-
B-wing Fighter
Perhaps the oddest-looking starfighter in the Rebel Alliance fleet, the B-wing fighter is as powerful as it is ungainly. The ship's structure is almost entirely taken up by its primary airfoil, which houses a cylindrical cockpit on one end, an engine cluster in the center, and a heavy weapons pod at its base. Located just below the engine cluster are a pair of S-foils which can deploy to extend the firing arc of twin laser cannons. The B-wing's command pod has a unique gyroscopic control system. The pilot can orient it so that it always stays level with a horizon line. No matter which way the B-wing may maneuver laterally, its pilot remains upright.
-
Length: 16.9m
The B-wing was developed by the quirky yet masterful engineer Quarrie, a Mon Calamari with no love of the Empire. He worked in solitary on Shantipole, experimenting with speed, weaponry, and design. Finally, the “Blade Wing” was complete, and the Ghost crew’s Hera became its first pilot. After a successful strike against the Empire, Senator Bail Organa found a manufacturer willing to develop the starfighter in secret.
Rebel engineers designed the B-wing with a single purpose – to destroy Imperial capital ships. To achieve that goal, they packed weaponry and flight systems normally reserved for much larger craft into the body of a starfighter. B-wings weren’t much good in dogfights – their pilots complained that they maneuvered like freighters – and were a struggle to maintain. But the B-wing’s potent combination of weapons made it a deadly assault starfighter and a worthy addition to the Alliance arsenal. B-wings proved their worth at the Battle of Endor, with the pilots of Blade Squadron using group tactics to target Imperial Star Destroyers.
Video
© 2015 Disney
B-Wing Fighter History Gallery
- Images