configuration, the walker had different names: SPHA-T (turbolaser), SPHA-I (ion cannon), SPHA-V (anti-vehicle laser), SPHA-C (concussion missile launcher), SPHA-M (mass-driver cannon) and SPHA-F (thermobaric cannon).

Description[]

"Their range is greater than we thought."

―A Muun during the Battle of Muunilinst^[13]

A Self-Propelled Artillery Walker (SPHA) had twelve legs that served as mobile support structures. Unlike smaller walkers, such as the AT-TE, SPHA units were unable to be carried into battle by LAAT/c gunships because of their large size and weight. Instead, they were deployed directly from landed Acclamator-class assault ships, which could carry 36 of the artillery platforms.^[1]

In battle, SPHA walkers usually received orders from ground-based command posts, which provided a less isolated and more in-touch view of the battlefield than the towering walkers. In addition, SPHA units had a complement of 30 clone troopers, which could be deployed rapidly via a dorsal hatch. In seconds, the soldiers could disembark the vehicle and secure the area immediately around the walker, providing protection from enemy infantry and other light units.

Main weapons[]

SPHAclone-SWCTP — An frontal view of a SPHA with a clone trooper for scale.

The SPHA walker chassis served as the basis for a number of different weapons platforms, though the best-chronicled version was the turbolaser (SPHA-T) configuration. This variant's main weapon was a heavy turbolaser cannon, capable of causing extreme direct fire damage to large or slow-moving targets.^[3] The turbolaser boasted tremendous range and was capable of penetrating deflector shields.^[6]

The primary disadvantage of this powerful weapon was that it was incapable of providing indirect fire support to out of sight locations, a problem remedied in other models. Another disadvantage was that the weapon could only be charged to a certain level—upon firing such shots, they had to be replaced with charged guns from the rear lines.^[14]

Some of these other variants deployed during the Clone Wars include the ion cannon (SPHA-I), anti-vehicle laser (SPHA-V), concussion missile (SPHA-C), thermobaric burst (SPHA-F), and mass-driver (SPHA-M).^[7] Some of these model variations included 12 retractable antipersonnel blasters, necessitating an additional 10 gunners to the command crew of 15.^[3]

History[]

Development[]

Spha-t geonosis — An SPHA-T walker battery protected by columns of clone troopers and AT-TEs.

The SPHA walker was developed by Rothana Heavy Engineering.^[3]

The power usage of the turbolaser cannon in the SPHA-T variant dictated the design of the other parts of the vehicle.^[3]

Designers rejected a complex turret mechanism, choosing instead to rely on the entire walker repositioning itself in order to adjust for different firing coordinates.^[3] Like other walkers, the use of articulated legs prevented the SPHA from being vulnerable to anti-repulsorlift weapons, at the cost of some mobility.^[3]

The Galactic Empire later developed a more compact version, the SPMA, which was more mobile and compact, thanks to weight-reducing advancements in technology.^[15]

Usage[]

SPHAT-concentratedfire — SPHAs concentrate fire on a fleeing *Lucrehulk*-class Core Ship.

The SPHA, particularly the SPHA-T, first appeared in the First Battle of Geonosis where it was instrumental in bringing down several Lucrehulk-class core ships and Hardcell-class interstellar transports.^[16]

SPHA units were used throughout the Clone Wars, seeing action in surface battles such as the Battle of Cato Neimoidia,^[17] the Battle of Muunilinst—where many were destroyed by the nimble IG lancer combat droids—,^[13] the Battle of Rhen Var,^[12] and the Second Battle of Tatooine.^[18]

VenatorHangarTurbolaser — An SPHA-T fires its turbolaser at a *Munificent*-class star frigate from inside the hangar of a *Venator*-class Star Destroyer.

At the suggestion of Anakin Skywalker, many Venator-class Star Destroyers of the Open Circle Fleet had SPHA-T turbolaser cannons installed inside their ventral hangar bays,^[19] where they were used effectively during the Battle of Coruscant, especially against enemy Munificent-class star frigates.^[20]

The SPHA-line walkers continued in service in the early years of the Galactic Empire, until the SPMA-line was developed, with the SPMA vehicles being faster and more maneuverable than the cumbersome SPHA-Ts.^[15]

Behind the scenes[]

Concept art of the SPHA-T was drawn by Concept Design Supervisor Erik Tiemens. He initially imagined a treaded vehicle, but George Lucas changed it to a walker. The SPHA's production name was "Clone Tank A".^[3]

In both Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary and Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, the SPHA-T's turbolaser is incorrectly labeled as a troop hatch. Also, in The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, the SPHA-T is incorrectly said to be driven by multiple treads. It is in fact a walker, driven by twelve legs.^[3]

The Official Star Wars Fact File 71 claims the SPHA-T is 140.2 meters long but that does not match the size seen in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the dimensions used in The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels physically or the listed length in Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels.