Swift Assault 5 The Swift Assault 5 was a hovercraft manufactured by the Mekuun Corporation . Characteristics . Mekuun Corporation ' s Swift Assault 5 was a 15 . 9 meter - long hovercraft . It employed four Kasmin three - stage turbopump s to generate an air cushion . Kasmin ' s turbopumps were the most refined heavy - duty air blower of its type available , permitting the Swift Assault 5 to produce extra elevation and float when required . A Gurian S87 " perpetual charge " power plant dynamo provided power for the hoverscout ; a power capacitor started the air blower rotation , and the energy generated by the vehicles air cushion was recycled via back - blast impeller s to supplement the S87 ' s power generation . The efficient engine design gave the Swift Assault 5 a longer operational range than equivalent vehicles of its size and type . Capable of speeds up to two hundred kilometers an hour , the Swift Assault 5 ' s speed and maneuverability were not on par with standard repulsorlift vehicles , despite it having being modified from standard hover vehicle specifications to deal with military demands for traversing rough and rugged terrain . The hoverscout was favored on planets where terrain and planetary conditions caused erratic behavior in the operation of repulsorlift engines . Swift Assault 5 could be piloted by a single crewmember , but an optimal crew of four allowed all the craft ' s weapon systems to be employed without loss of efficiency . Training to crew a hoverscout required less equivalent training than was required to crew a repulsorlift vehicle . Six passengers could also be accommodated . Standard sensor packages included weapon - linked electro photo receptor s at each crew position , as well as long - range communications equipment . Other sensor and communications packages could be installed depending on the mission profile . Between fifty and four hundred kilograms of cargo could be carried , in five hundred cubic centimeter s of space . It could also store consumables for two days . The Swift Assault 5 had an excellent maintenance and failure rate that was better than other floater scouts of similar type available on the market , and it was cheaper and easier to maintain . They could be purchased new for 75 , 000 credits , and used for between 45 , 000 and 55 , 000 credits . Although lightly - armored , so as not to impair its maneuverability , the Swift Assault 5 could nevertheless withstand a direct hit . The doors and weapons ports on the vehicle were sealed , giving the hoverscout a fully closed and recyclable interior atmosphere . A wide field of vision for the pilot was achieved through the application of a windscreen made of ceraglass , a ceramic alloy that was both transparent and as tough as armor . The hoverscout was heavily armed , with three main weapons . A Mk 3 / S heavy blaster cannon that was turret - mounted , and a light Mk 1 / S laser cannon and Mk 2e / S concussion missile launcher that were able to fire in front and to the sides of the vehicle . Some models mounted a double blaster cannon and a double laser cannon , and a payload of either six Mk 1 / S concussion missile s or sixteen concussion missiles was carried . History . The Swift Assault 5 was employed on a variety of worlds , deployed by a wide array of ground forces in numerous combat conditions , and proved its worth as an efficient combat vehicle . The Imperial Army typically deployed the hoverscout as a reconnaissance asset , or for offensive point operations , and it was as used in conjunction with other hoverscouts for raiding duty or as part of the rearguard . The hoverscout could be used independently , or with support from either infantry or armor units . Shortly after the end of the Clone Wars , the Galactic Empire used Swift Assault 5s to patrol Prak City on the planet Prakith . Three hoverscouts attempted to stop the Mistryl Shadow Guard s Shada D ' ukal and Karoly D ' ulin from stealing the Imperial prototype weapon codenamed " Hammertong " in 0 BBY . Eight months after the Battle of Yavin , Grand Admiral Thrawn counseled Galactic Emperor Palpatine to use hoverscouts in conjunction with All Terrain Armored Transports and juggernaut s to defend the Endor shield generator bunker before realizing that the Emperor intended Endor to be a trap for the Alliance to Restore the Republic . In 5 ABY , the Empire used hoverscouts to patrol the countryside outside of Barons Hed . In 7 ABY , an assault force of stormtroopers were backed by a hoverscout when raiding an Alliance operation to switch out computer cores at the Palar plant on the capital Coruscant . Members of Rogue Squadron , backed by Black Sun elements and the Alien Combine , were attempting to insert a doctored core into the computer controlling Coruscant ' s planetary shield . The operation was sold out by Zekka Thyne . During Grand Admiral Thrawn ' s campaign against the New Republic in 9 ABY , one of his senior Army commanders , General Freja Covell , deployed hoverscouts alongside All Terrain Armored Transports . They were employed during Thrawn ' s assault on Talon Karrde ' s Myrkr Base .