The HWK-290 light freighter was a model of light freighter manufactured by the Corellian Engineering Corporation decades prior to the Invasion of Naboo. It saw moderate sales and continued to be in use into the Galactic Civil War. It was marketed toward wealthy executives and elite government officials.
An aft view of the HWK-290 light freighter's engines
The HWK-290 light freighter was a small, unarmed light freighter that could be flown by a single pilot and co-pilot with room for up to two passengers. It had an angular, dagger-shaped fuselage with two wings mounted to the after quarter of the hull. It was lightly armored but very fast, and highly customizable. The HWK-290 was primarily used as a freighter for high value cargo or as a courier. However, it could also serve as a heavy starfighter when modified to include weapons such as a proton torpedo launcher and heavy laser cannons.
The HWK-290 light freighter was designed by the Corellian Engineering Corporation in the decades prior to the the Invasion of Naboo. It was geared toward wealthy executives and government officials. While it was praised by those who owned them, the vessel never reached the popularity of the YT-series and manufacturing ceased during the Clone Wars. However, many of the ships remained in service well into the time of the Galactic Civil War.
Gamut Key's personal HWK-290
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Volpai smuggler, Tryphon Leo came into possession of Maz Kanata's Smuggler's Guide. With the information he gleaned from the book, he made plans to build a smuggling fleet consisting of HWK-290s, YT-series freighters and barges. Gamut Key, the Imperial-appointed of the planet Kaller, owned a HWK-290 which he used to transport Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger to Moraga.
A HWK-290 was held at the Imperial Impound Yard on Nokva.
Numerous HWK-290s were outfitted by the Alliance to Restore the Republic to drop incendiary bombs during the Undead Troopers invasion, which proved their effectiveness against infantry targets. The Rebellion made use of at least one of the ships for inserting and extracting agents for covert operations and they had one HWK-290 named the Moldy Crow. The Imperial Impound Yard on Novka had one HWK-290 freighter in custody when it came under attack by a team of rebels.
The HWK-290 freighter first appeared in the new Star Wars canon in "The Sickness," a time-limited campaign featured in Star Wars: Commander, a mobile game published by Disney Interactive that was released on August 21, 2014. It was originally created for Star Wars: Dark Forces, a 1995 Star Wars Legends First-Person Shooter developed by and published by LucasArts.
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