Concussion Missiles are medium-yield nuclear fusion weapons. Unlike proton torpedoes, concussion missiles were designed with starfighter-to-starfighter capabilities in mind; more suited for targeting and neutralizing fast-moving small unshielded or lightly shielded targets rather than slow, heavily shielded stationary objectives.

A typical concussion missile contains sensor/targeting equipment, a high-speed ion drive, a high-energy containment field generator and a fusion warhead attached to an armor-piercing penetration cap. Although these penetration caps are useful in increasing a concussion missile's effectiveness against armored targets, most high energy particle shields are quite capable of defeating the penetration mechanism. Therefore, concussion missiles lose much of their effectiveness against heavily shielded targets and are more effective against objects with little or no concussion shielding.

Advanced Concussion Missiles such as the Arakyd MKS are second generation weapons designed by the Empire for modern battlefields. These weapons are far more effective than their predecessors; with standard yields often double that of older models. Sporting upgraded sensor tracking systems, higher maneuverability, and second-generation armor piercing technology, these missiles can operate effectively even against targets with heavy particle shields, making them the deadliest mission weapon ton-for-ton in the Imperial arsenal.