Quantcast Mass-driver cannon - Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki
Recent changes Random page
GAMING
Entertainment
 
Star Wars
Star Trek
Transformers
Muppet Wiki
Digimon Wiki
Marvel Database
See more...

Mass-driver cannon

From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.

Jump to: navigation, search

A mass driver was a type of projectile cannon.

They inflicted damage by hurling projectiles at high velocities, which imparted kinetic energy and force to the target upon impact. Damage was thus a result of the mass of the projectile and its velocity. They also had the benefit of bypassing shields entirely, to slam into a targeted ships hull and weapons emplacements

A mass driver projectile in space.
A mass driver projectile in space.

The velocity the projectile could achieve is limited by the method by which it is initially propelled. For a chemical explosion (how a conventional slugthrower works), the peak velocity was ~1.8 km/s. For a plasma driven round from an electrothermal cannon (an electrical shock vaporizes the propellant to plasma levels to create the requisite pressure to propel the slug), the peak was ~2.5 km/s. For a gauss/coil gun (where the mass is accelerated by passing through sequenced electromagnetic fields) the limit was ~2 km/s due to the rate at which the fields can be created and collapse.

For a rail gun (where the slug is accelerated by Lorentz forces and electromagnetism between two parallel rails) there was no real limit (except the speed of light), only a practical one based on rail erosion and, when in atmosphere, ablation of the projectile. Typically this speed was 6 km/s.

The roof-mounted mass-driver cannon on an AT-TE walker.
The roof-mounted mass-driver cannon on an AT-TE walker.

Mass drivers were used to launch missile weapons carried internally, projectiles, and explosive shells. They could be found on a variety of craft from the missile launchers on the LAAT/i, the siege weapons on Dreadnought battle tank, the flak guns on most capital ships, or serving as artillery on the AT-AP or the SPHA mass driver.

The Vengeance-class frigates of Tyber Zann's Consortium were armed with four mass driver batteries, each comprising two bundles of three individual cannons. Unlike conventional beam weaponry, these heavy orange rounds were not affected by ray shields, allowing these frigates to bypass an enemy's shielding and destroy it.

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Sources

Rate this article:
Share this article: