B-wing starfighter
From the Encyclopedia of Speculative Fiction - http://encyclopedia.wizards.pro
| B-wing starfighter | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Slayn & Korpil |
| Model | Blade-wing starfighter |
| Class | Assault starfighter |
| Length | 16.9 meters |
| Max Speed (in standard atmosphere) | 950 km/h |
| Max Acceleration | 2,390 G |
| Engine Unit(s) | Quadex Kyromaster Engine (1) or Slayn & Korpil JZ-5 Fusial Thrust Engine (4) |
| Hyperdrive | Class 2 |
| Crew | Pilot (1) |
| Passengers | None |
| Affiliation | Rebel Alliance, New Republic |
The B-wing starfighter was one of the largest and most heavily armed starfighters in the Rebel Alliance. It was designed by the Verpine company Slayn & Korpil in cooperation with then-Commander Ackbar. It has a somewhat ungainly appearance resembling, when fully unfurled, a top-heavy cross. It carries an unusually high payload as part of its primary function as a fighter specifically designed to attack capital ships. As originally designed, the B-wing carried three ion cannons, two proton torpedo launchers, one laser cannon, and two auto-blasters. Most B-wings had their two auto-blasters replaced with laser cannons to improve survivability and firepower. While its strong shields and great firepower allow it to be somewhat survivable in fighter engagements, it usually must have an escort on the way in. However, with the firepower of many naval corvettes, it is a dangerous foe against many light ships like enemy escort frigates.
The B-wing/E (or B-wing Expanded) was a modification to the original Slayn & Korpil B-wing design. First proposed by Admiral Ackbar and the Verpine after the Battle of Yavin, the B-wing Expanded had an elongated cockpit that allowed a gunner to assist the pilot on missions. This allowed the pilot to concentrate on piloting, and resulted in the B-wing accounting for an increased number of kills in battle. It was faster and tougher than the original B-wing, but was somewhat less maneuverable. There were two models of B-wing/E—the first was simply a military ship, while the second generation (known as the B-wing/E2) was designed as a personal military shuttle. Ackbar used one of these E2-designs as his own shuttle, which he was forced to crash on the planet Vortex after it had been tampered with by Terpfen
While the B-wing was designed to replace the aging Y-wing, the fact that it was very difficult to fly meant that it never fully succeeded in this respect. The fact that its entire hull could rotate separately from its cockpit made the B-wing a challenge to master, as well as making the ship abnormally delicate; too many sharp turns could cause extreme strain to the spaceframe. Only a few pilots were qualified to fly the ship before the Battle of Endor, resulting in a smaller number of B-wings present than expected. These difficulties forced the Rebel Alliance to invest in an upgraded Y-wing, rather than an entirely new ship, to fulfill their needs.
Despite its limited numbers, it was a key Rebel craft in the Battle of Endor.
Appearances
- Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
External link
- B-wing starfighter in the Databank
| Some of this page is derived from Wikipedia. The original article was at B-wing. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Wizards.pro, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |