Imperial officer Brenn Tantor, before his defection to the Rebel Alliance, used the Battlefield Holographic Control Interface to order Sentinels to deploy reinforcements from orbit to numerous battlefronts. They then killed the Jedi leader and the breakout was over. In 0 BBY, shortly before the Battle of Yavin, a Jedi and some Rebel prisoners tried to escape the Death Star in a Sentinel but the 501st Legion blew the Sentinel up before they managed to take off. Ī number of Sentinel-class landing craft were used on the desert world of Tatooine, where they deployed sandtroopers and their dewback mounts to search for the missing Death Star plans in 0 BBY. Ī modified version carried special containers for extra cargo, used to deploy vehicles as big as AT-STs. Landing craft carried ground forces into numerous battlefronts early in the Galactic Civil War. The vehicle was also used in conjunction with larger Y-85 Titan dropships or AT-AT barges for joint infantry and armor assaults, as well as making an excellent atmospheric transport, with many Imperial garrisons keeping at least one Sentinel on-hand for this purpose. The primary use of the Sentinel-class was to transport troops between Star Destroyers/ Cruisers/ Star Dreadnoughts and the surface of a planet, but they could also serve as air support, short-range scouts, light cargo vessels, and even starfighter support. The Cygnus-Sienar shuttle family fulfilled most of the Empire's needs for light transports, introducing the Sentinel-class landing craft some time before the Battle of Yavin, and it eventually became the main troop transport in the Imperial Navy. That change brought about the need for a dedicated, armored, and maneuverable landing craft to safely transport troops directly into battlefields. History Ĭattena Squadron prepares to deploy from inside of a Sentinel.Īfter the Clone Wars, the Galactic Empire made a change from starships like the Acclamator-class assault ship that were able to land on planets in order to unload troops, to space-bound Star Destroyers, the sheer size of which required them to remain in orbit above the planet. Sentinel-class landing craft were deployed from Imperial airbases. Since the Sentinel-class was heavily armed, it also served as a combat support vehicle. Three gunners were responsible for manning these weapons, which were all linked to the shuttle's precise targeting computers. The landing craft's weapons load consisted of 8 laser cannons, 2 concussion missile launchers, 1 retractable turret-mounted ion cannon, and 2 rotating repeating blasters (retractable, used when landing). Sentinels were also used to deploy Marine landing forces onto enemy starships. For insertion into a planet, a Sentinel carried a Class 1.0 hyperdrive. Sentinels could also carry TIE Maulers and SPMA-Ts into battle. Its total cargo capacity was 180 metric tons. When its seats were removed and it was converted to carrying supplies, it could transport 36 74-Z speeder bikes, or 12 compact assault vehicles such as AT-STs or AT-PTs.
In its standard configuration, a Sentinel-class could carry 54 stormtroopers (approximately six squads), 12 E-Web heavy repeating blasters, and 6 74-Z speeder bikes. The interior of the shuttle could be customized for each mission, removing or adding seating.
Ī Sentinel-class landing craft with wings folded for landing The vessel's computer also featured an automatic mapping function and a rudimentary autopilot that could pilot the vessel towards an Imperial garrison, starship, or homing beacon during emergencies, and included powerful communication arrays which enabled contact with all Imperial starships and garrisons within a given system. The vehicle's sensor suite, which was located in the cockpit, allowed navigation in nearly all conditions and featured infrared imaging, motion detectors, and life-form indicators. The head gunner handled the eight fire-linked laser cannons, while the remaining gunners manned the ion cannon, the repeating blasters and the fire-linked missile launchers. The Sentinel relied on a crew consisting of a pilot, a co-pilot/ sensor officer, as well as three gunners, the minimum crew required was just one person. Despite its large size and heavy weight, the Sentinel-class was fast and agile due to its Cygnus HD7 engine array. The landing craft was also equipped with four deflector shield projectors. However, unlike its predecessor and its counterpart, the landing craft's exterior was encased in armor plating 25% heavier than the armor of a Lambda-class. With its folding wing configuration and matching cockpit module, the Sentinel-class landing craft was based on the Lambda-class shuttle, both shuttles having seen design origins in the Theta-class shuttle. I think you'll find she's just what you need." ― Wedge Antilles to Massimo " I have a Sentinel -class ship that's standing idle.