Several of the B-wing’s distinctive design features originated with craft that saw extensive service during the Clone Wars. The fighter’s gyroscopic command pod was similar to the rotating cockpit of the T-6 shuttle, while its folding S-foils were a characteristic shared with the V-19 fighter. As an assault fighter, the B-wing was imagined as a potential replacement for the venerable Y-wing fighter – another craft that dated back to the Clone Wars.

B-wings played a variety of roles during the Battle of Endor, with rebel leaders forced to improvise to survive the trap sprung on them by the Empire. The B-wing pilots of Blade Squadron were initially assigned to the rearguard of the rebel assault on the second Death Star.

But plans changed when Admiral Ackbar’s rebel fleet emerged from hyperspace and discovered the battle station’s shields were still up and Imperial Star Destroyers were waiting to pin the Alliance craft in place. Blade Squadron’s original mission was scrapped and its pilots were sent after the Star Destroyers.

With speedy, more maneuverable A-wings acting as escorts, Blade Squadron’s B-wings braved attack runs by TIE interceptors serving as a fighter screen for the Empire’s Star Destroyers.

The B-wing’s advanced targeting systems allowed pilots to sync attacks so multiple fighters could assault a single target in concert. Blade Squadron’s fighters attacked the Star Destroyer Devastator – Darth Vader’s former flagship – with a one-two punch of ion cannons and proton torpedoes. The attack punctured weak points in the Devastator’s shields and overloaded her hyperdrive, setting off a chain reaction that led in short order to her destruction.