T - 65B X - wing starfighter The T - 65B X - wing starfighter was a single - seat craft manufactured by Incom Corporation and used by the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War . Renowned for its speed and maneuverability in battle , it became the backbone of the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps and was more powerful than its main adversary — the mass produced TIE / ln space superiority starfighter . Characteristics . T - 65B X - wing starfighter s were manufactured by Incom Corporation . They had two pairs of wing - like strike foils , or S - foils , mounted at the rear of the craft on opposite sides . Normally , the foils on each side locked in place flush against each other ; during combat , however , the foils were folded out . This gave the craft its distinctive " X " - like appearance when viewed from the front or rear . The S - foils were controlled by an S - foil servo actuator located in the back of the starfighter . With the S - foils open in attack position , the craft had a greater spread of fire as opposed to whilst shut . The craft was armed with four Taim & Bak KX9 laser cannon s ( ) , placed at the tip of each wing . Two Krupx MG7 proton torpedo launchers were located in grooves near the middle of the underside of the fuselage on either side of the T - 65B . Four 4L4 fusial thrust engine s were attached to the wings of the T - 65B , next to the fuselage . The X - wing itself was powered by a Novaldex 04 - Z cryogenic power generator located in the center of the ship . The single pilot sat in the cockpit , in the center of the fuselage , protected by a transparisteel canopy . The astromech droid had a socket near the engines and assisted with both repairs and calculations . In the cockpit , the pilot had access to the flight controls and a targeting computer . The T - 65 ' s sensor systems were located inside the X - wing ' s nose cone . The sensor system , a Carbanti transceiver package , was made up of a Fabritech ANs - 5d " lock track " full - spectrum transceiver , a Melihat " Multi Imager " dedicated energy receptor , and a Tana Ire Electro - photo receptor . These highly maneuverable fighters measured 12 . 5 meters in length , with a mass of 10 metric ton s Under the X - wing was a cargo compartment . They were equipped with a long - range hyperdrive system and shields which could be adjusted around the craft with the help of a Chepat " Defender " deflector shield projector and a Deflector shield generator . Painted stripes on the rear of the S - foils identified each craft . The X - wing ' s flight controls were similar to those of the T - 16 skyhopper , an airspeeder also produced by Incom Corporation . History . The T - 65B X - wing starfighter was envisioned by its designers as a fighter with both the speed and power to take on Imperial Star Destroyer s , ultimately delivering on both promises . It managed not only to become the backbone of the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps , but incorporated lessons learned in assessing the performance of Clone Wars – era winged starfighters , such as the popular Z - 95 Headhunter and the powerful ARC - 170 starfighter . The Rebel Alliance used the X - wing extensively during the Galactic Civil War against the Galactic Empire . While X - wing starfighters remained in public use , they eventually became solely affiliated with the Rebellion . Constantly hiding from Imperial detection , the Rebellion was forced to build its T - 65B ' s in hidden drydocks and hangars , far from the prying eyes of Imperial spies . Aside from the Rebel Alliance , the Partisans , a loosely - affiliated group led by Saw Gerrera , utilized the X - wings as well , although they were given extensive paint jobs matching their organization , with several of them being used by the Cavern Angels , as well as Edrio . A squadron was kept at their hidden fortress on Yavin 4 . During the Battle of Yavin , Luke Skywalker was assigned to an X - wing for the battle , the goal of which was to destroy the Empire ' s approaching Death Star . Although many of the X - wing pilots were killed , Skywalker was able to launch his proton torpedo es into the battlestation ' s exhaust port , causing a chain reaction and destroying it . Wedge Antilles was the only other X - wing pilot who survived . Shortly after the Battle of Yavin , the mercenary Saponza and his partner were involved in training X - wing pilots . They used a specially - modified astromech droid in order to draw out womp rat s , and a team of 20 X - wings were deployed to test their skills . The Rebels also brought X - wings to their new headquarters , Echo Base on Hoth . They were launched during the Empire ' s invasion of the base to protect the escaping transports . Then - rookie pilot Adon Fox was the sole X - wing pilot assigned to protect his wife ' s transport , but it did not make it past the Imperial blockade . After escaping , Skywalker avoided the rendezvous point to visit with Jedi Master Yoda . He then took his X - wing to Cloud City to rescue his comrades . For the climactic Battle of Endor , the Rebel Alliance assembled their entire fleet for the assault on the Death Star II . X - wings were assigned to Red Squadron for the battle under the command of Wedge Antilles . Although several X - wings were destroyed , Antilles used his fighter to destroy the battlestation ' s power regulator , contributing to its destruction . X - wing fighters were also present at the Battle of Jakku , and at least one fighter was shot down during the battle and its wreckage was preserved at the desert surface for nearly thirty years . Legacy . In the years following the destruction of the Galactic Empire , newer X - wing models such as the T - 70 X - wing fighter would eventually fall into the hands of the Resistance , and the T - 85 X - wing would see use in the New Republic Defense Fleet . Behind the scenes . The X - wing appears in the original trilogy . The sound for it was generated by a passing artillery shell . The concept art designed by Ralph McQuarrie for the X - Wing shows the two engines split into four smaller engines on each wing when S - foils are open . This design was later used for the Z - 95 Headhunter . Originally , Red Squadron was going to be named Blue Squadron . However , the limits of blue - screen technology in the late 1970s caused problems for the blue markings , so the squadron name and color was changed . The original designation was retained for . The first X - wing model was built in 1975 by Lorne Peterson , Grant McCune , and Steve Gawley as Blue One before the squadron name was changed . This model was later repainted as Red Two . Several models , including both " hero " and " pyro " models ( simpler casts taken from the " hero " X - wings and rigged to be blown up for effects shots ) were built by ILM for the original film . Between the two types , at least eight of Red Squadron ' s X - wings were represented : Red One , Two , Three , Four , Five , Six , and Twelve have all been confirmed , with the eighth unidentified . Red Four and Six were pyro models destroyed during filming , while only the wings of Red Five have survived . The only model known to remain intact today is the hero model for Red Three , and the fates of the others are unknown . Despite the number of models built , they were ultimately used in effects shots with little regards to continuity ( such as Red One appearing in the trench with Red Five ) . When the effects teams on the Special Editions later created new footage for the Battle of Yavin using CGI , only two different sets of markings were recreated — those of Red Two and Five — and applied to all X - wings in the revised battle scenes . For the " Star Wars Anthology Series " film " " , the X - wings at the Rebel base were realized by a combination of full - size props and cutouts , similar to the fighters in the original " Star Wars " film . A new version of the X - wing , known as the T - 70 X - wing fighter , appears in . With its wings closed , the craft looks much closer to Ralph McQuarrie ' s original concept sketches than the effects models from the final films . However , the wings on this version scissor open along the span rather than split across the chord as in the original design , resulting in distinct forward and aft wings , with the forward lower wings being somewhat narrower in chord than the aft upper wings .