| Coruscant_Journal | Date: Thursday, 10 Nov 2011, 1:20 AM | Message # 1 |
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Sienar to Discontinue Anxarta-class
Lianna, Allied Tion Sector — Sienar Fleet Systems has announced it will discontinue production of the Anxarta-class light freighter, one of the few remaining Sienar designs available to the public. Sienar, the mammoth starship manufacturer that has designed and produced many of the Empire's signature vessels, announced that it will focus on developing new models of the popular—and profitable—TIE starfighter, and other Imperial ships.
In a presentation at the company's headquarters on Lianna, Sienar told assembled reporters and representatives of the Empire to expect new models of F-class avionics systems, S-class sensor systems, and N-class 'Navcon' navigation computers for its new TIE designs, which are rumored to include an "Interceptor" model. While Seinar would not confirm this rumor, it did announce an upcoming "Sentinel-class" landing craft to accommodate an Imperial fleet that has increasingly come to prefer Star Destroyers to assault transports like the Republic's Acclamator-class. The new landing craft is also intended to replace the Empire's MAAT troop transports and other outdated models.
These new models, and Sienar's decision to discontinue the Anxarta-class freighter, seem to represent a decision on the part of the company to commit itself fully to Imperial contracts rather than the private starship market. "Sienar has made a determination that the Empire is where the money is, and that it's going to be a reliable customer for quite some time," said one analyst for Forb's magazine.
Over the last decade, the Empire has had a considerable impact on the aerospace industry. Following the Clone Wars, the Empire assumed control of—or "Imperialized"—many starship manufacturers, particularly those who had supported the Separatists. It also absorbed many of the largest private buyers of capital ships, such as the Trade Federation and the Commerce Guild. This has left the Empire as the galaxy's largest consumer of starships, particularly capital ships, and manufacturers like Sienar Fleet Systems (SFS) and Kuat Drive Yards (KDY), which supported the Republic in the Clone Wars, have since been rewarded with lucrative Imperial contracts.
SFS and KDY are now the top suppliers of ships to the ever-growing Imperial starfleet, while companies seen to have "anti-Imperial" politics, like the Corellian Engineering Corporation (CEC), have become increasingly dependent on the civilian market. Indeed, insiders tell The Coruscant Journal that Sienar's decision to discontinue the Anxarta-class freighter also has to do with competition from CEC's Action-class and Y-series freighters, which have grown in popularity over the last decade.
But with Sienar's stock gaining 4% with today's presentation, it appears the company has no regrets.
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