CL-3 Cluster Trap
Name/Model# : | CL-3 Cluster Trap (CL-3 Antistarfighter Cluster Bomb)
Designer/Manufacturer : | Frei-Tek Inc.
Combat Designation : | Close-Range Anti-Starfighter Defence (NOTE: Speculated)
Scale : | Most likely starfighter
Size : | Varies
Crew : | ?
Cost : | ?
Fire Arcs: | All
Area of Effect : | All craft within 2 space units (Fighters within +100m diameter are destroyed; any craft [except capital ships] within 300m are damaged)
Damage : | To determine hits: Roll 3D with Easy Difficulty or target's piloting roll. 6D for every craft hit.
Note : | DFRSB and TTSB state sensor sweeps are random, while EGWT states they are continuous. Strangely, NEGWT states CL-3 was used by the Rebels before Endor - yet Frei-Tek did not exist until after Endor.
The CL-3 Cluster Trap is a custom ordnance that is insidiously designed to appear as a harmless structure on a capital ship's hull. Contained within them are explosives, and dozens of high-powered and magnetized concussion and proton grenades. These unguided grenades often cause chain-reaction explosions when unleashed. Furthermore, the CL-3's shell serves as a source of shrapnel. When placed on Mon Calamari Cruisers they are indistinguishable from all the other blisters which pop out of those monstrosities. However, in the case of Nebulon-B Frigates, Corellian Corvettes and other conventional ships, they must be angled off and disguised as sensor clusters, cargo modules and airlocks. In combat, the CL-3 has proven most effective when New Republic starfighters were vastly outnumbered by our starfighters. Lying dormant until activated by the ship's command or gunnery crew, they are predators in disguise. Random short-ranged sensor sweeps are executed around the CL-3s, seeking out starfighter transponder codes. Interestingly, some CL-3s are designed to entice their intended targets to come to them. Incorporating false signal generators that emit signals identical to active sensor arrays, our aggressive TIE Fighter pilots swoop in thinking they are attacking harmless sensor arrays, only to find themselves caught in a trap. When detonated, explosive charges and the bomb thruster disperses the weapon. The shrapnel created from CL-3's shell is sufficient of shredding unshielded TIE Fighters, even without being reinforced by the weapon's explosives. Once our starfighters enter the CL-3's blast area it detonates depending on two circumstances. One, the programmed threshold has been met (between one and six fighters). Two, no New Republic fighters are in the kill zone, as the CL-3 is an indiscriminate weapon. The magnetic plates on the grenades are part of the reason. Due to the possibility of the latter, New Republic gunners generally monitor these weapons and can initiate an emergency override to stop it from detonating. As an added measure, New Republic CL-3 equipped ships broadcast warnings to their fighters. Most New Republic pilots find it prudent to memorize their locations on any given ship. The area of effect still remains a hazard several minutes after the weapon's detonation. It must be noted however, that this ordnance is most effective against clustered targets. Explosive dampeners prevent damage to the hull it is mounted on. Maintenance crews can load a new CL-3 in less than ten minutes, thanks to the breakaway panels of the dampeners.
Sources: DFRSB***Pg 140 / EGWT***Pg 94, 95 / NEGWT***Pg 84, 85 / TTSB***Pg 192
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