SB-30

SB–30Tactical Assault Carbine
Production information
Manufacturer	BlasTech
Model	SB–30
Type	Blaster Carbine
Culture	Galactic Republic
Creators	Thompson Kalash
Created	20 BBY
Owners	BlasTech Galactic Republic
Cost	3,000 credits
Physical and technical specifications
Size	Medium
Length	73cm
Height	22.6cm (barrel length)
Weight	3.2kg
Capacity	30 (standard) 100 (Extended cartridge)
Range	100—400 m (effective range)
Usage history
Purpose	All-Purpose Firearm Infantry Standard
Heritage	UC-46
Era(s)	Rise of the Empire era
Affiliation	Galactic Republic

The Tactical Assault Carbine, or TAC, was a military-issued blaster carbine developed to replace its UC-46 Carbine predecessor as the standard assault weapon in the Republic military. The weapon was designed as an all-purpose carbine that would have seen use in the Republic's ground and special forces. Its initial design was framed around that of its predecessor, it kept the relative shape and characteristics of its ancestor. The butt of the weapon, however, was altered slightly and hollowed out to reduce weight. The weapon became known for its reliability in all fields of combat and its durability. The carbine specialized in close-quarter, urban warfare, but had the ability to perform in long range, open environments as well. The carbine was eventually replaced in favor of the smaller and more efficient DC-15S blaster carbine and its rifle variant.

History

Conception

The SB-30 was one of several weapons submitted in a BlasTech-sponsored competition circa 23 BBY. BlasTech created the competition because it hoped that a suitable all-purpose firearm could be found without the need for its Resource and Development Department which was taxed preparing other items, one of which was the Strategic Utility Blaster. Thompson Kalash, a Human from Balmorra, submitted an entry in the Carbine entry field. Thompson was a small arms enthusiast that studied prior designs, like the UC-46, and utilized many of their more successful design features and cobbled them into a compact carbine in its own right.

The weapon used the obstruction-less iron sights of the the UC-46 as a basis for his design. The weapon also featured a hollowed out stock to reduce the weight of the carbine. Kalash also adapted the shortened barrel to successfully carry a slugthrower masterkey, a flamespewer, or a grenade launcher as an underslung attachment. The underslung attachments were usually reserved for the larger assault rifle weapons.

The design won out over its fellow entries in the Carbine class because of its versatility and reliability.

Field tests

BlasTech commissioned several experimental SB-1s for testing. The weapon performed well against its competitors in the carbine and assault rifle class with shortcomings in recoil and maintenance. The added punch of blue coherent light, the most powerful form of light cell, caused the weapon to suffer from light recoil. Mixed with the light stock, the weapon had and inclination to kick up. The carbine also had problems with its seals and maintenance when faced with cold or corrosive conditions seen on Hoth or Tatooine. The blaster would lock up or cease to continue to work when it spent significant time in those conditions.

Behind the scenes

The imagery used for the SB-30 was based on the SG-552 Commando. This article was created by I'm the Chosen One. TAC was the informal name for the carbine until a more suitable alpha-numeric name, eventually SB–30, could be created.