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Ion cannon

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A planetary-based ion cannon at Echo Base on the planet Hoth.
A planetary-based ion cannon at Echo Base on the planet Hoth.
"Stand by, Ion Control…Fire."
―Toryn Farr, during the Battle of Hoth[src]

An ion cannon was a weapon which fired highly ionized particles or highly ionized plasma. These particles did little physical damage (the plasma did more), but seriously interfered with the operation of electronics and computer systems, shorting circuits and often disabling them outright.

Large negative-ion pulses were charged in a turbine generator then channeled into a plasma charge or released as a large pulse towards a target. As a result, ion cannons were the weapon of choice for subduing, rather than destroying, enemy starships, vehicles, shields, or droids.

[edit] History

"We'll never make it through unless the fighters can eliminate the ion cannons on the Star Destroyers!"
―Admiral Ackbar[src]
A Rebel base uses Ion Cannons
A Rebel base uses Ion Cannons

They were often used on capital ships, such as Star Destroyers, to facilitate the capture of enemy vessels or disabling them to allow safe close-range fire. They also helped to drop shields prior to destroying enemy vessels. Fighters such as the B-wing,Y-wing, and the TIE/D Defender in some cases, were also equipped with ion cannons, of much smaller size.

They could also be planet-based weapons, as seen in the Battle of Hoth, where the Rebel Alliance used a stolen v-150 Planet Defender to disable the Star Destroyer Tyrant, allowing a transport to escape through the Imperial blockade.

Borstel NK-7 ion cannon
Borstel NK-7 ion cannon

However, there are certain types of ion cannons which are meant to do more physical damage with electrical disruption as a plus. These types of ion cannon, however, have the drawback of low firing rate and are often just replaced with heavy turbolasers.

One type of ion cannon was the Kuat V-200, used to break through shielding and bring down heavily armored vehicles. There was also a specialized version for taking down the heavily armored spacetroopers.

[edit] Appearances

Concept art by Ralph McQuarrie.
Concept art by Ralph McQuarrie.
ISD-II fitted with octuple ion cannon batteries let loose a barrage during the Battle of Endor.
ISD-II fitted with octuple ion cannon batteries let loose a barrage during the Battle of Endor.

[edit] Sources

Retrieved from "http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ion_cannon"
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