A-wing
The
A-wing, an
interceptor starfighter in the
Star Wars universe, is used by the
Rebel Alliance. It is the smallest, fastest and most maneuverable of the Rebel fighters. In the
movie trilogy, it is seen only in the final
Battle of Endor, where one crashes into the bridge of the
Super Star Destroyer Executor to send it crashing into the
Death Star.
According to Star Wars
canon, the A-wing has very limited shielding, and relies on its high
linear acceleration and maneuverability to avoid destruction. Its essential build is that of powerful engines, weaponry and little else. The fighter was designed by Alliance General
Jan Dodonna and Alliance engineer
Walex Blissex, and was produced in various locations, with many fighters having slightly different characteristics. (In particular, the A-wing that
Tycho Celchu flew at
Endor was produced on
Cardooine.) Later,
Koensayr Manufacturing, producer of the obsolete
Y-Wing, began mass production and this idiosyncrasy disappeared.
The A-wing's predecessor was the R-22 Spearhead. It was initially designed as a fleet
interceptor, utilizing its extraordinarily high acceleration to stop enemy fighters before they could reach vulnerable freighters. However, it was soon pressed into service as a quick-strike fighter, able to hit targets before they could respond, and then flee before any defense could be organized. The design appears to share some relation with the pre-Clone Wars era
Delta-7 Aethersprite starfighter.
The A-wing Mark-II had their laser cannons modified to swivel through a 180-degree arc, giving the A-wing Mark-II the abilitiy to engage any pursuit and greatly improving its firing arcs. This was an attempt by Koensayr to outbid Incom, as both were attempting to secure new contracts, the Koensayr
Y-wing was being replaced by the Slayn and Korpil
B-wing, while the Incom
X-wing would most likely be sacrificed if the New Republic was unable to fund both contracts, due to being near-bankrupted by the
Krytos virus.
Notably, some other A-wing designs even had their guns modified to swivel in a complete 360 degree arc, providing a nasty surprise to any chasing fighter.
In the
X-wing computer game series, the A-wing was the Rebel fighter of choice for
dogfighting. Its high speed, maneuverability, and default load of concussion missiles made it more than a match for the
TIE fighter and
TIE interceptor, and the only Rebel fighter capable of taking on the
TIE Advanced on reasonably equal terms. It is also a playable craft in the
Star Wars Battlefront II video game. It is the class of starfighter available to the Rebel Alliance player akin to the Empire's TIE Interceptor,
CIS Vulture Droid, or
Galactic Republic Jedi Starfighter. Its speed and manuverability make it an excellent dogfighter; but with relatively light armament and virtually no armor, it is a poor choice for heavier applications.
The
A-wing Slash is a battle maneuver where a group of slower rebel starfighters, such as
X-wings or
Y-wings, would approach an Imperial convoy, hiding A-wings in their drive exhaust. The covering fighters would then pull away, leaving TIE Fighters flatfooted against the speedy A-wings, which would launch concussion missiles against the convoy and pull away.
The maneuver was invented by
Garm Bel Iblis, and was used at the battle of
Bilbringi. Imperial Admiral
Gilad Pellaeon used a modified version of this maneuver, using
Preybirds and
proton torpedoes, against pirates attempting to disrupt a rendezvous with Bel Iblis. Pellaeon was attempting to hold peace talks, and by using the maneuver he confirmed his attacker was not Bel Iblis, thus allowing the peace talks to go ahead, and eventually end the war between the
Empire and the
New Republic.
*
A-wing entry in the
Star Wars Databank
