Encyclopedia of Speculative Fiction

BTL Y-wing starfighter

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(Redirected from Y-wing)
Image:Ywing.jpg
Y-wing Starfighter
Manufacturer Koensayr
Model BTL-S3 Y-wing Attack Starfighter
Class Assault Starfighter
Length 16 meters
Max Acceleration 2700 G
Max Speed 1000 km/h
Engine Unit(s) Koensayr R200 Ion Jet Engine (2)
Hyperdrive Class 1
Crew Pilot (1), Astromech (1), BTL-S3 includes one co-pilot/gunner
Passengers None
Affiliation Rebel Alliance, Alliance of Free Planets, New Republic

The Y-wing, built by Koensayr, was a mainstay of the Rebel Alliance starfighter corps. The craft carried two laser cannons, two ion cannons, and two proton torpedo launchers. An astromech droid, such as an R2 unit, plugged into a socket in the craft to act as a copilot.

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Details

The Y-wing was already nearly obsolete by the close of the Galactic Civil War, being slow and ungainly compared to other Alliance fighters; but it was still fielded by many planetary defense forces, mercenaries, and pirates. Its deficiencies were partly compensated for by the heavy proton torpedo load it could carry, and its ability to paralyze craft with ion cannon fire without destroying them, unique until the B-wing starfighter was introduced after the Battle of Yavin. It was a rugged design, but it has some design flaws requiring constant maintenance, which lead many crews to remove the superficial hull plating. Many Y-wings have no hull plating (except on the cockpit), exposing the internals of the main hull.

Despite its shortcomings in speed and maneuverability, the Y-Wing was an extremely durable craft, with heavier shielding than the X-wing starfighter. It could withstand many laser blasts, and it was quite difficult to destroy. The Y-Wing was often used as an assault craft to attack enemy capital ships directly in conjunction with B-wings. X-wings and A-wings were used to distract the enemy fighters and the ship's gunners, to allow the Y-wings and B-wings to focus their fire on the capital ship. This tactic was similar to the "A-wing Slash", which involves solely X-wings and A-wings.

One famous Y-wing pilot was Horton Salm, who flew in the Battle of Endor.

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Variants

There were two common designs during the height of the Galactic Civil War, as well as other, less common, variants.

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BTL-S3 Y-wing

The BTL-S3 was a two-man strike starfighter. The weapons systems officer typically operated the ion cannon turret when needed.

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BTL-A4 Y-wing

The BTL-S3 was supplanted in most services by the BTL-A4, which was crewed by a single person. The ion cannon turret was typically locked forwards in this design, although some pilots chose to lock it facing aft for extra cover. In addition, this variant boasted much greater endurance (as much as three times greater) over its earlier predecessor, but was penalized with less powerful shields and loss of accuracy in the ion cannon.

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BTL-A4 Y-wing (LP) - "LongProbe"

An additional, though less common, BTL-A4 variant known as the "LongProbe"' was equipped with a nav computer, backup hyperdrive, advanced scanners, and an extended fuel supply in place of the weapons systems officer. The "LongProbe" was used primarily for long range scouting missions.

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Appearances

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External links

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