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The Incom T65 X-wing is a ''. It is depicted as the primary Interceptor and Dogfight er of the Rebel Alliance . The X-wing pilots of '' computer game series. REAL-WORLD HISTORY The X-Wing was developed during the production process of ' from an earlier fighter-bomber craft described in draft scripts as possibly being what became '' Revenge Of The Sith s ARC-170. As production progressed, and the original multi-place craft was refined into a single-place (the bomber function being taken up by the Y-Wing), Joe Johnston and Colin Cantwell submitted sketches and models of the fighter. Early photographs of Cantwell's preproduction models show a vaguely X-Wing shape, but one that is more needle-nosed, and with a S-foil orientation that is more equally cruciform than the acute angles of the final shooting models.1 The shooting models for "hero" fighters (such as Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles ) have some subtle differences in not only the markings, but in surface detail (such as the lengths of the individual engine burner nozzles). The most noticeable difference in markings are the hash marks along the trailing edge of each wing, intended to indicate the call number of each pilot (Wedge, as Red 2, has two hash marks, Luke, as Red 5, has five.) Original models were to be given blue markings (in the original script, and the 1976 tie-in novel, Skywalker's squadron is identified as "Blue Squadron") but it was found that with limitations of Bluescreen photography blue areas would show up transparent, and so a quick decision was made to change the markings to red. For the Special Edition , all of the digital models of X-Wings for enhanced shots were based on the shooting model for Wedge's fighter, and so have the "Red 2" markings. Luke's fighter retains the Red 5 Markings throughout all three films. OVERVIEW The X-wing made its debut in Episode IV of Star Wars (A New Hope). It was a fictional starfighter created by set artists in Lucasfilm and features Luke Skywalker's piloting skills, and was the unofficial flagship of the Rebel Alliance in the movie series. It became a pop-culture icon making the phrase 'Red Leader' famous. In the Star Wars universe the X-wing was 'designed' by Incom Corporation for the Empire, but the entire engineering team defected to the Rebel Alliance with the prototypes. It is directly descended from the old Z-95 Headhunter , and shares design features with the Clone Wars era ARC-170 (featured in Episode 3), which were both 'built' by Incom and Subpro. In Star Wars literature, the X-wing was shown to have been continually updated throughout its design lifetime. The original T-65B fielded by the Rebel Alliance was a competent strike fighter for its time, but was soon supplanted by the T-65CA2 which boasted improved acceleration. The T-65CA3 improved the avionics, shields and sensors; the T-65CA4 was primarily another engine upgrade, which made it nearly the equal of the A-wing in maneuverability. One notable design, the T-65D-A1, replaced the astromech droid with an internal computer core for hyperdrive jump calculations but was considered a failure (partially due to ease of sabotage). In the Star Wars Expanded Universe literature, before the 'Yuuzhan Vong' invasion, the New Republic fielded the "XJ" series of X-wing. The new X-wing fighter was described as having a third torpedo bay increasing the Proton Torpedo payload to nine. Engines, lasers and avionics were also improved. The XJ could also utilize the new model R7 Astromech Droid , although some modifications to both the starfighter and droid had to be made. The "XJ" was greatly improved in all respects over the earlier designs and was initially issued to starfighter squadrons with Jedi pilots. The final realization of the XJ-series during the war was the XJ3. In other Star Wars literature, more X-wing models were created- the 'XJ6', as well as several specialized variants including a stealth fighter- StealthX, described as a compact model painted matte black and outfitted for stealth operations. Another model created was the ChaseX; based on the XJ5, it was presumably designed for interception duties. The Jedi owned and operated several StealthX fighters. Many older X-wings were later rebuilt into the T-65BR reconnaissance variant after being replaced by the newer combat models. It had been intended that the X-wing series would be replaced by the E-wing approximately six years after the Battle Of Endor but initial design issues relating to the weapons placement delayed wide-spread introduction into the New Republic defense forces. Wide-scale deployment of the E-wing did occur (most notably in Fifth Fleet) but X-wing production continued and may have equipped fighter squadrons not "at the tip of the spear". One notable exception is Rogue Squadron, the Republic's most elite fighter squadron, known for its almost exclusive use of the X-wing. Star Wars literature telling the story of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, described the new republic's fleet consisting of the "XJ" series , supplementing the more advanced (and certainly more expensive) Series III E-wing. Some paramilitary groups were also equipped with earlier XJ-series fighters (probably T-65XJ or T-65XJ2); system-defense forces and poorer paramilitary groups may have had X-wings of varying age and capability. There are two conflicting systems of identification for the X-wing. The basic "T-65" designation is constant, but the modifier is inconsistent. At least two systems were used. One of them uses the suffix "CA1" with the last number incrementing as the fighter is revised. A second system resembles that of the modern United States military in which a letter is appended to the end in increasing value (T-65B, T-65D, T-65J, etc.). These are usually thought of as different names for the same variations. SPECIFICATIONS Approximately 41 feet in length. Hyperspace capable and with a top speed of 5,025 mph in atmosphere. X-wings have pairs of wing-like stabilizer foils, or S-foils, mounted at the rear of the craft. Normally these foils are locked flush against each other allowing for greater speed, but less maneuverability. During combat however, the foils are deployed, increasing the spread coverage of the laser cannons mounted at the tips of the foils, maneuverability, and to better dissipate waste heat, at the cost of some speed. This is also what give the craft its distinctive X shape. The cannons on some earlier models cannot be fired with the S-foils in locked position, a safety mechanism that helps to avoid S-foil damage from the laser cannons' intense heat. An attempted jump into hyperspace with the S-foils open will also likely cause extreme damage to the ship. This was also the X-wing's greatest weakness. For a pilot wanting to escape from an intense battle, he or she would have to close the S-foils first before going into hyperspace. This would leave a short period of time of leaving the X-wing defenseless against attacks. Many X-wing pilots lost their lives this way when their craft was shot to pieces after closing their S-foils. Wedge Antilles, from the Rogue Squadron Novels, mentions this in volumes one and two of the novels, mentioning about how one of his friends died this way. The B-Wing also suffered from this weakness, but due to stronger shields it was more than likely able to take a few hits and survive before going into hyperspace. Weapons Though it is very maneuverable, the X-wing is best known for carrying four powerful laser cannons, along with launcher tubes for proton torpedoes. The lasers are so powerful that crescent shaped shields had to be fitted behind the barrel tip to reflect energy and thus prevent the weapon from damaging itself. Other warheads such as concussion missiles can be fired from the launchers, but this requires a considerable amount of time and effort on the part of the technical crews, and the overall versatility of the proton torpedo is ideally suited to the X-wing's varied mission profile. On certain occasions the X Wing can also be loaded with dye markers to mark certain areas or things with colored dye as seen in Chapter 4 of the Rogue Squadron Comic "The Rebel Opposition." And on rarer occasions the X-Wing can be fitted with an ion cannon. These were only seen in the videogame ''Rogue Squadron'' when Rogue Squadron freed Wedge Antilles from the Kessel Spice mine prison train. The X-wing's fire control systems provide various settings:
The fighter has cockpit space for one pilot, although later recon version of the X-Wing were modified for a 2 person crew. However these were quickly phased out due to cramped quarters that actually hindered the work rather than easing it. The X-wing was also assisted by an Astromech Droid (such as an R2 or R5 unit) in an external socket. The astromech monitors the status of the craft, can make limited emergency repairs and handles hyperspace calculations. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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