Warhammer 40k: How Powerful Was the Planet Killer? Energy, Range, and Planetary Destruction

Planet Killer in Battlefleet Gothic: Armada

The Planet Killer, or Krukal'Righ in the Eye of Terror, was a massive warship that brought terror to the Imperial domains during the Gothic War and the 13th Black Crusade, led by Abaddon.

This vessel was equipped with the Armageddon Cannon, the most terrible and powerful weapon built by the followers of Chaos, capable of destroying Imperial planets such as Savaven, Macharia, and Urthwart, as well as the three moons of the world of Stranivar.

How powerful is this Chaos vessel? In the same way we developed our post about Exterminatus, we will attempt to provide a reasonable estimate that allows us to understand the terrible power of this ship.

Sources

First, let us examine the sources regarding the Planet Killer.

Slayer of worlds warhammer 40- Pag.2

In this first source, it is stated that the planet Savaven was destroyed in less than one hour (similar to the description given in the game Battlefleet Gothic: Armada). Likewise, the world of Furalis II and the moon of Furalis III were annihilated. After that, the world of Stranivar was devastated by a meteor storm, later discovered to consist of fragments from its three moons, which had been destroyed by the Planet Killer. Finally, it destroyed two of the five planets in the Arismapia system. Based on this source, a total of four planets and four moons were destroyed.

Slayer of worlds warhammer 40- Pag.7

Another possible world destroyed would be Kharlos II, although Imperial authorities attribute its destruction to other causes, officially denying the existence of the vessel.

Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook pag. 97

This source confirms the destruction of Savaven, adding further details: the planet was forced out of orbit, and its destruction took approximately between half an hour and one hour of continuous fire.

Energy Estimate

As we have established in previous posts, the energy required to destroy an Earth-sized planet is 2.24 × 10³² joules, and for a moon it is 1.2 × 10²⁹ joules. This would already place the Planet Killer within those energy levels. However, we are not here merely to review sources and make brief estimates.

To go further, I will use the cinematics from Battlefleet Gothic: Armada to estimate the power of the Armageddon Cannon.

Battlefleet Gothic Armada - Planet Killer scenes

For the planetary estimate, I will use Earth’s dimensions and mass as reference values.

Savaven diameter = 335 px = 12,742,000 meters

Distance traveled by the fragments = 95 px = 3,613,402 meters

Area = 92 px = 3,500,050 meters, corresponding to an area of 9.62 × 10¹² m²

Explosion time = 8 seconds (only the time it takes for the planetary fragments to travel the measured distance is considered; the initial explosion lasts 1.8 seconds)

Velocity = 3,613,402 / 8 = 451,675 m/s (Mach 1316)

With these values, we can determine the kinetic energy:

KE = 0.5 × 5.97 × 10²⁴ kg (Earth’s mass) × (451,675 m/s)² = 6 × 10³⁵ joules

This is equivalent to 143,403,441,682,600,378,000 megatons — approximately 143 quintillion megatons, or 143 yottatons of TNT.

Based on descriptions of Savaven’s destruction, we know it took less than one hour (60 minutes — 3,600 seconds).

Power = 6 × 10³⁵ J / 3,600 s = 1.6 × 10³² joules

This would be the higher-end result, considering the total kinetic energy. However, if we instead consider the minimum gravitational binding energy (GBE) required to destroy an Earth-like planet, 2.24 × 10³² joules, then the cannon’s power output would be:

2.24 × 10³² J / 3,600 s = 6.22 × 10²⁸ joules

This places it within a power range comparable to the most powerful cyclonic torpedoes used by the Imperium to carry out Exterminatus.

Attack Range

To determine the cannon’s range, I will use the same method applied in previous posts, overlaying the cinematic scene with an image of Earth from Google Earth.

According to Google Earth, the distance between the vessel and the planet is 31,672 km, approximately 2.4 times Earth’s diameter — a considerable distance.

But how fast is the shot?

Using the cinematic timing, the beam takes 0.3 seconds to cover that distance, measured from the final visible moment of firing.

Velocity = 31,672,000 m / 0.3 s = 105,573,333 m/s

This corresponds to approximately 35% of the speed of light.

Conclusion

The Planet Killer stands as one of the most destructive weapons ever unleashed by Chaos — a warship capable of erasing entire worlds in minutes. Based on cinematic and canonical evidence, its Armageddon Cannon operates within an energy range of 10²⁸–10³² joules, rivaling or surpassing the destructive capacity of Imperial Exterminatus-class weaponry. With a firing velocity approaching 35% the speed of light, the Planet Killer is not just a symbol of Abaddon’s fury — it is a scientific testament to apocalyptic engineering on a galactic scale.

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