Vehicles

T-16 Skyhopper

A high-speed, transorbital vehicle popular on many worlds as a personal transport. T-16s have a recognizable triwing design and surprisingly powerful ion engines which propel the craft at speeds in excess of 1,200 kilometers per hour. Advanced gyrostabilizers and repulsorlift engines allow skyhoppers to perform daring stunts and tight turns with ease. As a teenager, Luke Skywalker owned a T-16, which he enjoyed racing through the perilous Beggar’s Canyon while targeting womp rats with the vehicle’s stun cannons.

In the early days of the Rebel Alliance, the Rebellion recruited a number of intrepid bush pilots from the Outer Rim worlds. A huge number of these young men, including Jek Porkins, Biggs Darklighter, and Luke Skywalker, learned their skills while in the cockpit of the Incom T-16 skyhopper, one of the most common personal transports produced.

Designed to be fast and easy to handle, the skyhopper utilizes a high-powered ion engine for thrust while two repulsorlift generators provide lift. Reaching speeds of nearly 1,200 kilometers per hour, the vehicle can also reach an altitude of about 300 kilometers.

The skyhopper’s distinctive triwing design, reproduced in many Imperial transports, stabilizes the vehicle. Computer displays compensate for a decreased field-of-view caused by the presence of the forward stabilizer fin. One of the most maneuverable aircraft, a skyhopper is also equipped with advanced gyrostabilizers allowing for incredible twists, turns, and spins.

Most skyhoppers are manufactured with stun cannons, used to fend off natural predators on some worlds. However, the craft’s weapon emplacements are entirely modular and can be armed with pneumatic cannons or targeting cannons. In addition, many planetary militias and police forces arm skyhoppers with a single heavy laser cannon.

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