Flotation pontoons were gas-filled devices designed to provide buoyancy in water, allowing a starship to make aquatic landings and remain afloat.
Corellian Engineering Corporation's YT-1300 light freighter had the option to have flotation pontoons fitted to its underside for water landings. These pontoons could be filled with pressurized gas, or the ship's landing jets could be modified to divert gas into the pontoons. Despite this, the YT-1300 was perfectly capable of making emergency water landings without pontoons, so long as it was properly maintained.
The Millennium Falcon activated its flotation pontoons
The Millennium Falcon was fitted with flotation pontoons. These pontoons helped save Han Solo and Chewbacca after the pair made a splash landing on a droid planet.
Resistance cadet Dec Hansen once rigged together a pontoon boat. He and his brother, AG-90, used the boat on Ques to see how far downriver they could go. Dec later recounted this adventure to Harra the Hutt.
Flotation pontoons were first mentioned in the 2017 junior novel Join the Resistance: Escape from Vodran. They are based on the real-word pontoons used on boats, floats and planes.
- YT-1300 Millennium Falcon Owners' Workshop Manual
- Star Wars: Millennium Falcon: A 3D Owner's Guide