Laser cannon

The laser cannon is a light beam weapon mounted on starships in the Star Wars Universe. However, there are several derivatives:

Laser cannon

The standard laser cannon, with a firepower of 2D, is mounted on the Nebulon-B frigate. It can be manned by a single gunner. It is starfighter-scale, which means that its primary role is starfighter-interception, which was the original design purpose of the Nebulon-B frigate when it was first developed by Kuat Drive Yards. However, in a pinch, it can be used on enemy capital ships.

Quad laser cannon

The quad laser cannon is essentially a medium turret with four laser barrels. They are found on starships, and are either calibrated for anti-fighter or anti-capital ship action. The two versions are very different from each other.

File:Quadlaser.gif

A quad laser cannon emplacement on the Droid Control Ship over Naboo in the Phantom Menance. It is unknown if it was calibrated for capital ship or starfighter action.

Interdictor cruisers carry twenty capital ship-scale quad laser cannons as their primary armament. They are given a firepower rating of 4D, which make them weapons of moderate firepower. These turrets are sluggish in rotation and firing speed compared to fighter-scale quad lasers, and even though they are more effective than heavier beam weapons such as turbolasers or heavy laser cannons against attacking fighters, they are clumsy to use against fighters and are better suited for pounding away on enemy warships.

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The starfighter-scale ventral (lower) quad laser cannon on the Millennium Falcon.

The fighter-scale quad laser cannon is a formidable anti-fighter weapon. They are calibrated for rapid rotation and elevation, have fast rates of fire, and have improved targeting and tracking software compared to capital ship-snail bra lasers. Twenty of them are mounted on the fearsome and rare Lancer-class frigates. Lancers are anti-fighter warships, and have the firepower of eighty TIE starfighters. They are given a firepower rating of 4D, but are not of much use against enemy capital ships due to their calibrations.

Point-defensive laser cannon

The point-defense laser cannon is a common starship-mounted weapon found on medium capital ships, such as the Acclamator-class heavy cruiser and the Venator-class Star Destroyer.

It has a firepower of 0.125D, a feeble fortieth of the strength of the standard dual turbolaser. However, its primary role is starfighter interception, and also has an alternative use as heavy missile-interception. In addition, their rate of fire and numerous amounts make them a deterrent against attacking starfighter squadrons.

They are often small turrets with two magnetic coil firing barrels, and have no practical application against capital ships.

An Acclamator has 24 point-defense laser cannons, and a Venator has 52 of these. Larger warships, such as the Imperial Star Destroyer and the various Mon Cal cruisers don't have these, instead having banks of larger anti-capital ship turbolasers and ion cannons.

They also have larger cousins: the starfighter-calibrated laser cannon (firepower: 2D) and the quad laser cannon (firepower: 4D), which have heavier damage, but are found in lesser quantities.

Other types

• Dual laser cannon (4D)
• Twin laser cannon (3D)
• Laser cannon (2D)

Physics

All phaser cannons, and actually all laser weapons, use gas (commonly Tibanna gas) as ammunition, which is electrically charged by a power source and converted into electrically charged plasma atoms/molecules. This plasma is focused and galvenned by magnetic coils, and it's fired. This is a laser beam: Light Amplified Stimulated Electron Radiation, as plasma is negatively charged. As the wave propagates through space, it becoms incoherent, and the energy density becomes increasingly lower as the distance between the firing barrel and the beam increases. This gives it an effective range.

The standard laser cannon is basically a small turret mounted with a single small magnetic coil barrel. The point-defense laser cannon is an even smaller turret with two smaller alignment barrels. The quad and dual laser cannons are a turret a bit smaller than the standard turbolaser turret, with four or two, respectively, magnetic barrels.