A lightspeed torpedo, also referred to as a Galaxy Gun Missile, was a type of missile that could travel through hyperspace. It was the main weapon of the Galaxy Gun and was used to carry the superweapon's payload through hyperspace to its targets.
Description[]
Lightspeed torpedoes were massive, high-yield missiles outfitted with particle disintegrator warheads. The projectiles were launched from the Galaxy Gun, entering hyperspace and emerging at precise coordinates virtually anywhere in the galaxy. Equipped with a fast hyperdrive that rivalled the speed of the Millennium Falcon,[1] lightspeed torpedoes could travel from the Deep Core to the Outer Rim in hours.[2]
Each missile was propelled by sublight ion thrusters alongside the hyperdrive, and included an integrated navigation computer. Short-range defense laser cannons, intended to defend the missile from enemy starfighters, were controlled by a targeting computer. Powerful deflector shields and armor plating protected the missile from ion cannon and turbolaser fire.[2]
The tip of the missile was mounted with the particle disintegrator warhead, which was energized by the internal power core at the projectile neared its target.[2] Once a missile impacted on the surface of a planet, the energized warhead detonated, triggering a series of nucleonic chain reactions that spread across world, relentlessly converting matter to energy, consuming everything in its path.[1] Lightspeed torpedoes were capable of operating at different power settings. While the torpedoes were known for their planet-destroying capability while at full power, the missiles were equally capable of selective strikes against cities or military bases while leaving the rest of the planet unscathed.[2]
Sources[]
- The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology (as Galaxy Gun Missile)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded
- The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia