The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Challenger light tank

Description
The Challenger light tank was the first armored vehicle produced by Kraechar Arms for the Yanibar Guard Army. While the role of armored fighting vehicle had previously been filled by Clone Wars-vintage droid designs, YGA desired a manned armored platform to support infantry while retaining mobility. The result was the Challenger light tank, a swift repulsor platform designed for combined arms operations.

Three separate repulsorlift coils provided the Challenger with its propulsion system and provided sufficient power to move the tank at a speedy 280 kilometers per hour. The inverted-tricycle layout allowed for swift turns and reversing, though the Challenger could not rotate about its axis like some tracked designs.

For defense, the Challenger was equipped with a sturdy durasteel alloy for protection. Additional armor panels and modules could be added to the turret, repulsor sponsons, engine housing, and crew compartments. A small shield generator was installed aboard the Challenger, based on designs used in TX-130 and droideka tanks. The Challenger's shields could withstand a very limited number of laser cannon hits before failing, giving it a survivability edge over other light vehicles deployed in the Outer Rim.

In terms of armament, the Challenger's loadout was contained entirely within its turret. A single laser cannon was the primary armament, with a sustained firing rate of once per second, or three times per second for eight seconds, after which it needed ten seconds to recharge. Secondary armament consisted of a coaxial repeating blaster cannon and a dual concussion grenade launcher that held 30 grenades. The turret could rotate 360 degrees. The main cannon and coaxial blaster could both elevate up to 45 degrees and depress up to -15, making it of limited use against aerial targets.

Two crewmembers were required to operate a Challenger, a driver and a gunner/commander. Crew entry was either through a top hatch on the main body of the tank, right in front of the turret, or via a ventral escape hatch. The Challenger was fairly cramped and there was no interior access possible to the turret, making field maintenance difficult.

History
The Challenger was first introduced into the ranks of the Yanibar Guard in 8 BBY. The tank was welcomed fondly for its simplicity and rugged reliability, but the design had its share of naysayers. For one, the Challenger was obsolete before its introduction, outclassed by the Clone Wars-era TX-130. Its relatively cheap cost to produce as well as quick development cycle and simplicity of design meant that it was markedly inferior to existing Imperial designs. Kraechar Arms was aware of this when they made it, but they had never intended to match Challengers against Imperial medium tanks.

Challengers nevertheless became one of the most widely-fielded vehicles in the Yanibar Guard, even after the heavier Mauler and ScorpTail designs were developed. Challengers served in an infantry support role, providing an armored punch and heavier firepower for Yanibar Guard troops. They were deployed at the battalion and regiment levels and over 500 of them were in service by 2 ABY.

The Challenger saw action in the Battle of Yanibar against the Zann Consortium as a supporting element in advancing formations of ScorpTails and Maulers. While effective against the lighter speeders and walkers of the Zannists, the Challenger was completely outclassed by plasma tanks, Canderous tanks, and proved vulnerable to heavy infantry as well. Challenger tanks suffered the heaviest casualties of any Yanibar Guard vehicle in the battle, with nearly one hundred lost or damaged beyond repair.

Nevertheless, it was popular among infantry commanders and continued to be produced and fielded by the Yanibar Guard up through 20 ABY.

Behind the scenes
The Challenger had several design influences. Chief among them were the AAT from The Phantom Menace, Scorpion tank from the Halo series, and the Tsunami tank from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. Another influence was the World War II M4 Sherman tank. The Challenger was designed to be light and swift, and as one of the first combat vehicle designs of the Yanibar Guard, was accordingly scaled to be less powerful than contemporary vehicles. The vehicle was named after the British MBT of the same name. The Challenger existed in the stage one drafts of the Yanibar Guard technical specifications. The initial specifications called for additional armament in the form of a blaster cannon mounted on the main chassis as well as a light ion cannon. Both weapons were removed in later drafts, but the speed of the vehicle was given a substantial upgrade.

To depict the challenger, Force Exile Saga creator Atarumaster88 used SolidWorks 2010 to create a 3-D digital model of the tank. This was the first ground vehicle that Atarumaster88 attempted to model in SolidWorks. New techniques were also employed in the creation of the model, most significantly a decal technique that allowed designs to be applied to the side of the vehicle. The tank was previewed in late April and received widespread acclaim from the Star Wars Fanon community.

Appearances

 * Force Exile IV: Guardian
 * Yanibar Guard Sourcebook