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Laser cannon

<Laser cannon

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Luke Skywalker defends using a turret-mounted laser cannon. — Luke Skywalker defendsEcho Base using a turret-mounted laser cannon.

"Target, maximum firepower."

―Maximilian Veers^[1]

Alaser cannon was the standard weapon for use by moststarships and other vehicles. The amount of destruction a laser cannon could do depended on its wattage. Cannons on the famous X-Wing ranged from 126 terawatts to 500 terawatts. Turbo laser cannons on Imperial Star Destroyers were upwards of 3,000 terawatts. It existed in a myriad of forms, from the huge versions used by starships, through medium-sized turret-mounted variants, to the much smaller personalcannons sometimes carried by infantry. Although they were capable of causing a considerable amount of damage, they were no match to some of the more advanced beam weapons such aselectromagnetic plasma cannons,turbolasers andsuperlasers.

Description[]

Chin-mounted heavy laser cannons class-II on an . — Chin-mounted heavy laser cannons class-II on anAT-AT.

Laser cannons were the most commonly-used starship weapon throughoutthe galaxy. They ranged from low-power weapons that were mounted on independentvessels such asfreighters to military-grade versions found oncapital ships. Laser cannons were more powerful versions ofblasters, and followed similar design principles.^[2]

Laser cannons were fed power from apower generator or mainreactor.Blaster gas was stored in supercooled and puncture-proofchambers. The blaster gas was energized by a powerful charge in the laser cannon'slaser actuator, and theprismatic crystal in the actuator produced the high-energy beam of charged particles. The beam was then fed through the laserbarrel lined withgalven coils andcircuitry to maintain its cohesion before being released from thelaser tip.^[2]

The weapons were generally light with a high rate of fire. They were most effective againststarfighters and other light vessels. However, laser cannons could not penetrate high-powerdeflector shields or damage thickarmor plating. Laser cannons generated a vast amount of waste heat during the energy conversion process, requiring an extensive and sophisticated cooling system that protected the weapon's internal components.^[2]

The energy beams produced by laser cannons were configured to be visible on the light spectrum aspilots often preferred visual sighting during combat. The cannons were connected to combatcomputers which worked in conjunction with turret servos to make minor adjustments that ensured accuracy during operation.^[2]

Laser cannons were originally used bystarships to blast debris, such as asteroids, out of their way. These cannons were both incredibly destructive and very accurate.

History[]

Two heavy laser cannons point forward on the T-47 airspeeder

Starships, such as theExecutor-class Super Star Destroyer,Viscount-class Star Defender and theEF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate, began using laser cannons as anti-starfighter defenses. These weapons were later engineered to fire beams with sufficient accuracy and power to intercept enemy missiles from long range: thepoint-defense cannon, mounted onZann Consortium Crusader-class corvettes, was an example.

Eventually, laser cannon technology was so refined that ground-based vehicles such as theAT-AT could use them. Even some infantry, such asB-2 battle droids, could be equipped with laser cannons rather than personal blasters.D'harhan, acyborg bounty hunter, sported a laser cannon that had been surgically attached to his body, replacing his head.^[3] Around4 ABY,Holowan Laboratories created theIG-88 assassin droid series that featured a repeating laser cannon mounted along each arm.