T - 65 X - wing starfighter The Incom T - 65 X - wing starfighter was the primary all - purpose starfighter of the Rebel Alliance and its successor governments . Known for its versatility and exceptional combat performance , it was a favorite with Rebel and New Republic pilots . Possessing deflector shields , a hyperdrive , an R2 astromech for repairs and navigation , and a complement of proton torpedoes , the X - wing allowed the Rebellion to launch raids in Imperial space with improved odds of a successful mission . The X - wing played a major role in the Galactic Civil War following its capture on Fresia and the defection of its designers to the Alliance . It was most heralded as the fighter that destroyed the Death Star at the hands of Luke Skywalker . Later in the war , it would form the backbone of the Alliance Starfighter Corps , defending Alliance ships and leading attacks on Imperial vessels and installations . Most importantly , it could perform on near equal terms with the Empire ' s high - performance TIE fighters when handled by an experienced pilot . Pilots of Rogue Squadron favored using the multi - role X - wing fighter , flying it as often as they could on most missions ; they only employed other craft for highly specialized missions , such as missions that required ion cannons . The X - wing was so predominantly flown by Rebel and New Republic forces that it became a symbol of their faction , much like the TIE fighter and Star Destroyer were symbols of the Galactic Empire . Thanks to continued upgrades to the basic design and improved tactics , the X - wing series remained one of the galaxy ' s predominant multi - role starfighters for over 40 years . Characteristics . Airframe . X - wings were reasonably maneuverable starfighters . They had two pairs of wing - like strike - foils , or S - foils , mounted at the rear of the craft on opposite sides . The foils on each side locked in place flush against each other ; during combat , however , the foils were folded out to increase the spread coverage of the laser cannons mounted at the tips of the foils . This gave the craft its distinctive " X " - like appearance when viewed from the front or rear . The cannons on some earlier models could not be fired with the S - foils in locked position , perhaps as a safety feature . During hyperspace travel , the S - foils remained locked to conserve energy . In some models , its already impressive velocity was tweaked to allow short microbursts of speed . However , in order to utilize this feature , the weapons systems had to be switched off and the S - foils locked flush against each other . Other models utilized the locked foils while maintaining weapons , albeit at reduced power and accuracy . Armament . The X - wing carried four Taim & Bak KX9 laser cannons ( ) , along with dual launch tubes for proton torpedoes . Other warheads , such as concussion missiles , could be fitted as an alternative secondary weapon . However this required a considerable amount of time and effort on the part of the technical crews , and the overall versatility of the proton torpedo was ideally suited to the X - wing ' s varied mission profile and was therefore the weapon of choice . During the early years of the Galactic Civil War , the Rebellion had a small supply of such weapons , due to their high price . During the Battle of Yavin , for example , most X - wings carried only one set of such warheads , including Luke Skywalker ' s ship . To aid in the firing of these weapons , an ANq 3 . 6 tracking computer was installed , giving pilots advanced tactical imagery to target , aim , and launch the torpedoes . This tracking computer had a success rate of 98 . 7 % . The X - wing ' s laser cannons had various settings : Propulsion . Sublight propulsion was generated by four Incom 4L4 fusial thrust engines , which gave the starfighter relatively fast space and atmospheric speed . The X - wing , unlike most fighters of the TIE Series , was equipped with a hyperdrive . This made it capable of entering hyperspace , and allowed it to operate independent from large support ships . Fighter squadrons could strike out on their own , without the need for a carrier ; this autonomy suited the Rebellion , as it served their hit - and - run tactics perfectly . Flight systems . The fighter had space for one pilot , assisted by a droid ( such as an R2 - series astromech droid unit ) in an external socket , which monitored the status of the craft and could make emergency repairs . The onboard droid also managed hyperspace calculations — storing pre - calculated coordinates — operated individual systems , and could even fly the craft without the aid of a pilot . This would allow the pilot to rest during missions , or save labor as the X - wing was routinely moved around inside hangar bays . The X - wing ' s flight controls were similar to those of the T - 16 skyhopper , an airspeeder also produced by Incom Corporation . This meant pilots were able to adapt with minimal training . A skilled recruit with enough hours on a T - 16 could pilot an X - wing within hours of first entering the craft . Rebel technicians used this fact to train new pilots without using any of the expensive X - wings . This also allowed future X - wing pilots to be trained undercover on Empire - controlled worlds . History . Alliance service . The X - wing was originally designed by Incom Corporation for the Empire by Vors Voorhorian . It was directly descended from the old Z - 95 Headhunter , built by Incom and Subpro , with lessons learned from the ARC - 170 starfighter of the Clone Wars . After the Galactic Empire planned to nationalize the Incom Corporation , the entire engineering team defected to the Rebel Alliance with the prototypes hidden on Fresia . After four prototypes were extracted from Fresia during the Battle of Fresia , it first encountered Imperial forces in the Battle of Turkana . Many more of the ships were liberated from an Incom assembly facility prior to the Battle of Yavin . The Rebel Alliance soon began building its own X - wings in clandestine drydock s and factories scattered throughout the Outer Rim Territories , though decentralized production and the scarcity of various high - grade alloys used in the X - wing ' s construction meant that squadrons sometimes had to endure agonizing delays before new fighters arrived . Besides its usage by the Rebel Alliance , a Starfighter volunteer squadron by the name of the Lightspeed Panthers utilized several customized T - 65 X - wing starfighters against several TIE / LN starfighters during the Fei Hu campaign , and demonstrated the fighter ' s superiority by taking down 286 TIEs within 9 months while only losing 4 of their own X - wings . This eventually led to the Empire ' s development of the TIE / IN interceptor and , later , the TIE Hunters , a direct counter to the X - wing that possessed S - foils , proton torpedo launchers , and ion cannons . The X - wing was continually updated throughout its design lifetime . The T - 65B was the primary X - wing fighter used by the Rebellion in the Galactic Civil War . The B model is the version Luke Skywalker used at the first Death Star during the Battle of Yavin . There was also the enhanced T - 65C - A2 develped by the Alliance . These versions were rare during the Galactic Civil War due to limited production capabilities . The T - 65AC4 was another variant type produced during the New Republic . Its engines allowed it to fly at speeds comparable to an A - wing . One notable design , the T - 65D - A1 , replaced the astromech droid with an internal computer core for hyperdrive jump calculations but was considered a failure ( partially due to ease of sabotage ) . The TX - 65 was the X - wing trainer variant . Famous uses included the Battle of Yavin , where an X - wing piloted by Luke Skywalker destroyed the Empire ' s first Death Star , although nearly all the other X - wings that participated in the battle were destroyed . An X - wing piloted by Wedge Antilles also helped destroy the second Death Star ' s reactor at the Battle of Endor , in concert with the " Millennium Falcon " , starting off a chain reaction that completely destroyed the battlestation . Despite the legendary combat prowess of the X - wing however , 70 percent of X - wing sorties throughout the Galactic Civil War were reconnaissance missions , and Wing Commanders were taught to attack in strength " only when the results will be spectacularly successful " . The Galactic Empire also had access to X - wings , which they used in false flag attacks during the Galactic Civil War . This includes the the action at Delrakkin and after the Battle of Endor , Kirtan Loor created a false Rogue Squadron . New Republic service . It had been intended that the X - wing series would be replaced by the E - wing approximately six years after the Battle of Endor , but initial design issues relating to the weapons placement delayed wide - spread introduction into the New Republic military . Wide - scale deployment of the E - wing did occur ( most notably in Fifth Fleet ) , but X - wing production continued on and may have equipped fighter squadrons not " at the tip of the spear . " One notable exception was Rogue Squadron , the Republic ' s most elite fighter squadron , which was known for its almost exclusive use of the X - wing . Shortly before the Yuuzhan Vong War , the New Republic fielded the J - series of X - wing , supplementing the more advanced and more expensive Series III E - wing . The XJ added a third torpedo bay where a cargo bay was previously , increasing the proton torpedo load up to nine . Engines , lasers , and avionics were also improved . The XJ was greatly improved in all respects over the earlier designs and was initially issued to starfighter squadrons with Jedi pilots . Three variants were developed , culminating with the T - 65J3 : the ultimate evolution of the X - wing . The X - wing ' s stutter fire capability was added in the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong to overwhelm their singularity defenses . Some paramilitary groups were also equipped with earlier J - series fighters ( probably the T - 65J or the T - 65J2 ) ; system - defense forces and poorer paramilitary groups may have had X - wings of varying age and capability . Many older X - wings were rebuilt into the T - 65BR reconnaissance variant . Galactic Alliance service . By the time of the Killik / Chiss conflict , two new variants of the X - wing were introduced . The first was the XJ5 series , also referred to as the ChaseX . The second variant was the StealthX . The XJ5s were mainly used by the Reconstruction Authority Space Patrol . The Jedi tended to use StealthX or earlier XJ3 series . The StealthX was a covert strike craft , equipped with features that reduced its visibility both visually and to sensors , though it could be located if it was silhouetted or launching proton torpedoes . The StealthX was described as being smaller than the XJ model , which was already half a meter shorter than the T - 65C . The StealthX was also described as being a derivative of the XJ3 , and likely classified as the XJ4 . By the time of the Second Galactic Civil War , the Galactic Alliance was fielding XJ6s , and Luke Skywalker ' s Jedi - filled Hardpoint Squadron used these exclusively . The XJ7 would soon follow , being used at least by Rogue Squadron . There were two conflicting systems of identification for the X - wing . The basic designation " T - 65 " was constant , but the version modifier was inconsistent . In one of them , a letter was appended to the end in increasing value ( T - 65A , T - 65B , T - 65C , T - 65D , etc . ) . A second system , the suffix " AC4 " was used . Cultural influence . During the Galactic Civil War , toy X - wings were apparently popular among children who wished to re - enact the adventures of the heroes of the Alliance . This was reminiscent of the Clone Wars , in which children would often play with action figures and vehicles to create their own version of the war . Behind the scenes . In addition to miniature X - wings , the production crew of " " constructed a full - sized X - wing for the Yavin 4 hangar sequence . Judicious editing and flat cardboard mock - ups made it appear as if there were dozens of full - sized craft . The X - wing is one of the few ships that is mentioned by name in the original trilogy . Even then , " X - wing " is only mentioned once in . However in the 2004 edition of " A New Hope " , Garven Dreis mentions " T - 65 " to Luke Skywalker in an added scene . The sound for its engines was generated by a passing artillery shell . The concept art 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 . An X - Wing , alongside a TIE / ln Starfighter , make a very brief cameo as an inside joke in during Anakin and Obi - Wan ' s chase against Zam Wesell , where the former vessel was chasing the latter .