Category:X-wing

X-wings are the standard starfighter used by the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic and most well known for the distinctive "X" shape that its wings have in combat.



Overview
The X-wing Starfighter has played a prominent role throughout the Galactic Civil War. One of these assault crafts, piloted by Luke Skywalker was responsible for the destruction of the Death Star and others flew against the Death Star II, helping the Millennium Falcon destroy the incomplete battlestation.

One of the premiere starfighters throughout the Known Galaxy, many view that it was the possession of these remarkable ships that elevated that Rebel Alliance from a forlorn hope into a credible threat against the Galactic Empire. While certain starfighters can and do exceed them in certain areas, none are able to equal its legendary versatility and blending of speed, agility, firepower, durability, and capability as a long range strikefighter.

With the possession of a compact hyperdrive and an astromech navigation droid, the Rebels' X-Wings Squadrons were able to range over wide areas and conduct raids into Imperial territories with impunity. Combined with their impressive firepower of four independently linked laser cannons, a complement of proton torpedoes that were able to ravage capital-class warships, and deflector shields to enhance their durability; the X-wing were infamous for their ability to go up against multiple enemies and emerge victorious or engage capital-class ships like a Star Destroyer and potentially win with sufficient numbers.

Originally considered a minor threat due to their small size by arrogant Imperial officers; the knowledge that a sole X-wing had destroyed the Death Star caused the mere sight of these crafts racing in caused sheer terror in the hearts of TIE Fighter Pilots and even for Star Destroyer Captains to tread cautiously, aware that if they were incautious, their 'invincible' ships would be mauled.

Technical Specifications

 * Model: T-65


 * Class: Space Superiority Starfighter
 * Overall Length: 12.5 meters
 * Maximum Cargo Capacity: 110 kilograms
 * Crew Complement: 1 Pilot, 1 Astromech Droid
 * Maximum Atmospheric Speed: 1,050 kph (650 mph)
 * Hyperspeed Classification: Class 1 Lightspeed

History
The T-65 X-Wing Space Superiority Starfighter has a long and tumultuous history. It was heavily based on the long lasting Z-95 Headhunter which was built during the waning days of the Old Republic. Named after an infamous ghoulish predator native to the planet Fresia where the Incom Corporation was based on.

Despite being no longer considered a front-line starfighter for decades even before the Clone Wars; the Z-95 Headhunter remains a common and familiar sight throughout the Galaxy thanks to its rugged durability and ease of upgrade. Governments throughout the Outer Rim view it as cheap and reliable and perfect for their local system defense forces; pirates and enterprising criminals love its maneuverability and modularity; and starry eyed youngsters who dream of being adventurous starpilots find it easy to use and for a ease for flight training.

The T-65 was the brainchild of Vors Voorhorian, an engineer from the Incom Corporation. Larger than the Z-95 spaceframe it was based upon, the T-65 was in fact intended for the Galactic Empire's starfighter forces as a much more capable fightercraft than the TIE Fighter. However, Voorhorian did not anticipate the political realities. He failed to realize that the inferior TIE Fighter design was deliberate as Emperor Palpatine wanted cheap and expendable fighters thus sparing the need for shield generators and his distrust of possible betrayal ensured that these ships were heavily dependent upon their carrier ships for use with limited range, life support, and no hyperdrives making them short-ranged and impossible for his pilots to desert easily.

The Imperial Security Bureau were long suspicious of the staunchly independent Incom Corporation and at their urging had Emperor Palpatine nationalize them intending to seize their resources, staff, and designs including the T-65. Before they could do so; Rebel agents learned of their plans and convinced key members of Incom, including Voorhorian to defect and take with them the T-65 blueprints and prototypes, denying the Empire possession of them.

The Rebel Alliance quickly began building and rolling out as many T-65's as they could and they became the backbone of the Rebel Alliance, decimating TIE Fighter Squadrons over the ensuing months. As retribution for their traitorous fellow employees, those Incom employees who did not flee were sentenced to the spice mines of Kessel by the Empire.

Although the Empire would eventually acquire designs specs of the T-65; by that time they had become synonymous with the Rebel Alliance and by Imperial fiat, would never be used by the Empire. Nevertheless the Empire was forced to develop their own advanced TIE Fighter designs to incorporate the advantages that the X-Wings enjoyed including shielding and hyperdrives to counter the lethality of the T-65's.