Starwars
Star Wars Ships: A-Wing Fighter
Awing Fighter:
 More Awing Pictures |
Size:
9.6 Meters |
Sublight speed:
5,700 G |
| Manufacturer:
Alliance Underground Engineers / Dodonna-Blissex |
Hyperdrive Rating:
Class 1 |
|
| Class:
Starfighter |
Afilliation:
Rebel Alliance / New Republic |
Airspeed:
1,300 KPH |
| Type:
Intercepter |
Standard Armaments:
2 Laser Cannons / 2 Concussion Missile Tubes / Sensor Jammer |
|
During the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel's aging fleet of starfighters faced a new variant of the typical TIE Fighter: the new TIE Advance x.1. Faster than their X-wing fighters and their Y-Wing fighters, this new fighter posed a considerable threat. General Jan Dodonna, realizing that the existing fighters could not handle this new type of starfighter, joined with Walex Blissex to create the fastest starfighter in use at the Battle of Endor.
Upon sight, one is immediately drawn to the similarities of the starfighter to the Old Republic's Delta 7 fighter. Blissex was one of the primary designers in the Delta's production, and as such used his extensive knowledge in ship design to build the A-Wing.
The A-Wing's original purpose was to act as an escort fighter for slower moving freighters and convoys. However, a new mission profile was soon given to the sleek ship. The A-wing's awesome speed made it perfect for hit-and-fade missions, long-range reconnaissance and patrol missions, and tactical assault missions against capital starships.
A pair of Novaldex J-77 "Horizon" Event engines provides the A-Wing with its incredible speed. Centered thruster-control jets provide the A-Wing's with exceptional maneuverability to enhance its performance. Another enhancing feature is the thrust-vector controls located just behind the main engines. The A-Wing's stabilizer wings are primarily designed to increase maneuverability in an atmosphere, but they because they are tied to the thrust-vector controls, they visibly move even in open space.
For weaponry, the A-Wing boasts a pair of twin wing mounted blaster cannons. The blasters have the ability to rotate up and down in a sixty degree firing arc. Some fighter's cannons have been modified to fire straight back. To provide power efficiently, each blaster has its own small power generator.
To augment the fighter's firepower, twin Dymek HM-6 concussion missile launchers were added. Initially, the missile launchers were considered optional, but because the fighter's cannons have such a diminutive effect on larger ships, they have since become a typical component. Each launcher carries a magazine of six missiles. While the missiles have a limited range, their destructive power provides the A-Wing with a powerful offensive ability.
Although, the fighter doesn't have an astromech droid, the A-Wing does feature a strong avionics package, which incorporates a powerful sensor jammer. This system can jam the sensors of enemy systems, leaving them blind and unable to call for reinforcements. Often, the A-Wings can strike a convoy of starfighters, causing major damage to all of the ships, and flee before help can arrive. One interesting note is the fact that against capital ships the sensor jammer is useless, and often will make the ships more of a target for an attack.
One major disadvantage the fighter faces is the lack of heavy armor and strong shields. Because the fighter is only 9.6 meters long, the engineers had to wedge each component into the limited hull. In addition, the power systems were designed to shunt most of the energy into the powerful engines; anything that would have drawn a lot of power away from them, such as a large shield generator, was discarded, or reduced in how much power it could draw.
Only the best of pilots are able to handle an A-Wing at full speed because of the fighter's extremely sensitive controls. Often A-Wing pilots are described as willing to take foolish chances and having utmost faith in their ship's blazing speed. The ship is very fragile, easily damaged, and even one hit can often destroy it. In addition, the cockpit is literally exposed to enemy fire with little or no protection.
The ship, because it is continually pushing its own limits, requires regular maintenance and repair. Despite this fact, the A-Wing remains the New Republic's primary choice for interceptor missions.
[Home] [Starwars] [Star Trek] [Anime] [Games] [Discussions] [About Me] [Links]