On the Wook, it says that they are "two wing-mounted laser cannons" - but in every model I've seen, there's nothing that looks remotely like a laser cannon anywhere close to the wings or wing struts.

In the cancelled game Star Wars Attack Squadrons, you could look at your fighter's front while flying and shooting, and that indicated that the two circular objects on the bottom half of the central strut/pylon were the laser cannons.

Anyone every thought about this question? Every source I've seen agrees that the bomber kept the two laser cannon design element, but it's never pointed out in the diagrams or cross-section books.

I'm playing TIE Fighter right now and from the cockpit view it seems as if the cannons are located close to the wing struts/pylons/whatever they are called.

I'm playing TIE Fighter right now and from the cockpit view it seems as if the cannons are located close to the wing struts/pylons/whatever they are called.

i envy you, i so want to play that game but i don't own a joystick and i can't find one anywhere.

I'd always figured it would be below the cockpit much like the Tie Fighter and Tie Advanced has theirs located at.

I'd always figured it would be below the cockpit much like the Tie Fighter and Tie Advanced has theirs located at.

I think this picture is wrong.

No models, including all good quality pictures from the films, have the lasers positioned under the cockpits. Unfortunately, we don't have any film examples of them shooting - or really any non-player versions of the bomber shooting lasers, since, after all, they're mostly there to drop bombs or use missiles. But they do have cannons - I just want to know where.

I'm currently playing X-Wing - I want to wait until I've beaten that game to try Tie Fighter, since I hear the latter is a better game, and I don't want to feel ripped off while playing X-Wing.

Wing tips on either side.

Not under the cockpit

I think these are supposed to be the lasers

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-wPqsnNqz6oSGF0dWxqZU8xTFk/view?usp=sharing

on the FFG game designers "To Do" list ?

3 or 4 places behind ....... well you know what

Possibly on the wings, though the models I have don't look at all like that - just a square structural support.

I did open up Tie Fighter just now and ran the Bomber obstacle course, got to external view, and it does appear that it's coming from the sides of the craft. It doesn't have any direct animation from a lasing tip, though, whereas the Attack Squadrons animation was directly from the two circular objects in the central pylon.

I think it's been portrayed both ways - underneath the cockpit like ties and on the insides of the wings in games and other media.

I think these are supposed to be the lasers

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-wPqsnNqz6oSGF0dWxqZU8xTFk/view?usp=sharing

I think this could be right, but the 'barrel' of the laser angles into the wing so it could just be a support for the wing pylon. It does make sense to some degree to have it there, as that part looks like it could be a laser, but it may have been a poor design that angled it. Also, it is mirrored in the back of the pylon as well.

I really can't see anything that could be a 'barrel' for lasers anywhere.

The center connecting structure could be a good place for them as well, there are 2 small holes there 'over n under' style that could be a good representation for them.. gonna be murder trying to paint those red though.. lol

I think I recall somewhere that it is an over under style on the connecter pylon.

The Essential Guides to Vehicles and Vessels do not specify, but Wookieepedia and the TIE Fighter games put them on the inside of the wings. I have not seen anything depict it otherwise.

I think I recall somewhere that it is an over under style on the connecter pylon.

That would seem the most obvious place, but there is nothing there on the filming model.

Seriously, though, folks - canonically - we've never actually SEEN the TIE Bomber shooting. West End Game's did claim that the TIE Bomber had two laser cannons, like the other TIEs, but their illustrations are incorrect - they drew blasters onto the ship where the filming model did not have anything.

WEG (and LucasArts after them) added the laser cannons strictly for players - it's a bit of a boring thing to fly, otherwise, once you've loosed your ordnance. I think canonically, though, the TIE Bomber is just that...a bomber. No lasers on it!

The term bomber does not imply a lack of direct fire weaponry. Both Essential Guides to Vehicles and Vessels and the Star Wars Encyclopedia state the TIE Bomber has two laser cannons.

I'm playing TIE Fighter right now and from the cockpit view it seems as if the cannons are located close to the wing struts/pylons/whatever they are called.

i envy you, i so want to play that game but i don't own a joystick and i can't find one anywhere.

In the UK the store 'Game' have USB gamepad (xbox style) controllers that the 98 version of tie fighter recognises. The are £10

I bought one yesterday

OT for Gadge - I don't know if the GOG rerelease of X-Wing/Tie Fighter are available in the UK, but I've been playing both on Windows 7 with my friend's old joystick (and sucking a lot, hah, but I have improved quite a bit). It's pretty great.

I also checked Battlefront II's Bomber animation - it seems like those imply it's from the ordinance pod somewhere, but it's very hard to tell.

So, so far the suggestions are:

Wing-mounted - but there's absolutely nothing in any model that indicates that, though the vague animation in Tie Fighter suggests this.

Under the cockpit like a normal Tie - but again, there's absolutely no model that features that.

Ordinance pod - vague evidence from Battlefront II.

Over under configuration on the central pylon between the cockpit and ordinance pods - Star Wars Attack Squadrons has very clear animation that indicates this, but since it was cancelled, it's difficult to know what the canonicity status of that is.

As someone who really enjoyed Attack Squadrons (for all its weaknesses), I favor the over under on the central pylon configuration - especially since all the models I have seen show two circular things there that could well be laser cannons. But I don't see an overwhelming case for this. The data point that has the most support are the wing-mounted (two points, instead of the one for each other), but since there's no physical evidence for it, I have a difficult time buying it.

Yeah, I think I've seen it both ways too, and the spread between them when placed on the wings was pretty awkward in Tie Fighter. I always ended up shooting around A-wings.

Yeah last sentence of the 2nd paragraph on Wookieepedia says, "Its fixed armament was two wing-mounted laser cannons." They are located just in front of the array struts on the inside of the array.

Huh. I took another look at the Cutaways book, and it labels them as under the cockpit.

Sadly, the online image of the bomber cross-section isn't high enough resolution for me to see what's going on. However, none of the models or images from the films I've seen indicate below-cockpit cannons. Ditto wing-mounted.

And...the Wook also thinks the HWK is twice the size of the X-Wing.

I am not an expert in SW lore and honestly from the pictures i can't tell where the cannons are.

I believe in the X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter game they were below the cockpit but that doesnt mean its correct!

I think it would make more sense if they were under the cockpit though, because with the asymmetric design the Bomber is, it would make aiming a lot more difficult if they were on the wings purely because of the inequal distance from the pilot. Sure, Starfighters would solve this by an aiming device adapted to this, but still...

On the other hand if the ship rotates around its center of gravity (well in space.. kinda weird XD) or lets say center of mass, which would probably be between the two nacelles it would be more difficult to aim the cannons under the cockpit while rolling the ship because they would rotate around with the cockpit.

Lets just say its a weird design...

If you look at the F-82 Twin Mustang for example, they solved the problem by putting all its guns in the mid wing section which allows for a very precise focused volley of shots. But even theb the pilot probably needed to adapt to the fact all his weapons were to one of his sides!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sg_oJJp7II&list=PL93064ED57E2E35A4&index=10

starting at 3:00

Tie Bombers don't have 'chin' cannons.

I wonder if they even really have lasers. I mean I suspect people just assume because it's a Tie it has the trademark lasers under the cockpit and never really look close enough to see they aren't there. I know I didn't.

I suspect they weren't really supposed to have lasers in the first place and it makes more sense that way. Imperials are in love with the "disposable" fighter idea. Ties don't have anything but what they absolutely need to dogfight. It only makes sense that Bombers don't have anything but what they absolutely need to perform an attack/bomber role. And that's a pilot, flight and the ability to drop bombs or fire missiles. Why jack up the cost with superfluous lasers on a bomber?

It's sorta the F-4 Phantom thing in space.