X-wing fighter
The X-wing fighter are a type of starfighter that feature in Star Wars.
Contents |
History
The X-wing fighter was a type of starfighter developed a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away by the Incom Corporation.
The X-wing was descended from Incom Corporation's Clone Wars–era Fighter, namely the Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter, Clone Z-95 Headhunter, and Z-95 Headhunter. Incom's engineers strove to build a well-rounded, hyperdrive-equipped snubfighter with no exploitable weakness. The new starfighter was intended to become the backbone of the Imperial Navy, but political forces led to the Galactic Empire deciding to rely on Sienar Fleet Systems' more affordable TIE fighter series. The Alliance to Restore the Republic then adopted the X-wing design as its own.
The full-scale Galactic Civil War began with the Battle of Scarif, a costly but significant victory for the Alliance. The newly assembled squad, Rogue One, a special forces team created by Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, Baze Malbus, Chirrut Îmwe, Bodhi Rook, and K-2SO disobeyed direct orders from Alliance High Command and instead deployed itself to Scarif in a desperate bid to steal the technical readouts for the Empire's Death Star battle station, and was subsequently joined by the Alliance Fleet. X-wings from Red Squadron, Green Squadron, Blue Squadron, and Gold Squadron engaged Imperial TIEs and attempted to destroy the Shield Gate, while the capital ships joined the Shield Gate assault and fought the Imperial Star Destroyers. Shortly after the Alliance acquired the Death Star plans, the Death Star arrived at Scarif and fired a low-power blast at the Citadel Tower, killing all forces at the Imperial surface installation.
Within days of Scarif, the Empire learned that the Alliance was headquartered at Yavin 4, and deployed the Death Star to crush the Alliance. The Alliance, having learned of the battle station's fatal design flaw, deployed a force of 30 Starfighter to attempt a series of attack runs on the planet-killing space station. The result was another costly victory for the Alliance. Luke Skywalker, a legendary Force-sensitive Rebel pilot, famously fired a pair of proton torpedoes into the Death Star's thermal exhaust port, causing a chain reaction in the reactor that destroyed the entire station. The Death Star was gone but the Alliance lost 27 Starfighters in the assault.
In 3 ABY, numerous X-wings served as fighter escorts for the Alliance's GR-75 medium transports during the Battle of Hoth. The rearguard actions on the surface covering the evacuation proved costly to the Alliance, with many personnel killed. Additionally, the Alliance was forced to leave behind much of their heavy equipment, and the fleet, including its X-wings, scattered throughout the Outer Rim Territories.
By 34 ABY, the New Republic had retired most of its T-70s in favor of the T-85s, which were even more capable than the already impressive T-70s.
Overview
In appearance, the X-wing starfighters were marked by their distinctive S-foils, a series of two pairs of wing-like surfaces mounted at the rear of the craft which, when locked in their 'attack position', forming the iconic 'X' shape. The primary fuselage was relatively long and sleek, leading to a single-pilot cockpit that was covered by a durable transparisteel canopy. The starfighters were primarily a functional, somewhat boxy design, with a utilitarian aesthetic that featured a reinforced titanium alloy hull, often marked with painted stripes on the S-foils to denote different squadrons and pilots.
The key feature of the ship's physical design was its S-foils, which normally rested flush against each other during standard flight, but would split apart when the pilot locked them into their combat configuration via a servo actuator system. This action provided a broader field of fire for the Taim & Bak KX9 laser cannons, which were mounted on the tip of each of the four wings. A socket for an astromech droid was located directly behind the cockpit, which served as the vessel's navigation system and co-pilot. Additionally, two Krupx MG7 proton torpedo launchers were situated in grooves along the underside of the main fuselage. The craft were considered highly advanced for their time, balancing speed, firepower, and defensive shielding.
Known models of X-Wings included:
- T-65B X-wing starfighter :
- T-65C-A2 X-wing starfighter :
- T-70 X-wing starfighter :
- T-85 X-wing starfighter :
Pilots
- Wedge Antilles :
- Luke Skywalker :
- Poe Dameron :
Notes
- The X-wing fighter was created by George Lucas where it featured in the setting of the Star Wars universe.
Alternate Versions
In other media
Video games
Appearances
- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope:
- Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back:
- Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi:
- The Mandalorian:
External Links
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