portable missile launcher

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Affiliation:
  Galactic Republic; Galactic Empire

• Type:
  PLX-1; PLX-2; PLX-2M

• Manufacturer:
  Merr-Sonn Munitions

• 

From the Expanded Universe

Armed with a portable missile launcher, a single infantryman can transform into a piece of mobile artillery, capable of taking out enemy armored vehicles and fortifications while still only presenting a small and agile target for return fire. Merr-Sonn Munitions supplied the standard portable missile tube for both the clone troopers of the Clone Wars, and the Imperial troops of the Galactic Civil War.

The Merr-Sonn PLX series (or the "Plex," as it is called) of combination missile and rocket launcher quickly became the standard-issue weapon for rapid, high-powered response. The original edition that debuted in the Clone Wars, the PLX-1, could deliver explosive payloads capable of destroying a Trade Federation AAT.

The launcher is an over-the-shoulder device operated by one person. It fires "dumb" rockets in a line-of-sight attack, or can program and fire the smart GAM (gravity-activated mode) guided missile especially designed for the weapon. The Plex chambers one projectile, and holds a second in reserve.

A clone trooper selects the guided missile tracking mode with the push of a firing stud on the launcher housing. The two modes are EPR, which homes in on intense infrared sources such as vehicle exhaust, and GAM, which targets repulsorlift signatures coupled with specific vehicle silhouettes. A GAM missile can pursue a target for 40 kilometers before its fuel expires.

During the height of the Galactic Civil War, the PLX-2 and PLX-2M became standard, refining the launcher with lighter materials, a built-in microrepulsorlift stabilizing unit that acts as an "invisible tripod," and belt-worn firing triggers. The PLX-2M has a larger missile cartridge, allowing an Imperial trooper to carry six Arakyd 3t3 missiles or other specific payloads.