X-wing

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

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; other ships flew against the Death Star II, helping the Millennium Falcon destroy the incomplete battlestation; and decades later they also served against the First Order by helping destroy Starkiller Base.

One of the premiere starfighters throughout the Known Galaxy for decades, 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 other starfighter models 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. 

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-wings 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. 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 before vanishing into hyperspace where TIE Fighters could not follow and they could outpace the sluggish Imperial Star Destroyers. 

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 with wings locked in their distinctive attack position was known to result in sheer terror in the hearts of TIE Fighter Pilots and for Star Destroyer Captains to tread cautiously, painfully aware that if they were incautious, their 'invincible' ships would be savagely mauled.

Technical Specifications (Original Star Wars Trilogy)[]

• MODEL: T-65

• MODEL VARIATIONS: T-65A2, T-65A3, T-65AC4, T-65B, T-65BR Recon-X, T-65C-A2, T-65D-A1, T-65 Advanced-X, T-65 Trainer-X, T-65J, T-65J3, T-65J5

• CLASS: Space Superiority Starfighter

• OVERALL LENGTH: 13.4 meters (44 feet)

• OVERALL BEAM: 11.76 meters (38.7 feet)

• OVERALL DRAFT: 2.4 meters (8.1 feet)

• OVERALL MASS: 10 metric tons

• MAXIMUM CARGO CAPACITY: 110 kilograms

• CREW COMPLEMENT: 1 Pilot, 1 Astromech Droid

• MAXIMUM ATMOSPHERIC SPEED: 1,050 kph (650 mph)

• MAXIMUM SUBLIGHT SPEED: 100 MGLT (Megalight)

• HYPERSPEED CLASSIFICATION: Class 1 Lightspeed

Design Features (Original)[]

The T-65 X-wings was the most advanced single-pilot starfighter ever built when it was first designed. It consists of a main hull which is a sharply streamlined elongated rectangular narrow body with a diamond-shaped prow that widens significantly about two-thirds of its length. The widened section contains the cockpit, the astromech socket, deflector shield generators, and the Class 1 hyperdrive unit.

The legendary durability of the X-wing is derived from a series of Chempat "Defender" Deflector Shields installed within the craft which generated strong ray and particle shielding. Thanks to the Chempat Deflectors, the X-wing could withstand greater amounts of damage than the typical Imperial fighters of this era and could absorb several critical hits and remain combat worthy.

The X-wing receives its nickname from the signature double-layered strike foil wings or "S-foils" affixed to four oversized 4L4 fusial thrust engines that provided sublight propulsion that enabled the X-wings to equal the flight speeds of the Imperial's signature twin ion engine designs utilized by the standard TIE Fighter classes. Further, high-mass electromagnetic gyros in the turbines of these engines enabled the X-wing to execute amazingly tight turns and radical curves with precise microbursts of thrust. These micro-bursts can also provide a brief turbo boost of acceleration when needed in dogfighting.

Mounted on the tip of each S-foil is a powerful laser cannon and normally, the S-foils are locked flush against each other during flight. But in combat, these strike foils would split apart until they assumed a 30-degree plane separation and forming it's distinctive and characteristic "X" shape. The separation increased the starfighter's range of fire which would give them a greater chance of successfully hitting fast and mobile targets such as another starfighter.

Part of the X-wing's amazing combat efficiency is thanks to a top-mounted astromech socket located just behind the cockpit. This allows R2 and R5 astromechs to be loaded into the socket in order to act as a combination of flight engineer, astronavigator, computer support, and combat assistant to the pilot. The astromech constantly monitors engine performance and deflector shields; performs real-time maintenance; adjustments for optimum flight capabilities; and can even perform limited repairs if the ship is damaged in combat. Further, the astromechs are an essential component to the hyperdrive system as they store various hyperspace coordinates in their internal databanks which allows the X-wing to perform hyperspace jumps.

Armament (Original)[]

The typical T-65 X-wing has four Taim & Bak KX9 laser cannons mounted at the tips of each wing foil. Each laser cannon had a magnetic flashback suppressor which prevented the exceedingly powerful laser from potentially damaging the cannon itself. Each KX9 laser had an effective range of approximately 8 kilometers in atmosphere and 80 kilometers in space. A singular KX9 laser cannon surpassed the sheer destructiveness of the TIE Fighters' armaments making a fully armed X-wing with four such cannons, an incredibly dangerous instrument in the hands of its pilot.

The pilots had a selection of various firing modes as well; single fire which meant that the four cannons discharge individually or paired fire where an upper and lower cannon fire as one. There was also quad fire mode where all four cannons discharged simultaneously but this firing mode also was the most energy intensive. Post-Endor X-wings also incorporated a shutter fire mode where the lasers went into rapid-fire discharging a high volume of low-powered lasers.

Each T-65 X-wing also carried dual Krupx MG7 proton torpedo launch tubes. Each tube could carry up to three warheads and combined, an X-wing had a full complement of 6 torpedoes of the highly lethal ordnance which unleashed a devastating powerful burst of proton-scattering radiation. The self-guiding proton warhead was highly energized after launch, causing them to glow and made them difficult for them to be shot down by defensive flak fire. The typical warhead had an effective range of 200 to 800 meters and the X-wing's targeting computers had advanced tactical imagery which gave a skilled pilot an accuracy of 98.7 percent.

Some of the T-75J Models built post-Endor were noted for sacrificing their cargo capacity for an extra torpedo tube giving them a total of 9 warheads.

It should be noted that during the early days of the Galactic Civil War, it was rare for the constantly resource-strapped Rebellion to equip fully armed X-wings. At the Battle of Yavin for example, all of the X-wings had a single pair of proton torpedoes in their launchers.

Technical Specifications (New Star Wars Trilogy)[]

• MODEL: T-70, T-85

• CLASS: Space Superiority Starfighter / Bomber / Capital Ship Assault / Escort

• OVERALL LENGTH: 12.49 meters (41 feet)

• OVERALL BEAM: 11.26 meters (37 feet)

• OVERALL DRAFT: 1,92 meters (6.3 feet)

• CREW COMPLEMENT: 1 Pilot, 1 Astromech Droid

• MAXIMUM ATMOSPHERIC SPEED: 1,100 kph (684 mph)

• MAXIMUM SUBLIGHT SPEED: 110 MGLT (Megalight)

• HYPERSPEED CLASSIFICATION: Class 1 Lightspeed

Design Features (New)[]

The T-70 X-wing design is heavily based on its predecessor although it has been significantly upgraded. Like the original X-wings, the T-70's have an elongated dagger-shaped hull but even more streamlined and is also better armored. The targeting computers, flight controls, and other essential piloting instrumentation and equipment are located in an reinforced armored cockpit module with the pilot for improved durability and survivability.

Further, it has 4 Incom-FrieTek 5L5 fusial thrust engines that are integrated into the interlocking S-foil wings. When the S-foil wings separate into their characteristic "X" shape, the forward engine intakes separate as well, becoming split-intake. The new reactant fusion and ionization chamber that provides the power for the T-70 is so powerful that it requires the S-foils to separate and helps it shed waste heat particularly when it is in combat. The T-70s mount four powerful retro thrusters which boost its dogfighting capabilities allowing it to perform unexpected aerial maneuvers.

Unlike the previous design which could only interface with R2 and R5 astromech models, the T-70's astromech socket is widely variable and is able to interface with a wide assortment of astromech droid models from the venerable R2 to the newer BB models. Further, the astromechs no longer require external assistance to dock or undock from the top of the ship as with the T-65's such as a crane or repulsor unit. Instead, all of the T-70's have a loading armature which would descend from the bottom of the craft to draw the astromech to plug into the astromech socket on remote command.

Armament (New)[]

The T-70 X-wings has undergone significant upgrades in various weapons. As with its predecessors, the T-70 has four Taim & Bak KX12 laser cannons mounted at the tips of each wing foil. Each laser cannon had a magnetic flashback suppressor which prevented the exceedingly powerful laser from potentially damaging the cannon itself.

The T-70 also carried an amazingly heavy load of projectile weaponry as well. In addition to an advanced rapid-reload torpedo launcher with 8 miniaturized proton torpedoes; the T-70 boasted a secondary quick-change magazine rack that enabled pilots to rapidly switch a variety of armaments ranging from concussion missiles and mag-launcher warheads depending on their mission profile. Concussion missiles use powerful explosives to create propagating shockwaves to inflict increased damage to surroundings while the new mag-launcher warheads discharges electromagnetic pulses to disrupt enemy electronics which transformed the T-70 into a bomber in addition to its primary role as a space superiority fighter.

In addition, to bolster the T-70's rear defenses, an aft-facing blaster cannon could be deployed on the underside of the X-wing or could rotate to serve as ground cannon against enemy troops when the craft is landed.

History[]

The X-wing Space Superiority Starfighter has a long and tumultuous history that stretches back a century or more before it was even drafted.  The basic design itself was heavily based on the long lasting Z-95 Headhunter which was originally designed during the waning days of the Old Republic by Incom Corporation as an atmospheric fighter craft.   

The Z-95 were named after an infamous ghoulish predator native to the planet Fresia where the Incom Corporation was based that were renowned for devouring the head of their prey whole.  

Although originally designed as a durable and versatile atmospheric fighter craft; the strength and superior design of the Z-95 enabled any competent engineer to modify it for space travel and combat which led the Headhunters transformation into legendary starfighters ever since.  

The Clone Wars would see Incom taking the basic designs of the Headhunters and applying them to a more advanced starfighters such as the Aggressive ReConnaisance Starfighter (ARC-170) as well as the Clone Z-95 Starfighter.  

Despite their age and being considered obsolete as a front-line starfighter for decades even before the Clone Wars; the Headhunter does and remains a common and familiar sight throughout the Galaxy thanks to its rugged durability and ease of use. Governments throughout the Outer Rim view them as cheap, 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 consider it a rite of passage to fly one of these classic ships at least once. Even Han Solo was known to reminisce about flying a Z-95 Headhunter as part of his misspent youth. 

The T-65 X-wing was the brainchild of Vors Voorhorian, a respected engineer from Incom Corporation.  He envisioned a newer and technologically updated starfighter based on the venerable Headhunter. Ironically enough, the T-65 was intended for the Galactic Empire's starfighter forces as a much more capable fightercraft than the ubiquitous TIE Fighter.  

However superior an engineer he was, Voorhorian did not grasp the political realities that the Empire would never accept his advanced X-wing design.  He failed to realize that the numerous shortcomings of the inferior TIE Fighter design was deliberate. Emperor Palpatine wanted cheap and expendable fighters thus sparing the need for expensive shield generators and hyperdrives. Their low cost also enabled him to build them in huge numbers and with his distrust of defection or 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 limited opportunities for desertion. 

It didn't help him that the Imperial Security Bureau were long suspicious of the staunchly independent Incom Corporation and their pro-Rebellion leanings. At their urging, Emperor Palpatine decided to nationalize them and seize their resources, staff, and designs including the T-65. Rebel agents however 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. These prototypes allowed the Rebellion to decimate several TIE Fighter Squadrons in the Battle of Fresia and allowed the core of Incom to flee to safety. Where the Empire had strength of numbers, the Rebellion seized on the fact that they could hope to equal them with the superior design of the X-wing Starfighter in a case of quality over quantity. The defecting Incom engineers would go on to become a key part of the Rebel Alliance and their creation would go on to become a mainstay of the Alliance for decades. 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. 

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, replacing the aging Z-95s and venerable Y-wings that the Rebels had been using as their primary space fighters. The fact that the X-wing was heavily based on the spaceframe of the Headhunters were a great time saving method for training pilots as it allowed the Rebellion to perform introductory flight training by 'innocently' familiarizing pilots with the classic Z-95 before graduating them to the X-wing. Amateur pilots could and usually did quickly pick up on the controls including the most famous X-wing pilot of them all, Luke Skywalker who had extensively flown a T-16 Skyhopper airspeeder (which also was a famous and long-lasting line manufactured by Incom Corp) back on Tatooine. Skywalker's familiarity with the T-16 is probably why he was able to master the controls after a single lesson before the decisive Battle of Yavin where the X-wings truly distinguished themselves.    

By virtue that one X-wing successfully destroyed the Death Star quickly ensured that these starfighters would become an enduring symbol of victory against impossible odds for the Rebel Alliance. Skywalker would subsequently assemble and organize a flight of elite pilots which became known as Rogue Squadron. In the cockpits of their X-wings; the Rogues would fly a critical escort mission to Barkesh, skirmished on Tatooine and Corellia, helped liberate Gerrad V, raided Balmorra, and flew the rescue mission on Kessel. Rogue Squadron's bold successes resulting in making them almost as legendary as their Founder and further cemented the "legend" of the X-wing.   

Although the Empire would eventually acquire designs specs and captured samples 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 despite the strong urging of several Imperial Admirals who felt they needed technological parity with the formidable fighters. 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.

The X-wings would continue to serve in nearly every single major engagement of the Galactic Civil War, covering the retreat from Hoth and then as part of the fleet that destroyed the Death Star II at Endor and beyond as a major component of the Alliance.

Sadly, it was only after the Battle of Endor that the Rebellion could mass-produce large quantities of the X-wing Starfighters due to the sheer complexity, expense, and resource-intensive requirements of its varied components which meant that the Rebellion had only a few of these starfighters available at any time. Often, components had to be built in secret in various scattered factories and private workshops before being shipped to drydocks where they were clandestinely and carefully assembled and smuggled to secret Rebellion fighter bases. This laborious method did allow the X-wings to be constantly modified during the Galactic Civil War with each successive model being upgraded and improved enabling the starfighter to remain at the forefront of cutting edge technology.  

Even though its' been over 40 years since the vintage T-65s debuted, the X-wings continue to be a familiar sight to many. Following the Battle of Endor, the surviving members of Incom Corporation would reorganize under a new corporation umbrella known as Incom-FreiTek and would create a new and more advanced X-wing design known as the T-70's which would become the standard starfighter for the new Republic for many years yet sleeker, faster, better armed, and even more durable than its notable predecessor.   

In time, the T-70s would be retired and replaced with a newer version known as the T-85's which continue their predecessors' legacy as the lead starfighter for a whole new generation of pilots and soldiers.  

At present the Resistance employs the T-70 X-wing in their fighter wings, which were donated by sympathetic members of the New Republic. Once again, proving their mettle, the T-70's took the lead against the surviving remnants of the Empire known as the First Order by helping destroy their new Starkiller Base nearly 30 years following the Battle of Endor.