Y-Wing
Characteristics[edit]
Known as a "wishbone" to Rebel Alliance and New Republic pilots, the Y-wing starfighter carried two laser cannons, two ion cannons, and two proton torpedo launchers. An astromech droid, such as an R2 unit, could be plugged into a socket in the craft to act as a co-pilot.
The Y-wing was a resilient, well-shielded craft, but was slow and ungainly compared to other Alliance fighters. Its deficiencies were partly compensated for by the heavy proton torpedo load it could carry, and its ability to paralyze craft with ion cannon fire without destroying them, unique until the B-wing starfighter was introduced after the Battle of Yavin. In addition to the Rebel Alliance, many planetary defense forces, mercenaries, and pirates fielded the craft.
It was a rugged design, but it had some design flaws requiring constant maintenance, which led to many aggravated maintenance crews getting fed up with constanly having to remove the superficial hull plating and disposing of it altogether. Due to this, many Y-wings had no hull plating (except on the cockpit), exposing the internals of the main hull. The cockpit could be ejected by the pilot from the engines and the rest of the ship. This was used when the ship was on a surface. After the cockpit was disconnected, it could be driven on the surface.
Despite its shortcomings in speed and maneuverability, the Y-wing was an extremely durable craft, with heavier shielding than the T-65 X-wing starfighter. It could withstand many laser blasts, and it was quite difficult to destroy.
X-wing starfighters and A-wing interceptors were used to distract enemy fighters and the enemy ships' gunners to allow the Y-wings and B-wings to focus their fire on capital ships. This tactic was similar to the A-wing Slash, which involved solely X-wings and A-wings.
Source[edit]
- Credit to Wookieepedia for the above information