Ships of Star Wars (B-Wing)

As requested in the last thread, the A/SF-01 B-Wing! Apologies for the lateness, I was watching the new movie (was good).

Once again, while some of this is technically "legends" I won't post anything directly interfering with canon without mentioning it. Many of the useful technical manuals such as the 'Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels' are now technically non-canon, so there's not much real information, as a disclaimer I will be using this and other similar sources. To be honest though some of what I say will probably be non-canon.

Origins

Like many starfighters in the Galactic Civil War, the B-Wing's design was based loosely on a Clone Wars era craft, the V-19 Torrent, which notably was produced by the same manufacturing company as the B-Wing, Slayn and Korpil. Much of the B-Wing's design was of Mon Calamari origins however.

Originally intended to replace the aging Y-Wing, the B-Wing's complex design and cost meant that the Y-Wing was held in service even after the B-Wing's introduction.

History

The B-Wing was produced sometime around 5 BBY (before Before Battle of Yavin). Its first notable engagement however was much later at the Battle of Endor, where B-Wings earned a good reputation as an assault bomber, destroying several Imperial Star Destroyers.

The B-Wing continued in service long after the fall of the Empire, their exact timeframe of replacement is a little unclear however, but it certainly continued to serve the New Republic for a long while.

Design

The B-Wing's primary role was that of 'assault fighter', primarily designed to strike capital ships, as such, while rather ponderous (slower than even the Y-Wing and just over 1/3 the atmospheric speed of an SU-27), the B-Wing was exceptionally well armored and shielded. It possessed a hyperdrive and integrated life support as well.

It did however interestingly lack an Astromech, which made long distance lightspeed jumps and in flight repairs difficult.

Appearance

So out of universe explanation for not looking like a 'B' stems from the design names given to rebel craft during filming, X, Y, and Z in A New Hope (Z was cut and made into the Z-95 later) and A and B in Return of the Jedi.

The most notable feature, the unfolding wings or 'S-foils' that gave the craft part of its unique appearance were a multipurpose tool, increasing weapon coverage, stability, and aiding in heat dispersion.

The distinctive rotating cockpit allowed for a greater flexibility of maneuver as well as allowing for more adjusted visibility.

Armament

The B-Wing was one of the most heavily armed fighters in the Galactic Civil War. It possessed a chin mounted pair of autoblasters, 3 ion cannons, and a heavy laser cannon, as well as 2 proton torpedo launcher with 8 torpedoes each.

It also possessed shields stronger than any other mass-produced fighter at the time.

Variants

The B-Wing/E possessed an extended cockpit, including a gunner to assist in firing its weapons, which allowed the pilot to concentrate on the already difficult flying (especially in the rotating cockpit) instead of the large and varied armaments of the craft.

For the most part modifications of the B-Wing were relatively uncommon, due to the fact that it entered service late the war so retrofitting it to perform different missions was unnecessary due to the availability and variety of other craft as well as the fact that the B-Wing pretty much already possessed every weapon you could want.

Famous B-Wing Pilots

Ten Numb (Pictured) -Blue 5, Battle of Endor.

Keyan Farlander -One of two pilots who survived both Endor and Yavin)

Nera Dantels -Blue Dagger, Dagger Squadron

Admiral Ackbar -Flew a B-Wing/E as his personal transport.

Previously.

Y-Wing http://imgur.com/gallery/Y2QYg

A-Wing http://imgur.com/gallery/uz2li

TIE/LN http://imgur.com/gallery/IbOKS

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