UT - 60D U - wing starfighter / support craft The UT - 60D U - wing starfighter / support craft also known as the UT - 60D , or U - wing , was a transport / gunship model manufactured by Incom Corporation and used by the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War . Used to drop troops into battle , and provide cover fire for them , U - wings were pivotal in transport and protection of the Rebel Alliance ' s ground forces during the Battle of Scarif . Characteristics . U - wings were manufactured by Incom Corporation . Their two wing - like strike foils , or S - foils , were retractable and could be positioned forward - facing or backward - facing depending on the situation . The movement of the S - foils was controlled by the S - foil articulation servomotor assembly . The backward facing , or flight configuration was used in combat situations as it increased the coverage envelope of the ship ' s deflector shield s and helped radiate excess heat from the engine ' s core . The increased wingspan however , was often turned into an obstacle by rough atmospheric conditions resulting in the flight configuration primarily being reserved for high altitude and interstellar operations . U - wings were armed with a pair of fixed - position Taim & Bak KX7 laser cannon s , which were powerful enough to penetrate the shielding and hull armor of an " Arquitens " - class light cruiser . Since its primary weapons required the use of the ship ' s orientation for targeting , one or both of the loading doors were transformed into gunports with the mounting of improvised weapons . Therefore , any infantry - based heavy weapon could be mounted to become part of the craft ' s loadout . The Rebel Alliance opted to not equip permanent side - firing modifications so to not lose this versatility . One such example of these heavy weapons was the M - 45 repeating ion blaster . Atmospheric speeds of up to 950 kph were made possible by four 4j . 4 fusial thrust engine s attached next to the fuselage . Hyperspace was achieved by four Incom GBk - 585 hyperdrive motivator s with one mounted in each engine housing . Travel through hyperspace was often limited due to fuel requirements as crew life support requirements would greatly increase the fuel demands beyond efficiency . The two - seater cockpit was located in the center of the fuselage with viewport s above and below . U - wings were unusual in the fact that they were equipped with tandem controls . This allowed the craft to be operated by a single pilot or by a flight team of two . The standardized controls featured across many Incom Corporation designs are present on U - wings . The U - wing ' s shielding , armor , and hold full of passengers led the craft to handle more like a heavy repulsorcraft than a swift space superiority vessel . The older model U - wings lacked s - foils , and had two engines instead of the four that the newer models would go on to possess . A civilian version existed in the BT - 45D but was not of use in combat situations as it was stripped of all its military offensive and defensive applications , as well as its hyperdrive . History . Acquisition by the Rebellion . The UT - 60D was one of the last to be produced by Incom Corporation before it was nationalized by the Galactic Empire . Due to this , the U - wing never enjoyed a full production run . A " lost " shipment of U - wings ended up in the hand of the Rebel Alliance after the careful manipulation of Senate records by Bail Organa . The rarity of the craft made them all the more valuable to the Rebel cause . In 1 BBY , Saw Gerrera ' s Partisans had a U - wing , painted in their specific markings . Saw and Edrio " Two Tubes " took it to destroy a relay station on Jalindi , and ended up rescuing members of the Spectres after their own mission went awry . They later went to Faos Station to infiltrate Freighter 2716 . Edrio trailed after the freighter and recovered Gerrera before the freighter ' s kyber crystal cargo exploded . At the same time , the Lothal resistance under Ryder Azadi had possession of an older model U - wing , which had less engines than it ' s newer counterpart , and did not have a working hyperdrive . When the Spectres returned to Lothal , Azadi transport ed them to discover information on the TIE / D Defender Elite . Later , Hera Syndulla used Azadi ' s U - wing , now equipped with a functional hyperdrive salvaged from the TIE Defender Elite , to escape Lothal and give the TIE Defender Elite flight data recorder to Alliance High Command . Based on the information , the Alliance decided to attack the Imperial Armory Complex which was producing the TIE Defenders . Around 0 BBY , the U - wing " Bravo One " took part in the extraction of Jyn Erso from a labor camp on the planet of Wobani . " Bravo One " , piloted by the former Imperial security droid K - 2SO , experienced technical difficulties and was unable to jump to hyperspace after the successful liberation of Erso by Extraction Team Bravo . The U - wing then sought refuge in an asteroid belt in the Wobani system to conduct repairs and request assistance from the Alliance Fleet . The X - wing squadron Red Flight came to " Bravo One ' s " assistance and attempted to escort it to the CR90 corvette " Vigilant " . The rendezvous was interrupted by the arrival of an " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyer and the destruction of the " Vigilant " . " Bravo One " was then caught in the Star Destroyer ' s tractor beam and subsequently freed by Red Flight ' s assault on the Imperial starship . With repairs complete , " Bravo One " and Red Flight leapt to hyperspace to rejoin the Alliance Fleet . " Bravo One " returned to Base One on Yavin 4 to deliver Erso to Mon Mothma and General Davits Draven . Shortly after , Jyn , Captain Cassian Andor , and K - 2SO set off from Yavin 4 aboard the U - wing " LMTR - 20 " bound for the moon Jedha . After a fight with Imperial stormtrooper s and capture by Gerrera ' s Partisans , the U - wing - piloted by K - 2SO - extracted Erso and Andor as well as the pilot Bodhi Rook and former Guardians of the Whills Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe from Gerrera ' s hidden base . Simultaneously , the Death Star conducted a test firing of the battle station ' s superlaser against Jedha City creating a wall of rubble that the U - wing was forced to outrun . The U - wing was able to leap to hyperspace from atmosphere after almost near destruction by falling debris . The group then headed aboard the U - wing to Eadu in an attempt to rescue - or in Andor ' s case kill - the Imperial scientist Galen Erso . The U - wing quickly encountered huge rock pillars and heavy rain on its ' approach to the Flight Station where Galen was stationed . The U - wing ' s course remained steady until one of the right engines hit a rock pillar resulting the ship ' s plummet to the planet ' s surface . The U - wing was eventually abandoned as Andor then the rest of the passengers left the damaged craft to continue their mission . Galactic Civil War . The U - wings of Blue Squadron as well as the rest of Base One ' s starfighter s were scrambled soon after the Rebel Alliance learned of the " Rogue One " squad ' s infiltration of the Citadel Tower on Scarif . Blue Squadron emerged from hyperspace along with the Alliance Fleet led by Admiral Raddus and headed toward the Shield Gate . At least one U - wing made it through with an escort of X - wings past the shield . A U - wing piloted by Laren Joma and Taslet Colb provided air cover for Rebel forces already on the ground . The U - wing ' s door gunner , Bistan , unleashed a volley of laser fire upon an AT - ACT disabling it . The U - wing then descend to the surface delivering ground reinforcements to the battered Rebel units . Eventually , the Imperial air defenses proved too much and the U - wing was shot down resulting in the death of all who remained aboard , along with a number of stormtroopers who were caught in the crash zone . The Rebel ' s overall mission was a success however as the Death Star ' s plans were captured by the Rebellion . During the Battle of Yavin , one was present in the hangar of Base One , one of the few ships still available after the heavy losses at Scarif . One U - wing delivered the captured Inferno Squad member Iden Versio to the security cruiser " Invincible Faith " , although it was a ruse to delete critical intel . The gunships also saw action during the pivotal Battle of Endor . They were deployed to the moon of Endor to secure Imperial assets right after the destruction of the Death Star II . Shortly afterward , three of them attempted to board the " Dauntless " at Fondor , although they were shot down by Inferno Squad . At least one U - wing was also used to land reinforcements at Naboo during the ground stages of the battle during . U - wings also saw action during the Battle of Jakku as a part of the New Republic Starfleet with at least one deploying New Republic Special Forces during the battle . It was nearly shot down by a homing rocket , but Jom Barell intercepted the missile with his own body by flying out of the ship with a jetpack , saving the U - wing and its occupants at the cost of his own life . Behind the scenes . The U - wing was created and developed for the 2016 " Star Wars " film " " . Concept art for the ship was first revealed at the " Rogue One " panel at Celebration Anaheim . The U - wing was detailed on May 17 , 2016 , in a preview of the 2017 reference book " Rogue One : A Star Wars Story : The Official Visual Story Guide " . Its formal designation was revealed on " The Star Wars Show " on August 3 , 2016 . As the " hero ship " , the craft went through hundreds of design iterations before the final was decided on . It was originally intended to be a helicopter - sized craft attached to the hero ' s main ship , but they moved away from the larger ship and focused on the smaller craft . According to one source , the repairs done to Lieutenant Valeria ' s U - wing by Freemaker Salvage and Repair by finding a type A vector coil is what led them to be hired by the Rebel Alliance .