Deep into the Clone Wars, the RX-200 tank saw deployment at the Battle of Malastare, one of the fiercest and longest battles fought during the war, where a number of tanks used their cannons to disable Separatist Alliance air forces. They were later used again to subdue a gargantuan Zillo Beast after the battle, as well as on the planet Coruscant, which led to the creature's eventual death. Being the only remarkable deployments of the RX-200 tanks, despite its utilization from the war's beginning, the tank was seldom called upon throughout the rest of the conflict. But after the Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire, the RX-200 tank was employed in the Order of Battle of the Imperial Army, used to support heavy Imperial walkers and protect installations from starfighters and starships.
The low-profile yet heavy anti-aircraft stun tank
A model of low-profile, heavy anti-aircraft tank that cost 75,000 in credits, the RX-200 Falchion-class assault tank was introduced and manufactured by Rothana Heavy Engineering for deployment by the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic. Sporting designs and technological capabilities that were considered a variation of the Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery Turbolaser (SPHA-T), another vehicle used by the Republic, the RX-200 tank measured to 28.6 meters in length—ninety-three feet and six inches—and was lifted at twenty-five meters in altitude, with a respectable acceleration of ninety kilometers per hour—fifty-six miles per hour—from its high-output repulsorlift generator. Lightly-armored, the assault tank was operated by a crew of a single pilot and one gunner, directed by an optional vehicle commander, while also large enough to carry two additional passengers and twenty-five metric tons. It was also equipped with long-range sensors.
While it was technologically similar to the SPHA-T, the main difference between the two was the tank's NNJ-40 "Thunderbolt" long-range ion cannon, the primary weapon that was built by Borstel Galactic Defense and for which it received its nickname from; the "Stun Tank." Mounted to a heavily armored turret on the dorsal surface and powered by its own high-output reactor, the ion cannon generated an extremely powerful and concentrated beam of energy capable of knocking out deflector shields, absorbing energy from afflicted targets, and disabling systems at far ranges, as well as immobilizing a ninety-seven meter tall Zillo Beast after extended periods of fire. When utilized alongside other air-defense systems, the Falchion was effective for disabling entire squadrons of speeders and starfighters, including the Hyena-class Droid Bombers and Vulture-class droid starfighters. Arranged around the primary cannon, on the port and starboard sides, the tank was also equipped with a pair of light automatic blasters to engage close-range targets.
A stun tank in action
The RX-200 tank was primarily used by the Galactic Republic for anti-aircraft and artillery. Organized into batteries under the Republic, the tank was typically deployed to defend installations or support heavier Republic walkers, including the SPHA-T. Also used to combat squadrons of speeders and starfighters, such as Separatist Hyena bombers and Vulture droids, these tanks required precision and care when disabling aerial forces, to prevent ships from falling onto their position.
Under the Galactic Empire, RX-200 were deployed in entire squadrons, becoming an important part of the Imperial Army's Order of Battle. They were used around important installations to protect against incoming ships or starfighters, and were also tide-turning weapons of war when appearing on the field to support heavy Imperial walkers.
The RX-200 Falchion-class assault tank was introduced by Rothana Heavy Engineering at the start of the Clone Wars though was seldom utilized during the conflict. During the Battle of Malastare, a battery of stun tanks was utilized as against Hyena-class Droid Bombers and vulture droid starfighters. After a BTL-B Y-wing starfighter/bomber dropped the Republic's new superweapon, the electro-proton bomb, on Separatist forces, the entirety of the droid army was disabled. In the direct aftermath, however, the ground sunk and awoke a hibernating Zillo Beast, and after determining that the creature should be saved to study it, stun tanks were deployed to induce it in a deep sleep.
RX-200 Falchion-class assault tanks attacking the Zillo Beast on Coruscant
Although during the operation several stun tanks were destroyed, the Republic efforts were successful, as the ion cannons of the stun tanks tapped into the beast's nervous system. After the Zillo Beast was transported to Coruscant for scientific research, and managed to break free from the Republic Science and Technical Center, resulting in a rampage through Galactic City, stun tanks were once again deployed to subdue the beast. The tanks, working in conjunction with LAAT/i equipped with gas bombs, succeeded in defeating the Zillo Beast, killing it.
The RX-200 Falchion-class assault tank continued to see service in the Galactic Empire, the successor of the Galactic Republic, and was considered an important component of the Imperial Army's Order of Battle.
The stun tank first appeared in "The Zillo Beast," the eighteenth episode of the second season of the animated TV-series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and released in 2010, serving as an homage to the maser cannon weapons from the Godzilla series and other Toho monster films. The Zillo Blaster was a stun tank that was cut from the series.
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