Demolisher cannon
The Demolisher Cannon is a short-range, large-bore direct fire cannon mounted on various Imperial vehicles, but most commonly on the Baneblade, Leman Russ Demolisher and Vindicator. Primarily designed with siege, urban, and bunker busting warfare in mind, the cannon has also been known to be of great use against enemy vehicles and infantry, destroying both with equal ease.[1][4][5]
The Demolisher fires special ammunition much larger than that used in the Battle Cannon, allowing to punch through layers of concrete and plasteel alike. It is constructed with an outer layer of standard high explosive and shrapnel which surrounds a chemical core. Upon impact the explosive layer detonates, punching a hole in the enemy's armour and spreading shrapnel over a wide area. It also starts a chemical reaction in core causing it to super-heat into a jet of plasma, which lances through the compromised armour spreading molten death over a wide area and literally ripping the target from the inside out. The tremendous recoil produced by firing the cannon is capable of lifting the front end of a tank off the ground and, were it fired while movie, risk causing it to roll over.[1] However the cannon an effective range of one kilometer,[3] limiting its utility to short-ranged combat such as urban and siege warfare.[1][4]
The Demolisher Cannon used by Vindicators fire special siege shells consisting of an armor-piercing tip, heavy shell casing and massive explosive charge micro-fused to allow penetration of a building or bunker before detonating. The siege shell is launched thanks to an on-board rocket engine, which uses solid propellant shaped to control its time and rate of burn for maximum accuracy. In order to avoid the build-up of rocket blast-back, this gas is vented when the cannon is fired to prevent the barrel from deforming or bursting from over-pressure. The sheer size and mass of the shell however reduces its stowage capacity and accuracy over long ranges, even with fin stabilisation and booster burns.[2] As such it is also limited to being used for destroying enemy fortifications and fighting in close-quarters combat such as jungle warfare.[2][5]
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Codex: Imperial Guard (2nd Edition), Pg. 23
- 2: Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition, p. 68, 251
- 3: Inferno! (Magazine) #3, Pg. 37
- 4: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), Pg. 49
- 5: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), Pg. 80
