While the DP-20a provided effective covering fire against starfighters and armed freighters, the emergence of more heavily armed pirates pressed home the need for more effective anti-capital ship weaponry in a swift and economical package. Rather than struggle through the resource-intensive process of designing an entirely new chassis and structural layout, designers decided to simply modify the already proven DP-20 model, as its weapon bays had always been designed for easy replacement to permit battle damage to be quickly dealt with. Thus, with simple changes to the pre-existing design, an adequate mixture of anti-capital and anti-starfighter weaponry was established in a price-effective ship.