Ship XG-1 Starwing

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XG-1 STARWING STARFIGHTER

AFFILIATION
Open market.

MANUFACTURER
Cygnus Spaceworks.

CLASS
Starfighter.

ROLE
Strike craft.

COMPOSITION
Titanium and transparisteel.

DIMENSIONS
Length - 10 meters.
CREW
1.

PASSENGER CAPACITY
N/A.

CARGO CAPACITY
100 kilograms.

HANGAR CAPACITY
N/A.

CONSUMABLES
3 standard days.

SPEED/MANEUVERABILITY
The XG-1 Starwing has a top speed of 90 MGLT and has decent maneuvering characteristics.

ARMAMENT
  • 2x medium laser cannon.
  • 2x light ion cannon.
  • 2x torpedo launcher, 6x projectile in magazine, 12x combined total.

EQUIPMENT

DESCRIPTION
The XG-1 Starwing is, according to some historians, the finest starfighter ever fielded by the Galactic Empire. Designed by Cygnus Spaceworks, which had previously created the elegant yet versatile T-4A Lambda-class shuttle, the Starwing was to be the company's door into lucrative starfighter contracts. Though it ultimately failed in this endeavor, the Starwing is still considered among Cygnus' most striking designs, and packs a punch for a vessel of its size.

The XG-1 Starwing is a remarkable craft, 10 meters in length and sporting a variant of the folding wing system used by the Lambda-class shuttle, allowing the Starwing to reduce its landing profile for improved handling aboard carrier vessels. This was not to say that the Starwing requires a support ship for its operations; indeed, it was among the first Imperial starfighters to carry a hyperdrive, and in fact had 2, including a class 1 primary drive and a class 10 backup, an unusual safety feature for an Imperial ship of its size. The Starwing was also among the most heavily armed ships in its class during its heyday; aside from its twin medium laser cannons, it was equipped with a pair of light ion cannons - useful for disabling opponents for later capture - and a pair of 6-cell torpedo launchers, a total armament of 12 torpedoes, as heavy as some dedicated bombers. This made the Starwing a serious threat to capital ships and other slow-moving targets, and an ideal strike craft, able to jump into a system, deploy heavy ordinance to damage or destroy a given target, and jump out again in short order.

The Starwing's main weakness was its speed. While its 90 MGLT was nothing to sneeze at, it was 10 MGLT slower than the Rebellion's mainstay starfighter, the T-65B X-Wing. In one-on-one combat, the Starwing could not match the X-Wing's 100 MGLT, while also possessing no appreciable maneuverability advantage. Though it could carry a greater torpedo load than its Rebel counterpart, this was no great advantage in a nekfight, as the warheads were not guided.

Despite this shortcoming, the Starwing acquitted itself well; Imperial pilots, used to un-shielded, featherweight TIE models, quickly learned leverage the Starwing's greater armament and durability, breeding a skilled, aggressive subspecies of fighter jockey that was a match for the best the Rebellion could throw at them. Ultimately, however, it was not the Rebels that would do the Starwing in, but the Empire itself; Imperial starfighter doctrine emphasized dense swarm attacks, treating machines and pilots almost as disposable munitions; there was no room in this thinking for heavy, long-range fighters operating in small groups. Large orders for the type were never forthcoming, with only a relative handful being produced to equip various experimental and special forces squadrons. The largest single Imperial order was actually by the starfighter corps training program; Starwings were used as aggressor units in dissimilar spacecraft training, their unfamiliar shape and performance allowing young TIE pilots to hone their skills against Rebel-style fighters.

Notably, the Starwing was indeed used by the Rebel Alliance, with a shipment being stolen by them and repurposed for there own needs. It is unknown whether Starwings on opposite sides ever encountered one-another in battle.

Ultimately, Cygnus could never achieve the sales it wanted during the Galactic Civil War. After the war, the type remained in New Republic inventory. Sales actually continue to this day; many were sold to independent system and sector militias. There they endure, although a few have made it into criminal hands.

LEGALITY
Restricted. XG-1 Starwing is a starfighter, and is subject to extra licensing requirements and increased scrutiny by authorities.

INTENT
To create an bring a vehicle from Legends canon to add to the site's fanon.

 
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