48 Talk

DC-15A blaster rifle

Help me, <insert name here>. You're my only hope!

This article or section is in need of referencing per Wookieepedia's sourcing guidelines.

This article needs appropriate citations. Help us improve this article by referencing valid resource material. Remove this notice when finished.

DC-15A blaster rifle

Production information
Manufacturer	BlasTech Industries
Model	DC-15A blaster rifle
Cost	Not available for public sale
Physical and technical specifications
Size	Blaster rifle
Capacity	500 shots
Range	10 kilometers (on maximum power)
Usage and history
Era(s)	Rise of the Empire era Rebellion era New Jedi Order era
Affiliation	Galactic Republic Galactic Empire

[Source]

The DC-15A blaster rifle was the weapon of choice for the Galactic Republic's clone troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic and the standard weapon of the Senate Commandos. It was a larger and more powerful long-range alternative to the DC-15S blaster.

1 Characteristics
2 History
3 Behind the scenes
4 Appearances
5 Sources
6 Notes and references
- 6.1 In other languages

CharacteristicsEdit

This was one of the standard issue weapons for clones. While the use of blasters allowed a clone trooper to carry significantly more ammunition than a projectile weapon, the DC-15A was a heavy 9.5 pounds, and despite the weapon's size it is not a true dedicated repeating blaster rifle; the inherent instability of plasma gas in blasters reduced the weapon's accuracy under sustained fire.^[1] Even so, the DC-15A was very powerful and deadly in the hands of the skilled clone troopers that received extensive training in its use.

The weapon's tibanna gas cartridge carried enough gas for up to 500 shots, depending on the power settings of the weapon, while the charge pack lasted about 50 shots ^[2] To replace a charge pack, you hit the pack release button located directly behind the pack and slid out the pack, and slid in a new one.To replace the tibanna cartridge was more difficult. The wielder broke the gun and remove the old cartridge from the buttstock, and snap the gun back together. Like its smaller cousin, hold the trigger down produced sustained fire, with the drawback of decreased accuracy. On the top of the blaster was a triangular object that encased circuitry, and a wiry switch on it controlled power settings. Its power-charge magazines ionized the gas into charged plasma within its ignition chamber. These bolts would then be accelerated out of the rifle electromagnetically.^[1] On the high setting, the large rifle's powerful blue plasma bolts are more than capable of penetrating the armor of most infantry personnel, and because of the hyper-ionization, they were exceptionally effective against droid targets.^[3]

In addition to standard iron sights on the rifle's upper surface, the DC-15 could interface with the helmets of clones to project a graphical gunsight on the clone trooper's helmet display. Mounted on a tripod, the maximum effective range of a DC-15A was 10 kilometers. On maximum power, a shot from a DC-15A could leave a 0.5 meter hole in any ferroconcrete wall; however, firing at maximum power demanded a higher rate of power consumption; while on the low power setting a DC-15A gas cartridge would last for 500 shots.The blaster could be outfitted with ascension cable projectors to climb up walls or cliffs as seen during the Battle of Teth. Despite the superior power of the DC-15A, many clone units preferred to use the lighter, more compact DC-15S rifle. The DC-15A was preferred when fighting against larger and more heavily-armored droids such as the super battle droid and the dwarf spider droid on open battlefields, whereas the DC-15S was less bulky and easier to maneuver when engaging in close combat in the cramped confines of indoor structures or starship corridors. The DC-15A also proved to be a good weapon to have on hand if a clone unit confronted large biological threats, one such encounter being the Battle of Felucia, where the 501st used it to great effect in an unexpected confrontation against several wild acklay beasts. It also has a stun setting.

HistoryEdit

Manufactured by BlasTech Industries, the DC-15-series was a range of plasma weapons used during the Clone Wars. Later, eight years into the reign of the Galactic Empire, anti-troopers bred on Kamino would use these weapons to fight against the Empire.^[4] Some clone stormtroopers also utilized this weapon. Additionally, it was the standard weapon amongst the non-clone Senate Commandos, who further separated themselves from the regular Senate Guards by using this instead of the standard issue weapon. the ARC troopers, (mostly in a modified version) also used this weapon. On Boz Pity, an IG-100 MagnaGuard nearly killed Asajj Ventress with a DC-15, although she managed to survive. It is unknown how the MagnaGuard managed to obtain this weapon, but it was probably stolen. These weapons were also used by Dark novatroopers in the imperial special forces. These were heavily modified, bulked up and equipped with extra firepower.

Captain Judder Page also used this weapon on Caluula during the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Behind the scenesEdit

The DC-15A blaster rifle that the majority of the clone troopers carry in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith is based on parts from the German Maschinengewehr MG34 from World War II (the same gun was used as the basis for the DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle in the original trilogy), making up the rear half, as well as much of the BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle (carried by the Imperial stormtroopers from the original trilogy) turned upside-down for the front.

In Star Wars: Battlefront II, the DC-15A blaster rifle is used by the Clone Trooper, Clone Engineer and Clone Marine units. While it is properly used by the the Trooper and Marine as a blaster rifle it is used by the engineer as a shotgun.