Power harpoon launcher
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Power harpoon launcher
Production information
- "Rogue Group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs. It might be our only chance of stopping them."
- ―Luke Skywalker[2]
Thepower harpoon launcher, commonly referred to as aharpoon and tow cable, was an industrial towing mechanism that was modified by theAlliance to work as a weapon system.
Design[]
Manufactured byUbrikkian, the power harpoon launcher consisted of amagnetic accelerator, spools ofhigh-tension cable, and multiplefusion disks. The launcher was usually mounted at the rear of the craft, and a swivel mount allowed for a degree of movement to allow the power harpoon to hit its target. An electronic sight was used to target the launcher, and this could be linked to a standardtargeting computer.[1]
The launcher's magnetic accelerator fired a fusion disk attached to a tow cable. The fusion disk was capable of attaching to any metallic surface, securely connecting to a target. Once the fusion disk was secured, the cable slack was taken in and locked in place. The launcher had a maximum range of two hundredmeters, although its optimum range was only one hundred meters. The power harpoon launcher could hold three spools of cable measuring two hundred meters long, and hold three fusion disks.[1]
Some models had an attachedfusioncutter which could be used to cut the tow cable. The cable could then be left to drift free, or another fusion disk could be attached to it. This allowed several barges and skiffs to be linked together, or to allow cargo to be transferred to another two vehicle.[1]
Ubrikkian Transports manufactured theMo/Dk power harpoon, which was commonly fitted tosnowspeeders modified byAlliancetechnicians.[3]
History[]
Power harpoons and tow cables were used acrossthe galaxy as a means to tow cargo. They were attached totugs andairspeeders and then fixed to loadedcargo skiffs. Because the skiffs were being towed by another vehicle that was providing the forward momentum, the skiffs could carry a lot more cargo since theirrepulsorlifts could focus solely on providing lift.[1]
Alliance to Restore the Republic tacticianBeryl Chiffonage, in conjunction withCommanderLuke Skywalker, developed an offensive use for the power harpoon to combatAll Terrain Armored Transports. The tactic was used prominently during theBattle of Hoth.
Operated by thegunner onboard asnowspeeder, the harpoon, tipped with a fusion disk, would be fired at the leg of anImperialAT-AT walker. Thepilot of the snowspeeder would then make several rotations around thewalker to wrap theflexisteel cable around its legs. The walker would then become ensnared and fall over, effectively neutralized. Harpoons and tow cables were able to bring down a few AT-ATs atHoth and were the Alliance's most effective method of dealing with the lethal Imperial walkers.
Besides the harpoon and tow cables themselves, there were also some types of weapons, such as thetow-cable bomb, that were developed specifically for power harpoons in mind.[4]
It was employed by theGalactic Empire as a boarding weapon, employed byassault shuttles to immobilizestarships in preparation for a boarding action conducted byZero-G assault stormtroopers.[5]
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