Marketed as a police 'capture system' by the Dester Corporation, this missile is also widely used by the navy and pirates.
The detonation of the EMP warhead carried by the disruptor releases a pulse of electromagnetic energy that can short-out the electronics controlling the target's shields, weapons CPU and other systems, leaving it temorarily defenceless.
This leaves a valuable opening to attack while the target is 'dead in the water', as the onboard systems reboot and circuit breakers reset.
They are usually used as an opening weapon in a dogfight once in PBC range, crippling the target ship and allowing a clear shot at the engines, weapons or crew.
Most vessels have a series of surge protectors, circuit breakers and shielded chips to minimize the disruptor effect, but most disruptors overcome this with the sheer brute force of the pulse, knocking a ship out for vital seconds.