Laser Cannon (EU2012)

Description

These super-cooled laser cannons can take down most alien craft, but they have a limited range, requiring the Interceptor to close in on hostile targets. Frame-mounted laser cannon Integrated large-scale cooling systems eliminate fire capacity limits found in battlefield laser tech

Source: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)

Notes

Research Required	Heavy Lasers
Base Costs	§40 25 Alloys 10 Engineers
Hit Chance	85%
Range	85
Firing Time	0.75
Damage	400/400/400/400
Armor Penetration	25/25/25/28

• Laser Cannons are the first weapon that really start to give your Interceptors a noticeable edge when dealing with UFOs. They share the short range/rapid fire properties of the Phoenix Cannon, and trade a little bit of their hit rate for a noticeable increase in Armor Penetration. Although they will probably get a little cooked approaching the UFO, they'll handle all but the largest and most powerful UFOs with ease.
• It should be noted that it's very easy to sequence break on the Tech Tree and skip Laser Cannons entirely and go straight to Plasma Cannons by capturing a Muton when they first appear and are still equipped with Light Plasma Rifles instead of regular Plasma Rifles. By researching Light Plasma Rifle, and interrogating the Muton for its Plasma Weaponry Credit, you can get Plasma Cannons far earlier than normal.
• Laser Cannons require the Heavy Lasers research project before they can be produced.
• An Interceptor equipped with a Laser Cannon is on somewhat equal footing with an Abductor UFO.