ARMOURY

Custom Pilot Weaponry

Owner: Lewis "Moose" Gregory

Designation: Troop bombardment weapon

Manufacturer: Packered Corporation

Physical Description: Large six barrelled cannon, generally braced against the shoulder when fired, though Moose has been known to fire it from the hip. The large barrel rotates with every shot. The shell in the topmost position is fired, while the bottom position in the barrel is open at the back to allow for reloading. It is possible to maintain continuous firing with constant reloading, though usual practice is to fire five shots then reload. The Mortar Gun usually carries cluster munitions, though it can be modified to fire other types of ammunition.

History: The mortar gun is a reasonably common weapon in the Empires arsenal, and as with most Imperial weapons, several have come in to the hands of the Alliance. In fact, the Alliance is currently rumoured to be negotiating with Packered for a regular supply. Moose's personal Mortar gun is a momento form the time he spent in the Alliance infantry. Being of the required large size, Moose was assigned the heavy weapon. While he was serving on the planet Ten'see IV, Moose was credited with one of only a handful of walker kills with the Mortar Gun. With the near total destruction of the Alliance presence on Ten'see IV, Moose's Mortar Gun was lost in the system, and is now more or less his own property. He has held on to it all through his pilot training, unwilling to part with it as it has been such a useful ally whilst in ground combat. Moose also included several parts of the Mortar Gun's design when he was co-designing the Ewok Launcher with Granite.

Use: The mortar gun is at it's best when used against closely packed troops. The fragmenting shells allow several enemies to be attacked with one shot. The fragments are most effective against unarmoured opponents, but they are usually more than adequate to deal with stormtroopers. It's success rate against vehicles is not great, due its' inability to penetrate heavy armour. Modified versions with armour-piercing shells have prove useful for assaulting armoured emplacements, but the poor accuracy of the weapon reduces its effectiveness against moving vehicles. Its only other drawbacks are its' slightly slow fire rate, and its inability to be used in confined quarters, due to the danger to the operator from ricochets.