Designed by BlasTech and Merr-Sonn Munitions in a joint venture, the E-Web repeating blaster almost caused the Millennium Falcon to be captured on Hoth. If it had not been for the weapon’s long set-up time, the course of galactic history could have been very different.
With an optimum range of two hundred metres, and a maximum one of half a kilometre, the E-Web is without doubt one of the most powerful heavy repeating blasters found in the Empire. Its efficiency against vehicles and infantry units is extraordinary, and its blast bolts pack enough power to punch through a snowspeeder’s armoured hull plating. E-Web stands for Emplacement Weapon, Heavy Blaster, and it more than lives up to its name. The weapon’s major drawback is its set-up time. A 4T3 generator is needed to power the E-Web, and if this is cold, then it can take fifteen minutes to get the blaster online. Even when the generator is warmed up, there is a danger of overheating, despite the 4T3’s superior Gk3 Cryocooler cooling unit. The blasts are so powerful that a lucky shot could have easily damaged the Falcon’s hyperdrive unit, but the time to calibrate the E-Web was enough for Solo to extend the Falcon’s autoblaster cannon and destroy the blaster.
Two crew are required to operate the E-Web with greatest efficiency. One fires the weapon and targets it, while the other makes sure the Eksoan Class-4T3 power generator does not overload. The generator feeds power to the blaster through the base of the BlasTech TR-62 autocushion tripod that the E-Web sits on. In night-time conditions, the Starvision and infrared low-light enhancement modules make it possible for targets to be easily acquired. This is all part of the computerised targeting and firing controls. Each E-Web also has an automatic encryption module for secured communications to other units.
The generators can be powered before use, but this often leads to dangerous overheating. Sometimes the E-Web is manned by only one person, who takes control of the firing and has the power on a preset mode. The rate of fire is greatly reduced as a result, but it can speed up the set-up time of the blaster.
Over the years, several upgrades have been produced. The most notable of these are the F-Web and the E-Web(15). The F-Web features a small shield generator. This can withstand blasts from small sidearms, but not from autoblaster cannons. This is very good for the Imperial crews, but the shields require a third crew member to control them. The E-Web(15) came into use a year after Palpatine’s death. This also sports a shield generator, as well as better targeting and firing software. The set-up time is reduced to just five minutes, thanks to the autoconfigure setting on the power generator. The cooling unit is also more advanced, and so lower the risk of overheating. Continuous fire can be sustained for up to one hour with this unit.
It’s a good thing Palpatine died after Hoth, otherwise who knows what would have happened to the Falcon.