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Turbolaser

<Turbolaser

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An on the first — AnXX-9 heavy turbolaser on the firstDeath Star

"Order the defense towers to fire ion cannons and turbolasers at will!"

―Queen Amanoa toNovar^[1]

Theturbolaser was the immensely scaled-up version of theblaster andlaser cannon. These weapons were generally mounted on rotating turrets, which were commonly installed in banks oncapital ships,space stations and orbital facilities. Some immobile variants, like those housed withindefense towers of the city ofIziz, were used on the ground.Agrocite, an extremely rare ore that was found only onKhorm andSimocadia, was known to greatlyenhance a turbolaser's destructive power.Mirkanite was also used in the production of heavy turbolasers.

Description[]

"We count thirty Rebel ships, Lord Vader, but they're so small they're evading our turbolasers."

―Lieutenant Tanbris, during theBattle of Yavin^[2]

The devastating effects of heavy turbolasers

Turbolasers were large-scale energy weapons^[3] that were installed aboardcapital ships,space stations, and orbital facilities. Considerably more powerful than standardlaser cannons,^[4] turbolasers were strong enough to defeat awarship's deflector shields, or to punch through itsarmor plating. Turbolasers were the most common weapon mounted oncapital ships.^[3]

Turbolasers were two-stage superchargedlaser cannons. Thelaser created an energy beam that was fed into theturbolaser actuator. Inside the actuator, the beam interacted with an energized stream ofblaster gas. The interaction produced an intense blast that was then focused through thegalven coils in thebarrel of the turbolaser.^[3] The resulting blast was a bolt of energy triple the power of a bolt produced by a standard laser cannon.^[4]

The power requirements for a turbolaser were immense, requiring each weapon to have its own dedicatedturbine, supplemented by multiplecapacitor banks. Energy flow to the weapon was regulated by thepower core, bleeding off excess energy and stopping power surges to protect the turbolaser from exploding. To allow the capacitors to charge enough, turbolasers fired at a rate of twoseconds between shots. The tremendous amount of wast heat generated by turbolasers required them to have cryosystems; each laser barrel was wrapped in acooling sleeve, and acooling unit was behind thelaser actuator.^[3]

Maintenance of turbolasers was an extensive and intensive procedure to reduce the chance of a burnout. At best, the weapon could be knocked offline, at worst, an explosive overload that destroyed the turbolaser and its weapons crew. Cooling sleeve components,galven tube circuits, andenergization crystals were frequently replaced.^[3]

A turbolaser blast impacts a planet's surface

Turbolasers were intended for ship-to-shipcombat, and were not designed to target faster and more nimble craft such asstarfighters. Starships were equipped with banks of turbolasers, linked together with computerized fire-control systems so that they could fire in coordinated and sustained volleys.^[3] Poorly arranged turbolaser emplacements could be a disadvantage to a starship if they created gaps in the vessel's defensive screen.^[4]

The range of a turbolaser was greater than that of a conventional laser cannon, doubling or even tripling the weapon's effective range. Turbolasers mounted on ships inorbit of aplanet were capable ofstriking the surface. Small vessels would typically carry a few turbolasers, while larger capital ships such as theImperial-class Star Destroyer had sixtyXX-9 heavy turbolasers.^[3]

History[]

Manual, groundside turbolasers used in 4,000 BBY, during the Battle of Iziz

Thousands of years earlier, turbolaser batteries were usedagainst theBeast Riders ofOnderon byQueen Amanoa's contingent of OnderonianWave gunners. These batteries were mounted inside thedefense towers that lined the walls ofIziz, Onderon's single great city. Along withion cannons, the turbolaser batteries were designed to combat theflying beasts used as war mounts by the Beast Riders.

TheGrand Army of the Republic deployed turbolaser cannons mounted atop a heavyall-terrain drive unit during theClone Wars. TheseSPHA-T walkers proved instrumental in taking down numerousLucrehulk-class core ships during theFirst Battle of Geonosis, and these turbolasers were later installed inside the hangar bays ofVenator-class Star Destroyers for effective ship-to-ship broadsides.

A twin turbolaser cannon on aMunificent-class star frigate was powerful enough to melt an icemoon 1,000 kilometers in diameter, or pierce theshields of a 10-kilometer-wideGrade III battle station, and four star frigates could easily outgun aVenator-class Star Destroyer.^[5]

TheConfederacy of Independent Systems created an upgraded turbolaser known as the "Agrocite cannon," which used rareAgrocite to greatly enhance the cannon's power. The cannon was so powerful it could destroy aVenator-class Star Destroyer in a single shot. Three such cannons were used during theBattle of Khorm.

Under the reign of theGalactic Empire, possession of turbolasers were strictly controlled. However, turbolasers were commonly available on theblack market, and were frequently purchased bypirates,mercenaries, and outlaws.^[3]

When theNew Republic rose to power, it maintained similar restrictions, but waivers were granted to allied governments.^[3] The New Republic also allowed its military contractors to continue research into creating more powerful versions of turbolasers, including quick-recharge turbolasers. This variant proved effective during theYuuzhan Vong War.^[4]

Following the war, a variety of long-range turbolasers were produced, with an even longer range than the standard type, though at the expense of greater power drain; even when mounted on anImperial II-class Star Destroyer, the drain was noticeable. This limited their deployment to a number ofHapan Battle Dragons and the Star DestroyerAnakin Solo.Darth Caedus fired the turbolasers on the latter during theBattle of Kashyyyk, causing forest fires on the planet's surface.