Mag-pulse warhead
Mag Pulse Torpedo
The mag-pulse warhead, also referenced as the Magnetic pulse or the Mag Pulse Torpedo, represented a very particular type of missile. Instead of causing lasting destruction upon impact, it was designed to impair the target's weapon systems, rendering them defenseless.
Description
The functionality of this weapon was based on a highly concentrated magnetic core. When it hit an enemy spacecraft, an electromagnetic pulse would sap the power from most of its weapon subsystems, reducing their effectiveness to just 25% for a significant duration. It had similarities to an ion cannon in this aspect; however, the advantage of the mag pulse warhead was its ability to bypass even the strongest shields to disable its targets. Unlike ion weaponry, the mag pulse warhead did not affect the craft's propulsion capabilities.
History
Galactic Electronics engineered magnetic pulse warheads for the Rebel Alliance to deploy on their upgraded B-wing starfighters following the Battle of Hoth. The company broke Imperial law by creating new weapons without first notifying the Imperials, and selling these to the Rebels was considered an act of treason. Admiral Zaarin commanded a force, with Maarek Stele at the forefront, that seized the company's Pondut research center.
Later, Zaarin attempted to overthrow the Emperor and initiated a series of attacks within the Omar system with the goal of destroying the TIE Avenger production plants. During this operation, Rebel forces in the region employed mag pulse warheads against the loyalist Imperial "Rope 17" convoy, which was in the process of resupplying factory ZA-13. Admiral Thrawn and Stele tracked the Rebel raiders back to space station RS-32, launching a successful attack to capture it and acquire the valuable mag pulse technology.
Zaarin exploited this situation to trap Thrawn's flagship, the Sceltor, and dispatched the Strike Cruiser Serpent to eliminate his adversary. Although Thrawn's Victory I-class Star Destroyer was theoretically the more powerful warship, Zaarin's cruiser held an advantage as it approached from the rear, where the Star Destroyer's turbolasers had limited firing angles. This tactic, however, backfired when Stele used a Mag Pulse torpedo to cripple the Serpent just as it entered the Sceltor's firing range. The Strike Cruiser found itself temporarily incapacitated, its shields gradually weakened by the constant barrage from Thrawn's flagship. Once the effects of the mag pulse wore off, Stele destroyed the Serpent's remaining shields and disabled it using his TIE Defender's ion cannons. With the primary threat to the Sceltor neutralized, Stele then deployed the remaining mag pulse warheads against the Interdictor Grappler and the Nebulon B2 Modified Frigate Shadow, disabling each warship before systematically destroying their turbolaser turrets, making them easy targets for the Sceltor's three TIE Bombers.