T - 70 X - wing fighter The T - 70 X - wing fighter was the successor to the T - 65B X - wing starfighter , manufactured by Incom - FreiTek for use by the New Republic Defense Fleet . More expensive and complex than the former T - 65B , the T - 70 featured advanced weaponry and proved more versatile than its predecessor , and was essential in both dogfights and capital - ship scale combat operations . Appropriated S - foils designs allowed a greater range of fire , while four KX12 laser cannon s offered single , dual , and quad firing modes . A built in dual proton torpedo launcher with quick - change magazines permitted the utilization of alternative armaments . New Republic demilitarization efforts and corruption would ultimately see production of the vessel shifted to several well - connected manufacturers . The T - 70 would be eventually replaced by the newer T - 85 X - wing . Following its retirement from service in the New Republic Starfleet , the T - 70 became the frontline starfighter of the Resistance in its fight against the First Order approximately thirty years after the Battle of Endor . Characteristics . The T - 70 X - wing starfighter was a cruciform starfighter measuring 12 . 49 meters in length with a maximum capacity of a single pilot and bottom - loaded astromech droid , which fit into a socket that could be variably configured for different models . The vessel ' s targeting computer , flight controls and other essential piloting instruments were located inside an armored cockpit module , under which a removable liquid - cooled flight computer further aided the pilot in ship - based operations . Access panels for computer access and storage existed inside the ' nose ' of the vessel , along with an auxiliary generator and storage area typically used for stashing survival gear . A small sensor window marked the location of the ships primary sensor array at the very tip of the nosecone , located behind an emergency beacon . Behind the pilot , a built - in life support system allowed the occupant to breathe in an oxygenated atmosphere . Four Incom - FreiTek 5L5 fusial thrust Split - engines allowed the ship its noteworthy atmospheric and realspace maneuverability largely in part to the presence of calibrated retro thrusters with built - in electromagnetic gyros ; a result of advances in miniaturization since the Galactic Civil War . A centrifugal reactant fusion and ionization chamber and reactant injector aided the ships mechanical processes , along with a turbo impeller within the ships four engines which allowed the ship to quickly attain high speeds . Coolant feeds helped keep the temperature of the engines to a tolerable level , while the ship ' s S - foils also helped to shed waste heat . Four retro thrusters were placed in the ships ' forward ' position , directly mirroring the 5L5 fusial thrust engines in the rear , along with ion accelerators . A single acceleration compensator was located underneath the front - section of the cockpit , and a single hyperdrive was located between the ships engines , allowing the vessel entrance into the pan - dimensional fabric of hyperspace . The T - 70 featured a variety of offensive and defensive capabilities , the most prevalent being the presence of four wing - mounted Taim & Bak KX12 laser cannon s . In a single wing , power couplings allowed an electrical current to power laser canon charge cells to accumulate enough energy for a laser bolt . From there , a laser generator would convert the energy - rich gas into a particle beam , with an installed static discharge coupling located behind the generator and a laser generator heat sink placed around the device . The beam would then travel down the ' barrel , ' entering a plasma combination injector from where it would enter a laser cooling sleeve and would be focused through a long laser blast condensing channel , from where a laser - blaster converter at the end of the ' barrel ' would fire a fully - charged energy blast . The long barrel would additionally help increase the stability and range of the energy bolt . Furthermore , a single externally mounted half - circle magnetic flashback suppressor helped protect the ' barrel ' from feedback damage . To improve the KX12 laser cannons field of fire , an integrated S - foil system would allow the craft to enter two distinct flying profiles ; one , a ' cruise mode ' where all four wings would be retracted , and an ' attack mode , ' where all four wings would scissor open , giving the X - wing starfighter both its signature shape and name . An S - foil actuator located in the rear of the ship next to the hyperdrive would help control S - foil mounted maneuvering repulsors and S - foil rear repulsor arrays within the T - 70 ' s wings . The T - 70 also featured the ability to fire physical ordinance in the shape of a standard configuration of eight miniaturized Krupx MG7 - A proton torpedo es , concussion missile s , or mag - pulse launchers owing to the presence of a quick - change magazine ; which allowed the pilot to swap their torpedo es with other payloads . A proton - torpedo firing rack held such ordinance underneath the armored cockpit , where the spent torpedo casings would also be stored alongside the live ammunition . Having learned a valuable lesson from the destruction of so many T - 65B X - wings at the Battle of Yavin , Incom - FreiTek included provisions for a rotating underslung blaster cannon , which could offer greater rearward defense than a deflector shield generator alone . This shield generator was mounted in the rear of the vessel opposite the hyperdrive , and helped protect the ship from both superficial and severe weapons damage . Sensor - scattering ferrosphere paint also aided the ship in avoiding enemy detection . History . The Incom - FreiTek T - 70 X - wing starfighter was a model of starfighter developed for the New Republic based off of the classic T - 65B X - wing starfighter design of the Galactic Civil War . At least one prototype had been constructed prior to the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY . Taking advantage of new advances in miniaturization and providing a more heavily armored fighter , the T - 70 would see mass production for use in the growing New Republic . However , owing to the Military Disarmament Act and rampant corruption , continued production of the craft would fall into the hands of a few well - connected starship manufacturers . In time , it would be replaced by the T - 85 X - wing . Owing to its prevalent use in local planetary defense forces and cheaper cost of appropriation , it would see extensive use within General Leia Organa ' s Resistance against the First Order . Additional craft were donated by sympathizing Senators within the Galactic Senate . Poe Dameron would become famous for his own T - 70 X - wing fighter codenamed " Black One " , from which he led both Blue and Red Squadrons from the Resistance base on D ' Qar . The vessels would also see the destruction of Starkiller Base in the Battle of Starkiller Base thirty years after the Battle of Endor . Compared to the new generation of First Order TIE fighters , the T - 70s were more expensive and complex , but also more versatile and able to fight both starfighters and capital ship s . Behind the scenes . The T - 70 X - wing fighter model was on display at 2015 ' s " Star Wars " Celebration Anaheim , which gave its model name and that it was used by the Resistance . The fighter has appeared in both teaser trailers . The X - wing was one of the exclusive blueprints in " " , released on Force Friday on September 4 , 2015 . For Episode VII , at least one full - size mockup was built . The design of the T - 70 X - wing fighter strongly resembles the early design of the first X - wing seen in the original concept art done by Ralph McQuarrie for " " , although the resemblance was only discovered after the design was finalized . At one point , the concept artist " Visualists " were thinking about a two - person craft .