A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter

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## **A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter**

### Cost

220,000 credits (new)
120,000 credits (used)[7]

## Usage

### Role(s)

Anti-Capital ship bomber
Blockade buster

"*This is one of my most advanced designs! Fast, agile, and narrow attack profile. And it packs a punch.*"
―Quarrie - Wings of the Master
The **A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter**, also designated as the **A/SF-01 B-wing assault starfighter**, more commonly referred to as the **B-wing**, was a heavily armed Alliance to Restore the Republic (Rebel Alliance) single-pilot starfighter and bomber manufactured by Slayn & Korpil. The B-wing saw action during the Galactic Civil War and was subsequently substituted by the B-wing Mark II.

## Characteristics

 File:ASF-01 B-wing starfighter blueprints-sw card trader.png
The A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter, manufactured by Slayn & Korpil, was 16.9 meters long. The B-wing was a relatively poor dogfighter, but it was primarily designed as a "blockade] buster" to attack and destroy large capital ships. As such, it was equipped with weaponry and systems normally reserved for much larger craft.

The primary airfoil took up the length of the hull, with the cylindrical cockpit at one end and a weapons pod at the other end, and an engine cluster in between. Two S-foils just below the engine on either side of the main airfoil could be extended to deploy twin ion cannons. It held a total of three ion cannons, and was also armed with a laser cannon, a twin auto-blaster, and two Proton torpedo launcher|launchers for proton torpedoes. Quad laser cannons and laser-guided bombs could also be carried. The B-wing also had a unique gyroscopic control system that could keep the rotating cockpit module level with a horizon no matter how the body of the craft was positioned. The starfighter was equipped with a Class-2 hyperdrive and had four engines capable of reaching 950 km/h in atmosphere. The cockpit had a tactical display for the pilot as well as a targeting computer. The avionics packages were on par with those used by small capital ships. Advanced targeting systems allowed pilots to synchronize attacks across multiple B-wing fighters.

The prototype starfighter, Prototype B6, built by the Mon Calamari Quarrie featured a composite-beam laser weapon that could inflict heavy damage upon cruiser-class targets, but its range was short, and use interfered with the hyperdrive. The B6 also had a second gunner's cockpit at the opposite end of the main airfoil. Neither of these features were included with later production models, where the primary weaponry focus shifted to missiles.

## History

 File:Blade Squadron.png  .

The first B-wing prototype, the Prototype B6 Blade Wing, was developed by Quarrie, a Mon Calamari engineer on the planet Shantipole, as part of Project Shantipole. Several of the B-wing's distinctive features, such as the gyro-stabilized cockpit and S-foils, originated from Clone Wars era starships such as the T-6 shuttle and the V-19 Torrent starfighter. After being won over by the spirit and piloting skill of Hera Syndulla, Quarrie awarded the prototype—and his services in improving it—to the rebellion. Sabine Wren volunteered to redesign the starfighter's weapons package, including its targeting system.

Following a successful test strike against the Galactic Empire during the Blockade of Ibaar, Bail Organa, a senator sympathetic to the rebellion, found a manufacturer that agreed to further develop the B-wing in secret. The production-line A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter was produced by Slayn & Korpil. Although Quarrie described the B6 prototype as "fast" and "agile", the production versions were anything but. Despite eliminating the heavy gunner position, associated life support systems, and composite-beam laser, the production version of the B-wing was much slower and more ponderous than the other fighters in the Alliance Fleet and the Imperial Navy. It also turned out to be tricky to fly, as the gyro-stabilized cockpit design was awkward to work with for all but the most skilled pilots. The B-wing was imagined as a potential replacement for the BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter in its role as an assault fighter. The B-wing was primarily intended to carry a heavy weapons package with the purpose of destroying capital ships, though they proved difficult to maintain and fared poorly in dogfights. These weaknesses led to the Y-wing serving in the Alliance Fleet as late as the Battle of Jakku. The B-wing, however, turned out to be an excellent bomber and assault starfighter, provided that it was provided with enough cover from more maneuverable spacecraft. Despite its weaknesses, it could gain ship-to-ship combat victories in desperate situations, and one Blade Squadron pilot earned three kills in quick succession before being shot down himself in the Battle of Endor.

B-wings participated in the Battle of Endor as part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic (Rebel Alliance) fleet. Several B-wings followed General Lando Calrissian to attack the second Death Star, but broke off when they realized that the shield was still up. Blade Squadron also participated in the battle, destroying the Imperial-class Star Destroyer *Devastator*. Later, the squadron participated in large-scale battles at Malastare, Kuat, and Jakku.

After the end of the Galactic Civil War, B-wings became available for civilian starship racing, and at least one took part in The Gauntlet starship race. They still remained in use with smaller, underequipped military forces, and the Amaxine warriors operated at least one B-wing in 28 ABY.

## Behind the scenes

The B-wing fighter was originally designed by Joe Johnston and Bill George for *Return of the Jedi*. The craft derives its name from the fact that the crew labeled the two new Rebel Alliance starfighter models in *Return of the Jedi* as "A fighter" and "B fighter". Bill George had so much input into the starship's development, that his colleagues nicknamed it the "Bill-Wing Fighter". Years later in Star Wars Legends|*Star Wars* Legends the name "Blade wing" was devised as an in-universe nickname, which was canonized by the *Star Wars Rebels* production team.

The craft's unusually thin shape was problematic for blue-screen photography, because the model tended to blend into the star field. As a consequence, some planned sequences with the B-wing were cut from the original release of *Return of the Jedi*, and the B-wing is not shown in action during the Battle of Endor in the film. In fact, after the ships fly away from the still-active Death Star II shield at the start of the battle, the B-wing is hardly seen at all. The rotating cockpit design of the B-wing was based on early concept art for the *Millennium Falcon*.

In Star Wars Legends continuity, the B-wing was said to have been designed and produced by the Rebel Alliance after the Battle of Yavin, partly as an in-universe explanation as to why the B-wing and A-wing fighters created for *Return of the Jedi* did not participate in the attack on the first Death Star. However, in the new Star Wars canon, both B-wings and A-wings are featured in material taking place well before the Battle of Yavin and have been given earlier origins. The production team for the *Star Wars Rebels* television series, which has featured both ships, explained that the intention is to depict different rebel cells using different fighters in different parts of the galaxy. The A-wings and B-wing appear as the primary star fighters of the Phoenix Squadron in *Rebels*, while the rebel cell led by Jan Dodonna and portrayed in :Category:Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope|*Star Wars*: Episode IV *A New Hope* used primarily X-wings and Y-wings. The Battle of Endor, intended to show the first time the entire Rebel Alliance comes together, therefore includes both sets of ships.

# Notes

1. ↑ **Star Wars*: Episode VI *Return of the Jedi**

# Sources

1. ↑ Star Wars Encyclopedia entry
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Ultimate Star Wars*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi|*Star Wars*: Episode VI *Return of the Jedi*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Databank entryg
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 *Star Wars: Card Trader*
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Blade Squadron (short story)
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Blade Squadron: Kuat
8. ↑ The events of "Wings of the Master" take place between "Empire Day (episode)," which marks the beginning of the fourth year before the Battle of Yavin; and "A Princess on Lothal," which is the first known episode to take place in the third year before the Battle of Yavin. As such, we can deduce that this episode takes place in the fourth year before the Battle of Yavin.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 *Star Wars: The Rebel Files*
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Rebels ep Wings of the Master
11. ↑ *Star Wars: Commander*
12. ↑ YouTube
13. ↑ B-wing Fighter History Gallery
14. ↑ Blade Squadron: Zero Hour
15. ↑ Blade Squadron: Kuat
16. ↑ Blade Squadron: Jakku
17. ↑ Scorched
18. ↑ Bloodline
19. ↑ *Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop*
20. ↑ Rebels Recon: Inside "A Princess on Lothal"
21. ↑ DB
22. ↑ *Star Wars: Complete Vehicles*
23. ↑ Rebels Recon: Inside "Wings of the Master"