BTS - A2 Long - Range Strike Fighter / Bomber The BTS - A2 Long - Range Strike Fighter / Bomber ( Rebel Alliance designation H - Wing ) was an addition to Rebel fighter wings manufactured by Koensayr Manufacturing , a company made famous for their rugged Y - Wing starfighters . Because of the resounding success of their previous fighter , it would only be a matter of time before the Alliance military chose to include the H - Wing in their starfighter arsenal . Even so , the number that entered service was expected to remain low , as almost any two single - seated starfighters could be purchased for the same price as a single H - Wing . Characteristics . The H - Wing was a stable weapons platform capable of delivering a rather hard - hitting punch ; only the B - Wing was more heavily armed . The fighter ' s primary long - range weapon was its medium laser cannon which was mounted in a fully rotating dorsal turret . The weapon could only be fired from the turret ' s gunnery chair ; no fire control for the main weapon was included in the piloting cockpit ; a design flaw meaning that , if the gunner was incapacitated , or indeed was not there , the primary weapon could not be used . Armament . As with the Y - Wing , the H - Wing carried two Arakyd Industries proton torpedo launchers . In contrast to the Y - Wing , however , the H - Wing boasted a magazine of eight torpedoes ( twice that of the earlier Y - Wing ' s ) . Other than that , the magazines were identical to that of the Y - Wing , making heavy ordnance standard for the two craft . This ordnance was benefited by an elaborately complex , improved fire control system which was quite necessary for the craft to excel in its primary role as a strike fighter / bomber . As well as these primary weapons , the fighter also had two light ion cannons which were fire linked for greater effect and were mounted in the starboard nose of the fighters twin - nose hull . These weapons had a maximum rotation and vertical pivot span of 40 degrees which allowed the second gunner to engage forward targets independent of flight control . The H - Wing was designed to survive extended combat engagements and multiple hits by using a new heavily reinforced armored hull , with the added protection provided by strong , high - energy shields . However , weapons capability and hull integrity did both come at a great cost ; both maneuverability and sublight speed had been sacrificed for increased battle worthiness , creating a distinct disadvantage in the H - Wing that has an extremely small chance of outrunning a numerically superior enemy or of disengaging prior to retreating . Despite these rather obvious speed and maneuverability disadvantages , the Alliance military planners believed that it had an advantage in combat due to its full combat crew of three . Rebel pilots of advanced , single - seat fighters often complained that they could not make full use of the craft ' s various systems on their own ; with evasive maneuvering , operating several weapons systems , and angling shields , they were simply overtaxed . However , the H - Wing ' s three - man crew could provide extremely efficient use of the ship ' s systems . The forward cockpit contained two crew stations ; primary and secondary . Piloting controls were installed only in the primary station , but shield , ion cannon , and torpedo fire control were all installed in both stations , giving the cockpit crew good flexibility . However , the multiple systems , as well as full life support , are greatly reflected in the fighters cost . In combat , the general arrangement was to have shield control operated by the pilot while the ion cannon and torpedo controls were handled by the weaponry officer in the secondary station . Design . Many of the components used in the Y - Wing were adapted to be used again in the H - Wing , such as an improved Fabritech ANx - y sensor package and Koensayr R440 Ion Jet engine s ( complete with their thrust vectral s ) , though larger engines were used in the H - Wing . Other components of the Y - wing were not used , however , such as the R2 unit that previously provided nav data . Instead of this , a limited navigation computer similar to that on the B - Wing was used , although the H - Wing ' s had a higher data storage capacity . Additionally , the H - Wing did not employ ballistic ejection seats as that option simply was not feasible due to space constraints left from all the other systems which were installed . It did , however , contain a cramped , spartan cabin which included a bunk with a soundproof divider which could be used on a rotational basis to provide increased comfort during long hyperspace jumps . History . Alliance leaders reviewed reports of the H - Wing ' s performance from its first encounters with Imperial fighter craft , encounters that went rather favorably for the oversized starfighter . However , its limited use proved that its greatest capabilities lay in using it as a strike and anti - shipping craft , as well as a screening fighter protecting slower transports and freighters . Some of the high - ranking leaders suggested that the H - Wing should replace the B - Wing as the Alliance ' s primary assault fighter . These H - Wing proponents cited that the B - Wing required high maintenance and performed poorly after suffering damage . This replacement was not likely , however , for several reasons . Firstly , many smaller , bay - equipped starships , and even some small outposts , simply did not have fighter bays capable of housing and servicing the H - Wings , which limited its usability . Additionally , the fighter severely lacked in speed , even the comparatively slow B - Wing was faster than the H - Wing . The final reason that the replacement was not likely , however , was simply economics ; not only was the H - Wing a costly space vehicle , it also required a greater number of trained flight personnel than the B - Wing . While this larger flight crew did provide advantages in combat , such trained personnel were always in short supply for the Alliance . What was most likely was that the H - Wing would serve as a special engagement craft , used when its advantages would provide it its greatest combat effectiveness . The first batches of H - Wings delivered to the Alliance were purchased in small numbers . A group of rebels were to take a commercial transport to the planet they were manufactured on and take delivery of only an individual fighter . They were than to take the fighter to a small rebel outpost where new rebel volunteers were detained until background checks had been cleared . Unfortunately , when the group arrived at the outpost they discovered an Imperial frigate performing a system - wide search pattern . The rebels on the base activated a decoy sensor pod emplaced on a small moon nearby , giving them some time to evacuate all beings on board the single rebel transport they had available . The group was ordered to escort the transport as it attempted to jump into hyperspace . Shortly after the transport left the ship , a group of four TIE / LN starfighter s found the station and moved to attack the transport . Luckily the group managed to hold off the TIEs for enough time to allow the transport to jump to hyperspace , and then follow them . During the Galactic Civil War , the few H - wings in action were used for escort missions and patrol missions in Rebel - held systems . Their use was limited as few facilities could maintain even one of the complex fighters . Behind the scenes . As with other starfighters using the - wing designations , the H - wing resembles the letter H in the . However , unlike some of the other starfighters in the - wing line , the " H - Wing " also resembles the letter " Herf " , or " H " in Aurebesh . The craft was originally described in the unlicensed roleplaying magazine " Challenge 35 " , which expanded West End Games ' " Star Wars " RPG line . The H - wing was expanded on in Fantasy Flight Games ' sourcebook " Stay on Target " , as part of the official " " series .