The Valken-38 Carbine is a Merr-Sonn design that was originally developed after the Separatist Crisis as a mounted heavy repeating blaster for use against droid vehicles. The Model 39 Valken, named after the lead designer, failed its Republic trials. But rather than shelving their innovations entirely, the project engineers reconfigured their plans into an infantry weapon, scaling the Valken down to a compact, ultralight version. While no longer effective against armoured hulls, the carbine Valken-38 blaster was a resounding success and saw limited action with clone aerial troopers throughout the latter half of the conflict. Typically carried by specialist sharpshooters, the Valken-38 was prized for its ability to put rapid, accurate suppressing fire further downrange than the standard-issue DC-15 series blasters. The outstanding performance of the Valken-38 Carbine continues to maintain the weapon's tactical relevance, despite recent progress in blaster technology, and the Valken remains in Imperial circulation even today.