Plasma Accelerator
Plasma Accelerators are mounted on one of your ship's hardpoints and need assigning to a fire group before they can be used. They are very large and powerful weapons. After firing, they take a few seconds to recharge. Two variants are commonly available, imaginatively named 'Large' and 'Small'.
Military battleships, cruisers, and also battlestations, are often equipped with this weapon. They're also fitted to large trading ships and passenger liners operating in the more dangerous regions of space.
Even a Small Plasma Accelerator will destroy a well armed hundred tonne ship with a single shot. The large version has been known to be used as a planetary assault weapon, destroying selected areas of cities from orbit. This has a devastating effect on the local population, because the terrifying noise of the beam cutting through the atmosphere can be heard for hundreds of kilometres, and will deafen anyone unprotected in the vicinity.
In the Elite: Dangerous Beta 1.03, the Anaconda (which costs ~7,000,000 CR) is the only ship capable of fitting the plasma accelerator.
Purchase Locations:
Seen in: (on occasion) Aulin (Aulin Enterprise), (24//08//2014) for (793,600 CR)
I have seen a C4 Plasma Accelerator in Ovid (Bradfield Orbital) for 250,000 CR.
Plasma Accelerator acquired in Aulin on 2/09/2014
Other information
Testing the Plasma Accelerator with my Anaconda on Lakon Type 9s, at Eranin 2, High conflict Zone.
The plasma Accelerator fires a ball of plasma every 3 or 4 seconds, and is only good for direct fire.
3 shots will take out a Lakon 9 shield and another 3 shots for the hull. Damage per shot is 35% + to 14% depending how it hits.
Main problem is over heating after just 3 or 4 shots, best used with a few C3 Gimballed multi-Cannons, as if you use Gimballed laser's, the system heats up too fast and you can't fire the weapon. It's not easy to aim either. It took me some practice to hit a moving Lakon 9.
For best results I just come up behind or just let them come to the front side so I could get a good aim.
Not the weapon form the early game like FE2, FFE. No good against smaller ships, I just can't hit them. Unless they just stop and let me fire at them.