W - 165 planetary turbolaser The w - 165 planetary turbolaser was a heavy turbolaser manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards . At the time of its introduction it was the most powerful planetary turbolaser ever built , and was four times as powerful as the v - 150 Planet Defender . Description . The w - 165 was powerful enough to blast an " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer into pieces with a sustained volley , especially if it could pierce the main reactor after punching through the heavy armor plating . Indeed , the energy needed for each shot was enough to power a large city for an entire day . The w - 165 ' s barrel was 25 meters in diameter and used 3 kilometers of layered galven circuitry woven throughout it to produce a concentrated laser beam . The turbolaser rested on a stabilizing platform 150 meters in diameter , including 8 stabilizer legs when situated on ice or other unstable terrain ; flotation platforms and durasteel anchor cables allowed the w - 165 to be placed on lakes or oceans . This platform housed the 50 meter - diameter reactor core as well as gunnery stations along the platform ' s outer ring for the 50 soldiers , technicians , computer operators , engineers and gunners needed to operate the weapon . The platform was heavily armored with 4 meters of permacite armor - plating and dozens of deflector shield projectors , sufficient to defend against turbolaser blasts , proton bombs and similar enemy ordnance , though engineers often buried the lower portion of the platform beneath rock or earth for additional protection . This turbolaser could effectively target enemies through the use of its long - range sensors that were located on the platform . Additional targeting information was provided by sensor arrays on orbiting satellites . This sensor information could then be fed into the global processing network , which could in turn provide firing vectors for additional turbolasers , and allowed a quick and efficient planetary defense . Rotation gears were used to aim the turbolaser , continuously adjusting to ensure pinpoint accuracy , and allowed the barrel to rotate 360 - degrees and swing the turret in a complete 180 - degree arc . The w - 165 combated overheating dangers by employing over 48 overload dispersal tubes , which allowed excess heat to be absorbed or redirected and prevent an explosion in the event of a critical malfunction . The turbolaser actuator was also surrounded in a cooling sleeve to keep it within safe operating temperatures and featured armor plating to reduce the effects of blast damage should an accidental explosion overload occur . However , the w - 165 did have a few disadvantages . It was not a rapid fire weapon , as the reactor core could only provide enough energy for one shot every ten seconds , while the rotation gears used to aim the turbolaser were slow and limited its firing vectors . This meant a planet needed to install a hundred or more w - 165s to provide complete coverage , which , at a cost of 10 million credits each , was an expensive proposition . Still , it was a cost many planets were more than willing to pay to ensure the safety of their population , and many worlds had an extensive network of planetary turbolasers , ion cannons and planetary shields to defend themselves from bombardment . History . The original KDY design for a surface - to - space weapon , the m - 68 planetary magnapulse cannon , turned out to be more effective at surface - to - surface combat , so the w - 165 turbolaser was created to fulfill its original role . The New Republic would later install w - 165 planetary turbolasers on over three hundred of their worlds to protect them from pirate raids and the Imperial Remnant .