IG - 227 Hailfire - class droid tank / Legends The IG - 227 " Hailfire " - class droid tank , also known as simply the " Hailfire " droid or the wheel droid , was a droid tank constructed by Haor Chall Engineering for the InterGalactic Banking Clan prior to and during the Clone Wars . It was highly effective against armor . Description . The " Hailfire " - class droid tank was a self - aware mobile missile platform capable of destroying enemy vehicles and entire platoons of enemy soldiers . It ran on large hoop - like wheels on either side of the main armored command module , which enabled it to operate on almost any terrain at impressive speed . The " Hailfire " - class was well equipped , with missile launchers fitted on each side of its head , each missile rack carrying 15 guided rocket warheads powerful enough to cause significant damage to enemy targets . A well - placed shot with one of these missiles was enough to destroy a Republic AT - TE walker , and was effective against other armored units . Each " Hailfire " - class droid tank also had a retractable double blaster for use against infantry and other " soft " targets . The " Hailfire " - class also had many different configurations that boasted various types of weapons . Some of the configurations included heavy blaster artillery , ion cannons , or anti - personnel stun weapon batteries . The wheels ' inward design gave Hailfires a wider lateral range and the ability to crush tightly grouped soldiers and small vehicles . History . Before the Clone Wars , the " Hailfire " - class droid was used by the Banking Clan ' s euphemistically named " Collections and Security Division " to punish customers which had failed to pay their debts on time . The Banking Clan pledged the droid as part of the combined arms of the Confederacy of Independent Systems , although in a non - exclusive deal . " Hailfire " - class droid tanks first appeared as part of the army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Battle of Geonosis , where they disabled or destroyed numerous AT - TEs and injured or killed countless clone troopers before being destroyed by LAAT / i gunships . During the war , many " Hailfire " - class droids of various models and types continued to fight in battles against the Republic ' s army , and were used extensively during the first parts of the war . Due to the limited supply of 30 warheads for each unit , the Banking Clan retired the Hailfire from the battlefield for some time . The Clan came up with an answer to this problem , though : air - mobile refresh droid s that could resupply the " Hailfire " - class droids with warheads were partnered with them on the battlefield , and once again , the " Hailfire " - class became the scourge of slow - moving vehicles . During the Clone Wars , like many other vehicles , the Hailfire droid was re - painted in the Separatist color scheme . Following the execution of the Separatist Council by Darth Sidious ' s new apprentice , Darth Vader , these units were deactivated . However , some " Hailfire " - class components were reactivated and used by the Wookiees against Imperial landing parties during the Empire ' s subjugation of the planet in 19 BBY . In 1 ABY the Alliance to Restore the Republic used " Hailfire " - class droids during several attacks on cities held by Imperial forces . Behind the scenes . In " " , Confederate rockets , including those of " Hailfire " - class droids , were keyed to leave black smoke in contrast to the white trails left by Republic missiles . The design of the Hailfire droid was inspired by the real world Russian Tsar Tank . The design also is based on the Hwacha , a 16th century Korean rocket launcher developed to fight off the Han Chinese . In " " , Hailfire droids are mistakenly portrayed as strict anti - air vehicles .