At a Glance

Probably one of the best-known spacecraft in the Star Wars Universe, the X-wing is considered the primary starfighter of the Rebellion, and for quite some time held the same role within the New Republic. She's an excellent blend of speed, firepower, durability and maneuverability.

The X-wing first appeared in the original Star Wars (now known as Episode IV: A New Hope)

S-foils

The X-wing's most notable feature are her S-foils, the four wings to which the engines and laser cannon are mounted. These are normally locked together while in "cruise" mode, but are split into the X-shape that gives the ship its name when the craft enters combat.

The S-foil design is definitely not simply an aesthetic feature, or one to make the ship look more "hi-tech." When the wings are open the fighter's engines are placed farther apart and the X-wing receives a boost to maneuvering performance.

Curtis Saxton at SWTC pointed out to me how this would work. With the engines located so far off-center, torque placed on the hull makes the ship want to turn when accelerating, particularly when the pilot deliberately causes a thrust imbalance (such as powering down the upper engines when the pilot pulls back on the stick. Saxton suggests that such deliberate thrust imbalance may be how the majority of craft in the Star Wars Universe maneuver given the lack of obvious maneuvering thrusters). Because while turning the fighter is facing a different direction throughout the maneuver the torque caused by engine deflection from the center of mass greatly assists the craft in its turn.

While closed, the engines are closer together vertically and have a greater horizontal spread, suggesting improved yawing (ruddering) performance. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

The main engines have a greater vertical spread while the S-foils are open, placing all four engines at equidistant locations. This provides balanced pitch and yaw performance for a craft that likely maneuvers through a thrust differential. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

The engine configuration when the S-foils are closed increases their spread horizontally, giving the ship superior yawing (ruddering) ability. Yaw is particularly important at low speeds and altitudes, where banking (rolling) the ship could be potentially dangerous. Modern aircraft rely largely on rudder for steering on landing approach, and it's possible that the X-wing does the same. Improved yaw at low altitudes would greatly improve the X-wing's ability to turn without banking.

When the S-foils open, all four engines have an increased vertical and decreased horizontal spread that locates them at equal distances at the corners of a square. This not only improves the fighter's pitch, but provides the X-wing with balanced pitch and yaw performance, a great boon in a form of combat requiring maneuvers along all three axes of motion!

Another advantage of the S-foils is that with the laser cannon placed out on the wingtips, it greatly increases the fighter's targeting spread. While somewhat awkwardly placed for some dogfighting situations, the placement would be advantageous to not only distance shooting where a precise targeting solution may not be possible, but in a peripheral shot where the cannon are in a position to hit a target at extremely close range that is off to the side.

When the X-wing's S-foils are open it places the laser cannon farther apart. This greatly increases the field of fire. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

X-wing S-foils are, according to a handful of sources, (specifically the original X-wing computer game) lined with maneuvering thrusters along the trailing edge. However there are no recognizable control jets in the wing itself. Because maneuvering in a vacuum requires acceleration, this is further support that the X-wing uses differential engine thrust for controlling pitch and yaw. This does lead to another problem: the ship can't roll by unbalancing thrust. Without maneuvering thrusters it would require thrust vectoring (which isn't likely on the X-wing given its engine design).

Saxton pointed out that one design of the X-wing interior by David West Reynolds had magnetically controlled gyros that spun in either direction, and that through the use of magnetic brakes the pilot could transmit some of the spin of the gyros into the hull of the fighter, causing it to roll.

Another aspect of the S-foils is whether or not they constitute a "safety" on the fighter's laser cannon system. The best source, the films, regrettably never show whether or not an X-wing can fire while the wings are closed, and the official sources are split. While the X-wing novel series shows the fighters firing with the foils closed on several occasions, the computer game series imposes the "safety" limitation so that the lasers will only fire with the wings open (this may have been instituted more to correct a problem with how the game handles weapons locations on a moving part of a model).

Oddly, the S-foils expose some machinery on their inner surfaces. The obvious purpose would be for either cooling or maintenance. Maintenance is unlikely because the only time repair crews can access these bays would be while the fighter is on the ground, which unless suspended, either mechanically or on the repulsor system, would require the S-foils to be closed!

The function of the X-wing's S-foil itself as a cooling mechanism has arisen several times in discussions. While not entirely unprecedented; the TIE-series fighters apparently use their oversized wing panels for this same function, in the case of the X-wing it seems unlikely. While the TIE wing panels are loaded with pipes and tubes for coolant, the insides of the X-wing's S-foils are dedicated to structural supports. All other equipment inside the wing (primarily power conduits and wires) lack cooling equipment, or doesn't appear to require cooling. Both the laser cannon and the engines each appear to have their own cooling mechanisms.

There are two other major pieces of equipment of note on the X-wing S-foil. The SWSB locates a reserve fuel tank in the tip of each wing. This does pose a slight problem, since several times in the novels an X-wing has had part of the wingtip shot off with no ill effect to the rest of the ship. Either the fuel stored in the wing tanks isn't as volatile as fuel stored in the hull, the shots missed the tanks themselves, or the distance from the main hull insulates the rest of the ship in case of denotation (the latter being the most likely case).

The X-wing also has two disk-shaped "power couplings" under the surface skin of each S-foil. The SWSB blueprints show that the power couplings are attached to the laser cannon, suggesting that the couplings are related to this system. The power couplings may also store energy for the laser cannon, or may be connected to the sublight engines, supporting a belief that a starfighter's laser cannon receive power from the sublight engines.

Laser Cannon

The X-wing's primary weapons are four over-sized laser cannon located at the tips of each S-foil. These guns are huge compared to those of most other starfighters, roughly half as long as the fighter itself! Like the S-foils, it's doubtful that the lasers would be built like that on a real craft for mere aesthetics, as their large size would mean they could be broken off or damaged more easily than the guns on craft like the Y-wing.

The most likely reason for the size of the firing barrels can be traced back to real gun design, particularly the long rifles used in frontier America. Barrels of that size would not only increase the weapon's range, but also greatly improve accuracy. It's also not difficult to imagine that these larger weapons would boast greater destructive power over the smaller guns mounted on a TIE fighter.

There is some evidence available of the power output of the X-wing's laser cannon. In Isard's Revenge, book eight of the X-wing novel series, X-wings were used to great effect against AT-AT walkers. The snubfighter's lasers had no problems burning through the walkers' armored hides and causing critical damage to the vital internal components within (this raises the question of why X-wings weren't used at Hoth instead of the T-47 airspeeder). In addition, Brian Young's turbolaser commentary points out that the X-wing's laser cannon were boiling away armor plating from the Death Star's surface, which may point out that the snubfighter's cannon can unleash more destructive energy in ten seconds than the amount of power produced by the entire United States!

This spectacular explosion on the Death Star's surface is the result of an energy blast from an X-wing's laser cannon. The non-flammable properties expected from the armor would suggest that the X-wing must be vaporizing the metal. Estimates from Brian Young's turbolaser commentary suggests the weapons were boiling away at least one cubic centimeter of armor, which would require greater than 60 GW of laser energy. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, courtesy of Brian Young)

In addition, the power and firing rates of the laser cannon are adjustable. On numerous occasions in the X-wing novels the fighters have had their weapons "powered down" so that they cause no damage to the target (marker lasers in mock dogfights). However, the most interesting feature is that in Onslaught, the lasers of Rogue Squadron's X-wings were modified to fire at a greatly increased rate of speed! To prevent the cannon from overloading, the amount of energy in each bolt was reduced. The X-wings were now able to fire a larger number of low-powered shots in the time it would take to fire fewer normal-strength bolts. This was used to great effect against the gravity well-shielded fighters of the Yuuzhan Vong.

There is no obvious point of rotation on the cannon, which is not entirely unexpected given their size. Doing so would weaken their attachment to the wing if the point of rotation is located where the body connects to the S-foil, and placing it at the base of the firing barrel would weaken the structure at that point.

Michael Stackpole, author of the excellent X-wing series of novels and comics, uses the concept that the guns can be adjusted to fire at different ranges, but only when set on the ground. From film evidence we can see that the X-wing's lasers are, in fact, "centered." But can the cannon actually be adjusted in-flight It's a possibility. At least one sequence in ANH seems to suggest that they can (see image below) and one particular structure may allow it. However film evidence is largely inconclusive.

It was suggested to me that this image suggests the X-wing's lasers can indeed adjust in-flight. However the awkward angle makes it difficult to determine the distance of the X-wing from its target, making it inconclusive. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, courtesy of Andrew Tse)

Each gun is made up of several parts.

Firing Barrel

The barrel of the cannon comprises most of the weapon's length, and as mentioned before it is huge for a starfighter. When interpreted with the mechanics of a modern firearm, the increased barrel length would suggest that the X-wing's cannon have not only greater range, but accuracy and possibly power as well.

"Flashback Suppressor"

Of interesting note is the flashback suppressor, the concave strip located about a meter from the tip of the barrel that seems to be unique to the X-wing and Z-95 Headhunter. I tend not to agree with the flashback suppressor identification, because as mentioned on Brian Young's turbolaser site the vertical orientation and shape would not prevent a bolt from "flashing back" and striking the cockpit. Another possibility, mentioned by the ICS, is that it may be intended to prevent a laser from backfiring into its own body. Indeed, such an explosion of energy could have quite catastrophic effects to ship and crew. However, the design would again leave the sides open for a mishap. If preventing a backfire was the intended purpose of the structure, it would most likely be dish-shaped to cover the entire diameter of the cannon barrel. The fact that it is a mostly unique characteristic of the X-wing can also not be ignored. If a weapon misfire of this type posed a legitimate danger, it's likely all ships would have such a device.

The X-wing's mysterious "flashback suppressor," the concave strip aft of the laser tip. The most likely function is a mystery. Note the hollow firing tip and hollow cup-shaped structure aft of the strip labeled as a "gate coupling" by WEG. (Picture courtesy of Brian Young)

One possible application suggested by Young is that this arc is actually magnetically charged so that the pilot can alter the trajectory of the laser bolt. The question is: How much" TIE fighter cannons in ANH are tipped with an fully dish-shaped structure and film evidence shows the TIEs at Yavin are able to fire a significant distance away from center The X-wing's cannons, however, not only have this structure farther from the tip (as much a sa full meter away!) but it is not forming a full dish around the cannon. Obviously if the X-wing can adjust its firing trajectory, it will not be as significant as the TIE's ability.

However could it be used for a more minuscule adjustment in trajectory such as adjusting range This is certainly more probably than X-wings firing at a target 45 degrees off-center. When the S-foils are locked in their "open" position, the cannon is already naturally oriented inwards toward the centerline. Perhaps the strips emit a magnetic field from either side of the structure, rather than using the vertical arc as Brian Young suggests, (which would only allow the bolt to adjust up and in or down and out) to "nudge" the bolt as it emits from the cannon.

Gate Coupling

One of many WEG technobabble terms in their X-wing blueprints. This is a small cup-like structure immediately aft of the "flashback suppressor." The device has some sort of opening in its forward face on either side of the "flashback suppressor's" structure. This opening may actually be used to help the concave strip adjust the cannon's range. It's possible that the opening in the forward face of the coupling provides the magnetic field, while the "suppressor" is used to actually control which way the cannon adjusts.

Cooling Sleeve

Located immediately at the base of the firing barrel is what is labeled the "cooling sleeve." The device resembles a spoked wheel, with the laser cannon barrel as the "axle." Locating the device at the forward end of the cannon would greatly help facilitating air-cooling within an atmosphere, and the "spokes" are directly exposed to vacuum. Both features, in addition to a similar structure located in the cowling of the sublight engines, makes a cooling function likely.

Body

According to most sources, the main body of the laser cannon contains the gas storage and fire ignition systems. This is also where the cannon attaches to the S-foil. The only internal part mentioned in the Incredible Cross-sections book is the "Laser Generator." ICS doesn't label a storage tank for tibanna gas, however the use of gasses as a power source for energy weaponry in Star Wars is another topic of debate entirely.

Additionally, the ICS shows a tube running from the wing surface into the plug-shaped object at the aft end of the laser cannon.

"Laser Actuator"

I've seen two different official descriptions of the function of this part, a small peg-shaped extension at the aft end of the laser cannon. In some, it is designated as the "laser actuator" and in others as the reload port for the cannon's tibanna gas storage.

Again, this is another feature that is largely unique to the X-wing. The Y-wing and B-wing both have their guns contained within the hull, and the A-wing has no designated "actuator." Like the "flashback suppressor," this feature is also found on the Z-95 Headhunter.

The best supporting evidence of this object as the ignition system for the cannon is its location, and the fact that the power conduit from the engines runs into this device. Obviously, its position in the aft of each cannon will put it behind the cannon's internals, much the way the hammer of a gun is at the rear end of the chamber. However, the exposed location could also pose a serious threat for misfire or unintentional discharge. This could be particularly dangerous in an enclosed area like a starship hangar facility.

The other dominant definition, as the reload port for tibanna gas, seems to make some sense. These structures do have what appears to be to be small ports or holes in the center, which could conceivably allow the insertion of cables. However, tibanna gas is something of a mystery itself. According to original data by LucasFilm, it is an anti-gravity gas (note that it is not related to the "lighter than air" properties of Helium! This is something entirely different). The use of tibanna gas in weapons stems from WEG, and while it's not impossible that the gas can serve both functions the likelihood has been the subject of much debate. However it's worth noting that since some models suggest a Star Wars laser cannon's energy bolt is plasma-based. Since plasma is, simply, a super-heated gas, and any gas can be turned into a plasma, the use of the anti-gravity tibanna gas in weaponry is not necessarily impossible (the fact that plasma is affected by magnetic fields, as is a Star Wars laser blast, lends further support to such a theory).

Robert Brown suggests a third theory: That the openings in the end of this structure is a maneuvering thruster for aiding the ship in tight turns! Its external shape certainly strongly resembles the X-wing's main sublight engines with the adjustable nozzle removed. In addition, the hole in the aft end is open: there is no external cover visible. The device is also not in line with the cannon itself. Careful study of the structure shows that it is angled to point straight aftwards, parallel with the fighter's centerline! From its location it seems that it would primarily improve yawing (rudder) performance, with more limited effect on the fighter's ability to pitch. Its aft-facing orientation would also prevent it from being used to roll the craft along its centerline. Film evidence is nonexistent for all three, however this function seems to best fit the design of the structure.

The long tube running from the engines to the laser cannon, labeled as the laser power conduit by WEG, actually terminates in this structure. It may actually channel thrust from the main engines to this satellite thruster.

Hyperdrive

The ICS locates the ship's hyperdrive as the last bit of machinery on the rear deck, extending down to just above the S-foil joint, which is another logical placement because it puts the hyperdrive close to the vessel's centerline. The EGV doesn't label the hyperdrive's location.

Mysteriously, the ICS is the only source to identify this piece of equipment. Although visible in the ILM effects model, no other blueprint source even acknowledges the existence of the structure!

More problems arise in the original X-wing game, which states the fighter has two hyperdrive motivators, located within the upper main engines themselves. Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy, which predates many published technical sources, (including X-wing, which was made following the success of Zahn's Heir to the Empire) supports the simulation's location of the hyperdrive motivators. It is possible that the hyperdrive motivators and the drive itself are two different modules which could allow both the ICS, and Zahn and X-wing to be correct (the ICS itself even states that hyperdrives can come in multiple parts). Both Zahn and X-wing support the earlier Star Wars Sourcebook, which also locates the hyperdrive motivators in the engine cowling.

Main Sublight Engines

Incom 4l.4 fusial thrust engine, as shown in the Star Wars Sourcebook.

The X-wing has four prominent drive engines located on the inner section of the S-foils near the main fuselage. Combined with the shield projectors, this assembly occupies a little under half the span of each wing. Their location as near to the fuselage as is possible effectively reduces the serious control and balance problems that would result from having too much weight, particularly from propulsion systems, out on the ends of the wings.

There are two particular oddities about the main drives: One is that the area of the drive engine near the inner surface of each S-foil is actually exposed. The purpose for this design is rather unclear, as when the ship is in a hangar bay where it can be serviced, the S-foils are closed which prevents the ground crew from accessing them, and if they do need to maintain that specific part of the engine then most likely the entire drive can be removed from the cowling. The most likely reason for exposing the inner surfaces of the engine is to better facilitate cooling by exposing the surface of the engine directly to vacuum.

The other interesting fact about the main engines is that the aft landing gear retracts into the cowling of the lower engines! As shown in the image above, the drive occupies the large part of the space inside the engine cowling, leaving no obvious room for the landing gear. To fit the rear landing gear, the lower engines must have a remarkably different internal configuration than the upper drives.

A third interesting fact is that the engines seem remarkably durable, as we have seen that Luke's X-wing was functioning normally even after having been entirely submerged in swamp water!

Intake

The forward face of each engine cowling is dominated by a massive opening with a T-shaped brace (designated as cooling fins by the Star Wars Source Book) connected to a cone-shaped structure.

The ICS labels these openings as retro thrusters, although some question exists over this function. Certainly, if these openings were cooling intakes as in modern aircraft design nothing would prevent the X-wing from reversing thrust through them, real jet aircraft can do just that. However, not every fighter has such prominent openings. The X-wing, Z-95, E-wing, B-wing, and K-wing do, but not the Y-wing, A-wing or TIE-series fighters. Certainly, if these were "reverse thrusters" such a system would be obvious on all fighter designs. While the same could be said of cooling intakes, it's worth noting that the TIEs already have their prominent radiator panels, and the Y-wing has an extensive series of tubes and cables running between the fuselage and engines which are part of the cooling system. The A-wing's engines have such a large opening in the exhaust nacelle that they must expel a significant amount of heat this way.

A dual-purpose opening is therefore the most likely description. The presence of "cooling fins" in the opening would satisfy enough of the cooling intake role that the rest of the structure is devoted to providing reverse thrust for maneuvering and slowing the fighter.

The ICS calls the cones inside an "electromagnetic gyro" used for aiding the ship in maneuvering through tight turns. It is possible that these gyros are what allow the X-wing to roll, even though they are off-center. If opposing gyros spin in the same direction (I.E., the top-left and bottom-right gyros rotate the same direction) the effect may be similar to how the X-wing's differential thrust still allows the craft to hold a steady, level course by running all four engines at equal power.

Centrifugal Debris Extractor

Mentioned at times in the first four parts of the X-wing novel series, this part of the engine is located somewhere just inside the cooling intake/retro thruster nozzle assembly. As its name implies, its purpose is to remove or trap debris before it can cause damage to the engine. While the exact method is never discussed, the name suggests that the system uses "centrifugal force" to pull foreign objects away from the engine interior where they can be ejected back into space. Such a system would seem to be necessary since the size of the opening would drastically increase the chances of inhaling a rock or other piece of debris. Even though the internal opening isn't as large as the outer one, there's still enough machinery that could be damaged by debris. The Star Wars Sourcebook labels the conical structures in the intake/retro thruster as the CDE. This structure may be multi-function, and could control roll and use the same electromagnets to keep the openings clear.

Reactant Agitator Injector

A term applied to a part of the X-wing's main engines before the external turbo generator stage. From the sound of it, it may be a part of the afterburner, either that or it's a fancy name for the fuel pump. From it's position at the tail end of the forward engine compartment it likely feeds into the turbo generator. This or a similar device is also found in the ICS under the somewhat shortened term "reactant injector," which further strengthens the theory that this may be related to the fuel injection system.

A conflict arises in the exact location of this device, however, as the SWSB locates it in the first engine stage below the tube running the length of the main engine. However, the ICS makes the aft end of the tube itself the RAI, which according to the SWSB is an alluvial damper.

Worth noting is that the ICS shows tubes running into the "reactant injector," while the SWSB does not. However, the blueprints are more of a cross-section, and these tubes may simply be removed for ease of viewing the internal engine structure.

Alluvial Damper

Located above the reactant agitator injector in the engine, this device feeds into the second engine stage from the aft end of a long tube running the length of the main engine. The Falcon uses these devices, and were a trouble spot Han was considering when the Falcon failed to jump to hyperspace. The damper may be related to accelerating the ship to lightspeed, and is a possible explanation of why ship engine emissions are discolored and flare briefly when the vessel jumps to hyperspace.

Power Converter

One of many power converters found in the X-wing. It may take energy produced by the engines, change them into a form useable by ship subsystems, and divert them to the fighter's deflector shields and laser cannon. It is attached to the engine stabilizer and the alluvial damper.

Stabilizer

Located at the forward end of the X-wing's power converter tube (above the hyperdrive motivator) is the engine's stabilizer. Luke's X-wing took a minor hit to this device during the Battle of Yavin which knocked it loose from the engine cowling. Although not a serious hit, the damage was a serious enough concern that Luke ordered Artoo to try locking it in place.

The name and location suggests that the stabilizer is used for maintaining control over the fighter while the ship is maneuvering, and it is worth noting that the device is attached to the retro thrust nozzle. Luke's concern over the damaged stabilizer was well warranted!

Power Surge Vent

The surge vent is located in the ventral half of the engine (dorsal in the lower pair of engines). As its name implies, this vent may allow the engine to evacuate excess energy in the event of power overload (such as due to damage to other engine components). This is extremely important since a severe enough power surge may cause catastrophic damage to the engine, or even the ship itself.

Located near the vent is a device labeled as the ground power input. The most likely function is that it allows maintenance technicians to power up the drive engines without drawing on the ship's fuel supplies. However, the fact that the inputs are located on the inner part of the engine (near the openings in the S-foils' inner surfaces) may make accessing this part of the engine difficult while still in the engine cowling and if the ship is resting on the deck with wings closed. However, if the engines can be removed from the cowling for repairs, maintenance technicians would have no trouble using these inputs for running the engines.

Repulsorlift Drive Adapter

Located farthest aft on the main engine module, directly under the second engine stage, is a piece of equipment that the SWSB designates as the repulsorlift drive adapter. It is immediately aft of the reactant agitator injector, and appears to be connected to the device.

Most likely, this piece of equipment converts energy produced by the main drive engines into a form usable by the ship's repulsors, which allow the X-wing to hover and skim the surface of a planet or starship hangar with safety. This device can also maneuver the ship to some degree within a planetary atmosphere.

It is curious why this device is located so far from the X-wing's main repulsor lifts, and that it is a part of the main engine to begin with. Logically, the X-wing's repulsors would be able to operate without the main engines activated in the event of damage, particularly in an atmosphere where a ship without engine power would be dragged down by gravity.

One answer may be found in the X-wing's distant relative, the T-47 airspeeder. The small craft uses repulsors for both lift and propulsion, so it is possible that the drive adapter in the X-wing actually provides the ship with forward propulsion, (possibly through the sublight engine thrust nozzles) while the main repulsor drive itself holds the ship in the air.

Hyperdrive Motivator

The Star Wars Sourcebook locates the fighter's hyperdrive motivator units as the farthest forward internal part of the engine (immediately aft of the centrifugal debris extractor). Being located as part of the ship's engine itself seems supported by the fact that when jumping to hyperspace, the X-wing's engine emissions are somewhat discolored.

However, the ICS locates the hyperdrive as an individual structure by itself at the very end of the ship's rear deck. This isn't necessarily a conflict, as it's possible the hyperdrive itself sends commands to the motivator units to accelerate the ship to hyperspace (as explained above, the ICS even suggests the hyperdrive is occasionally divided into individual modules).

"Turbo Generator"

SWTJ indicates the second external stage of the engine assembly as a "turbo generator," which probably functions like the afterburner of a modern jet fighter. However, the SWSB seems to suggest that this is where the main reaction that provides the X-wing with forward thrust is carried out. Immediately aft of the alluvial damper is a chamber that the SWSB simply calls the fission chamber. Whatever reaction creates the particle stream that provides the X-wing with forward thrust occurs in this chamber.

Aft of the fission chamber, both the ICS and SWSB indicate a four-bladed device anchored into the wall called the turbo impeller, attached to a many-bladed fan, the diameter of which drastically tightens before opening out quite suddenly into the exhaust nozzle. This would serve to increase the pounds of thrust produced by the engine. The SWSB designates this fan-like device as the turbo generator, which suggests that referring to the entire engine stage as a "turbo generator" may be slang for quick communication. The turbo impeller and generator most likely work together to make the X-wing's version of an afterburner. Since the turbo impeller can't move, it may use an energy field to accelerate the particle stream, while the turbo generator spins to do the same.

Exhaust Nozzle

The final part of the X-wing's engine assembly. The nozzle has an assembly which splits it into twelve sections arrayed in a radial pattern like the spokes of a bike wheel, which are attached at the center to a ring-shaped structure. The X-wing's engine corona is made up of a fiercely glowing core and a large, dark after-image or glare. The corona core is typically pinkish-violet, and the outer glare is a deep red although depending on the angle the engine arc may appear whitish. Engine emissions from the X-wing are difficult to see from some angles, and are most noticeable from either directly behind or in some cases from the front.

This image shows that the X-wing's engines are glowing quite fiercely from within. The reaction that creates the visible corona is probably fairly deep within the exhaust nozzle, which explains why the engine emissions aren't particularly noticeable from the front or sides. The "bleeding" over of the corona beyond diameter of the engines is likely due to glare in the viewer's eyes (in this case the camera). (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

Saxton brought up the possibility that like TIE fighters, an X-wing could use magnetic thrust vectoring for maneuvering since there are no recognizable maneuvering "jets." The disk and wedges inside the thrust nozzles could be related to such a feature, however the design of the engine and the deep setting of the spoke-and-ring assembly seems to limit the possible deflection of vectored thrust so I strongly doubt this.

The Star Wars Sourcebook mentions that the diameter of the X-wing's exhaust nozzles is adjustable. This is quite reasonable, as modern jet-powered aircraft do the same where an "open" nozzle is normally used at lower speeds, but for maximum speed the exhaust nozzle is closed off to increase thrust by building pressure in the interior of the engine (thus increasing the pounds of thrust produced by the engine). The structure of the exhaust nozzles, which are made up of segmented plates, supports this feature, and the ICS shows hydraulic or pneumatic levers arrayed around the interior of the engine which could serve to control the diameter of the nozzle. The X-wing may also use control over the diameter of her exhaust nozzles and altering the pounds of thrust produced by the engines to further improve her maneuverability in space. The handful of cases where the X-wing's engine emissions are visible from the front may hint at instances where these nozzles are fully open.

Aft Bulkhead

X-wing aft bulkhead, as shown in a resin reproduction kit of the studio effects model. Kit by and picture courtesy of Scott Alexander. Note what appears to be a handle or hatch on the "S-foil Actuator" (disk-like structure at center). The tube shaped structure at bottom center is the fuel port.

S-foil Actuator

The X-wing's aft bulkhead is dominated by a large, flat, disk-shaped structure that the SWTJ and EGV label as the S-foil Servo Actuator. Much like with the "laser actuator," I have a little trouble with the idea that any activation equipment for an internal system would be mounted externally. Most likely, the S-foil actuator would be located inside the fighter's hull, probably on the end nearest the cockpit and thus the control linkages, or mounted among the center of the machinery itself. The stern disk may be an armor plate to cover and protect a mounting bracket or hinge joint, or possibly a maintenance access hatch that allows the S-foil machinery to be physically removed for servicing (this structure is probably quite heavily armored to prevent damage to the S-foil pivot). Images of the aft bulkhead and this structure shows what appears to be a turn handle or locking mechanism, reinforcing that this is merely a cover or hatch allowing maintenance access. It's also important to note this structure is not centered on the S-foil pivot joint, so could not literally be part of the device itself

Fuel Port

Located slightly below the S-foil actuator is what is frequently labeled as a fueling port. Despite erratic and conjectural film evidence in support and to the contrary, I tend to believe that this is the actual location of the fueling port and tank.

The most interesting conflict within the films concerning refueling methods on the X-wing comes from the hangar sequence prior to the Battle of Yavin. During this scene, we plainly see hoses hooked to ports in the ventral surface of the fighter's hull just aft of the cockpit and beneath the astromech droid. The film doesn't explain what exactly is being loaded through these tubes, although the common belief is that the fighters are being fueled for combat. Oddly, the fuel inlets are missing from ESB and RotJ's set mockups, and the ILM effects models for all three films (further confusion is the location of another filling port on the fighter's flank, just forward of the fuel tank. During the launch sequence in ANH we also see tubes hooked up here).

This presents a problem. Most cutaways show the fuel tank mounted in the stern. Another problem is brought to light in ESB: The X-wing has a cargo compartment where an amidships fuel tank would be! If the X-wing's fuel tank truly was located near the forward ports shown in ANH, it would place it inside the small cargo compartment. Another possible solution for the filling ports will be discussed in that section.

There is other strong film evidence, however, that regardless of configuration the fuel tank, and the fuel port, is located near the aft bulkhead. With the exception of Red Leader all X-wings destroyed in ANH in which we see the "kill shot," and one of the three shot down in RotJ, are seen to take a hit on the aft bulkhead, specifically in the space beneath the S-foil actuator and conveniently near the supposed location of the fueling port. Following this hit, the X-wing explodes quite violently.

While the end result is typical Hollywood-style pyrotechnics, there is some logic behind it. If the fuel tank is indeed located in the area occupied by the cargo compartment, it would make the S-foil machinery the sole system in the area of the aft bulkhead, and I just don't see a ship exploding like that when hit in a non-vital and largely solid area (this may have contributed to the discrepancy where vessels in some Star Wars novels and games always explode when hit by laser fire). However, if you pull the fuel tank back to the aft bulkhead where the TIE lasers hit, you then have a tank of a highly combustible compound in the path of a direct laser blast. When the X-wing's tank is hit it sets off the stored fuels and rips the craft apart.

This is a constant in the space battle sequences, as the only X-wings we see hit that don't outright explode: Luke, Wedge and Red Leader, are hit in a different part of the hull and survive the hit itself. We never see the laser blasts that get Porkins, Biggs, "Red Eleven," and one anonymous X-wing, although judging from the resulting explosion their fuel tanks or torpedo magazines were cooked off. In fact, frame-by-frame viewing of Porkins' X-wing exploding shows that it is strikingly different than the others! There are two explosions: the first is in the front half of the fighter near the torpedo bay, and the second follows only a second or two later in the stern of the fighter, near the fuel tank.

Red Squadron pilot Jek Porkins' X-wing explodes. The blast occurs in two parts, and the image on the left clearly shows that the initial explosion is centered forward of the cockpit nearest the torpedo bay, then spreads aft towards the fuel tank. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope). Likely, a hit from below ignited the torpedo magazine.

This also appears in RotJ, in which one X-wing making the Death Star assault is struck in the aft bulkhead and subsequently explodes just like the craft hit that way in ANH! Of the other two X-wings seen destroyed in the film, one takes a direct hit from the Executor's turbolasers and explodes (which can be expected given the size of those guns. It's doubtful any starfighter could survive that. However, frame-by-frame viewing shows that this energy blast struck the bottom of the ship's fuel tank!) and the other is caught in the explosion of a Star Destroyer's command tower globe. Before the snubfighter blows up, we see it sparking and burning from inside, suggesting an internal fire that perhaps set off either the fuel tank or torpedoes!

There are also a few problems with a stern tank. While the position logically explains the brilliant explosions of the X-wings, as well as the advantages of placing the tank near the engines (shorter fuel system means less to be damaged when hit) placing it in the tail also makes the craft quite vulnerable. As seen in ANH, X-wings explode quite violently when hit in the aft bulkhead.

Aft Sensor

The X-wing's rear sensor is located immediately above the fueling port. Although not as extensive as the fighter's forward sensor array, this can be expected since the main purpose is to alert the pilot of any craft approaching from behind, rather than navigational or target acquisition purposes.

Rear Deck

The X-wing's rear deck and equipment as shown in the SWSB.

A box-like structure mounted in the aft end along the rear deck, this is what is commonly reported to be the starfighter's deflector shield generator. The device is large, and occupies a fair amount of space along the rear deck, and extends down as far as the S-foil pivot. The SWSB indicates a series of cables labeled as deflector ducts that are run through the ship's hull to the deflector shield projectors in the forward face of each S-foil wing.

Some debate has arisen over whether or not X-wings are really shielded against weapons fire. Certainly canon evidence quite directly confirms the presence of shields on the X-wing. The first is the order to switch deflectors to "double front" during the assault on the first Death Star's trench. In addition, we see during the battle X-wings take numerous hits from surface batteries or TIE laser cannons in the form of impact sparks. These are identical to those seen on known shielded ships like the Millennium Falcon and directly suggest that X-wings do, in fact, possess shields.

An X-wing fighter strafes the Death Star's surface. Note the impacts of surface fire around the hull is identical to the effect seen on known shielded craft like the Millennium Falcon. (Clip from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , courtesy of Andrew Tse, converted by James Lupiani)

The durability of these deflectors has also come into question. Certainly the trench run at the Battle of Yavin suggests that X-wings can only take minor damage before going down, and this has been a strong argument on many forums. However what is overlooked is that first, the fighters in question had already been under heavy surface fire, so their shields may be weakened. Second, because the ships are holding a steady course it's much easier for an enemy to target a critical area, such as the fuel tank (indeed this was the preferred target of American fighter pilots fighting the lightly armored Japanese aircraft in WWII). In addition, this also makes it easier for the attacking TIEs to concentrate their fire. TIE cannon at the time of Yavin also had both a much higher cycling rate, and always fired in pairs. This would allow a TIE fighter to concentrate more fire on a single area at a higher rate than the more powerful, but slower-firing, cannon of the X-wing (which at Yavin were firing in sequence). Even if firing a weaker bolt, the TIE could potentially deal out more damage and more quickly. This is also important because the attacking TIEs are not only hitting their target once. All that is shown on screen is the "kill shot," but in reality the TIE has fired on, and hit, its target many more times!

However just how tough are an X-wing's deflectors Film evidence suggests even the lowly TIE starfighter has minimal shielding of some sort (viewing the Falcon's flight from the Death Star shows the same signature "shield sparks" around the TIEs as Han and Luke try to blast them). Basing solely off the trench run sequence is unreliable because of the factors listed above. Similarly, the surface attack is difficult to gauges because it's unclear how close the Death Star's surface fire is coming to hitting the target.

There is, however, film evidence that suggests an X-wing's shields are quite capable. During the Battle of Yavin, Luke's fighter takes a hit high on its rear deck from a TIE fighter that is largely dissipated by his fighter's shields. The hit causes negligible damage (although one of the engine stabilizers is jarred loose) to the hull, suggesting the brunt of the impact has been absorbed. Considering the fighter's shields had been under constant fire this is a quite telling estimate on the ship's shield power, especially since the hit was a fairly square one, if not to a critical system.

This is especially considerable compared to film evidence of TIE fighter shielding. All film evidence of TIE deflectors hints at minimal shielding: every absorbed hit would have been a near-miss, however whenever a TIE takes a direct hit the ship is destroyed. That an X-wing's shields can handle a fairly solid hit while a TIE's can only handle glancing hits is a quite sizable advantage.

An X-wing is struck by an enemy fighter's laser blast. Despite having been under heavy surface fire, the ship weathered a solid hit with no telling superficial damage. Strong testament to the capabilities of an X-wing's deflector shields. (Clip from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, courtesy of Andrew Tse, converted by James Lupiani)

Power Generator

One of the disk-shaped areas of the rear deck just aft of the droid socket is labeled as a power generator in all known sources. Most likely, this device provides power to all secondary subsystems not powered by the main engines, such as the repulsors, instrument lighting, flight controls and lighting.

Astromech Socket

Located just aft of the cockpit is the droid socket, where the craft's astromech "copilot" is loaded. There are interface boards within the tube, and the fact that the droid's head extends above the rear deck allows it to access the outer hull with some onboard tools, which we see Artoo doing at various times during the Battle of Yavin. There is a small lift inside the socket that the droid can operate to pull itself out and move, although how an astromech would expect to get down from the hull without dedicated lifting equipment, other than a potentially dangerous fall or the help of a Jedi with developed telekinesis skills, is unknown.

The obvious problem with the astromech's placement is that the droid will impair pilot visibility out the rear window. Of course the obvious advantage with this is that it places the droid between an enemy fighter coming up from behind and the pilot. Wedge comments to his droid in X-wing: Rogue Squadron, an R5 called Mynock, that even though the droid's massive flowerpot-shaped head would be easier to hit, the droid would be hit before Wedge would.

This unfortunate astromech droid suffered a direct hit from a TIE fighter. However, had the droid not been there, the laser blast may have passed through the cockpit and killed the pilot instead. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, courtesy of Robert Brown)

Cargo Compartment

The ship has a small cargo compartment located in the ventral surface directly beneath the astromech socket. Internal blueprints suggest it is roughly a third of the length of the vessel's rear deck. This is fairly spacious, but too small to carry a second person, at least in comfort.

Oddly enough, Luke Skywalker was shown having unloaded a considerable amount of equipment from his X-wing's cargo bay on Dagobah. While this could suggest that the bay is indeed larger than most technical description show, there is another mystery: He removed it while the cargo bay was submerged!

Luke was seen removing something from the cockpit of his X-wing just prior to the campsite scene in ESB, so perhaps the ejector seat is hinged to allow access to the cargo bay from inside the cockpit. I don't seem to think of this as very plausible, however, as it may interfere with the functioning of ignition systems for the ejector seat. It's most likely that this pack may be related to the survival gear carried in the cockpit of most American fighters and carrier bombers during World War II. There may be enough space within the cockpit itself for the survival pack to be readily accessible (perhaps attached to the ejector seat. Thanks to Marc "Ogibendogy" for inadvertently reminding me of this). Several Expanded Universe novels mention X-wing pilots having access to some cargo from the inside of the cockpit. The ICS further supports this by indicating that extra food, water and survival gear is stored behind the pilot's seat.

The biggest problem with a hatch under the seat between the cockpit and cargo compartment is that the size of some of the crates Luke pulled out seemed too large to fit in the cockpit itself, not to mention through a pilot's seat-sized hatch. The craft also has too much other equipment, like life support and the acceleration compensator, between the pilot's seat and the cargo bay.

"Fuel Inlets"

As previously mentioned, the X-wing often has two small ports on the doors to the cargo bay. There were hoses connected to these prior to the Rebel assault at Yavin, leading to a belief that these are connections for fuel hoses. However, I strongly doubt this description.

There is another conjectural purpose for these inputs. Above and slightly forward of the cargo bay is the ship's life-support system, so it's possible that these are refill ports for that (although what you'd fill the life support system with in the first place is up for grabs). It's also possible that these are for emptying life support. This makes a lot more sense due to the proximity of it to the ports when compared with the fuel tank.

Oddly, the image of the X-wing's cargo bay interior from ESB and RotJ doesn't seem to show any hoses or tubes within the cargo bay, nor are the fuel inlets present on either the effects models of ANH, or the exterior mockups used in the latter two films.

It's also possible that these inlets are part of the fighter's emergency stores! The ICS points out that the ship carries food and water behind the ejector seat. Tubing running from the inlets could reach up to the cockpit itself. Obviously food can't really be loaded through these tubes, but water could. The Yavin 4 ground techs may have been loading extra water into the emergency stores in the even that one of the X-wings went down on the moon and it took time to recover them!

Worth noting is that these ports vanish once the craft take off from the hangar. Neither the ships seen in flight at Yavin, or on the ground throughout the rest of the Trilogy, have them. Perhaps these ports can be retracted into the hull.

It has also been suggested to me that the X-wings on Yavin were fit with an extra fuel tank in their cargo bay. While certainly possible, (historically, the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber could fit an extra fuel tank within its bomb bay) the major problem with this is that at Yavin, the fighters were on a short-range mission directly into combat, while in ESB and RotJ the fighters were traveling greater distances. Obviously, the latter two cases would have a greater need for increased fuel range (although in ESB, the fighters weren't expected to be flying into pitched battle, rather were on a dead run through hyperspace, and in RotJ the Rebel fleet was standing by to help recover the fighters, sparing them a return trip).

An X-wing takes off. Note the dark spots on the underside near the cargo bay that show the location of the forward filling ports. The fact that these inlets vanish in the effects models for all three films, and the set mockups in ESB and RotJ suggests these ports can be retracted into the hull of the fighter. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

Acceleration Compensator

The acceleration compensator is located just forward of the cargo compartment. Luke Skywalker used this device as an "emergency" brake while caught in a tractor beam, disabling his hyperdrive and comm array in the process.

This brings up an interesting note: If the fighter's hyperdrives are near the main engines, and the acceleration compensator is a good three or more meters away as most cutaways suggest, how is it possible for them to have sustained damage from Luke's emergency braking maneuver Zahn was explicit in stating that backfiring the acceleration compensator damaged the "adjoining hyperdrive." This is problematic since systems like the flight console and computer, and more importantly life-support, which are all much closer to the acceleration compensator than the hyperdrive were undamaged. Quite bizarrely, the subspace communications array was also disabled, despite being on the opposite extreme of the craft's length! However, it is possible that the hyperdrive and communications array are more sensitive to damage. The former is certainly supported by sufficient film evidence courtesy of the Millennium Falcon.

Life Support System

The craft's life support equipment is located immediately above the acceleration compensator compartment. It probably functions like the equipment on the space shuttle.

For some odd reason, the X-wing's cargo compartment filling ports are in an ideal position to be connected to the life support system, rather than the fuel tanks as is often believed.

Cockpit

Rebel pilot in the cockpit of an X-wing fighter.

The X-wing's cockpit is located approximately in the center of the hull's length. It is also fairly spacious given the size of the fighter, although on long flights would still be rather uncomfortable.

There is strong evidence that an experienced pilot may not have designed Incom's original X-wing prototype. When looking at the height of the ejection seat and the level of the fighter's console dash in relation to the pilot's line of sight it is obvious that forward visibility is quite limited except for when looking straight ahead, up, or out the side viewports. The craft's aft canopy assembly further limits visibility. The stern window is small and obstructed by the starfighter's astromech droid, and the aft corner windows don't offer much more than a view of the X-wing's upper engine assembly.

In a form of combat where the most common method of making a kill is to strike your opponent by surprise, this is a dangerous flaw in the craft's design. With the badly reduced pilot visibility, the X-wing is an easy craft to blind-side with its only saving grace being the sensors and the astromech.

The X-wing game series shows a number of displays that aren't at least easily recognizable in the cockpit shown in the film, although they may be off-camera or a somewhat different design than what is presented in the games. These include the forward and rear sensor displays, a "throttle indicator" likely included since X-wing and TIE Fighter lacked throttle slider support, a shield and hull status indicator, and the "LES," a display that shows the relative amounts of power directed to lasers, engines and shields, respectively (although ESB shows a three-monitor display to the starboard side of the main computer display roughly in the same location as X-wing and X-wing vs. TIE Fighter's LES panel. These consoles vanished in X-wing: Alliance, which used a "holographic HUD" like those in Descent: Freespace. The cockpit image was changed to a 3D model (compared to 2D bitmaps in the first three games). Unfortunately, the cockpits gave only a passing resemblance to the ones from the films, and many displays or details shown in the movies are missing from X-wing: Alliance. An X-wing cockpit released by the X-wing: Alliance Upgrade is based more closely off the original film mockup.

Worthy of note is the lack of any type of physical gun sight glass in the films, with targeting and aiming handled solely through the use of one of several computer displays. The X-wing games cover this with the impression that the gun sight is holographically projected on the pilot's helmet. However, the only controls on a Rebellion flight suit are devoted to life support, and the pilot is not "wired" into the fighter. It is possible that the sighting equipment is inside the pilot's helmet, possibly within the decorative crest running the centerline from forehead to the back of the head. However this would have to be exceptionally light for pilot comfort, and the fact that it is both not connected to the craft's targeting sensors and that the sight would move when the pilot's head moves makes this unlikely as well. There is a small tube on the starboard side of the cockpit that runs partway down the console dash. This tube is similar in appearance to the tubular telescopic gun sights used on some World War II aircraft, and may be the X-wing's manual targeting sight.

The X-wing comics and graphic novels depart slightly from the films by giving the X-wing a more traditional gun sight on the edge of the cockpit dash. However, these reflect a more advanced model of the X-wing, which supposedly added a holographic HUD.

The Primary Display Monitor is a large rectangular display directly in the center of the instrument panel. This prominent display screen is used for a variety of purposes, including printing out a text version of communications from the ship's Astromech unit. Given the lack of other identifiable displays, this screen may also keep the pilot updated with fuel, velocity and directional information ordinarily tracked by individual displays or a HUD.

The ship's targeting scope is a smaller rectangular screen easily identifiable by the crosshair-type display. When the pilot targets a ship a simple image of the target is superimposed over the display giving a rough location of the target in relation to the X-wing (provided the target is in the forward firing arc). Oddly, this display is located at the bottom of the instrument cluster rather than near the top, forcing the pilot to look down into his lap to use it. This could be particularly hazardous for long-term use, as the pilot must take their eyes off the view ahead. Four control buttons, two on each side, surround the targeting scope, although their exact function is unknown. Likely they may relate to target selection or other weaponry functions.

The X-wing's targeting display is much simpler than the one found on TIE-series fighters like the standard fighter and the TIE x1. While the displays of the Imperial fighter denote information about the target (identity and some numbers, possibly including range) the X-wing's display is entirely devoted to centering a target for the fighter's weapons. While some sources (such as the Star Wars Visual Dictionary) consider this as an older, less-sophisticated device, in reality it is strictly functional and dedicated to target tracking. The TIE cockpit has a lack of onboard display monitors, so having a targeting scope that can serve multiple functions is essential. However, the X-wing has several monitors in the cockpit, such as the primary monitor, that can probably show the same extra information as the TIE's targeting display, allowing the X-wing to devote its targeting scope to the task of target tracking.

Targeting Computer

A third display, called the "targeting computer" in the films, is mounted on a retracting arm behind the ejector seat. Oddly, this display is seen in operation during the attack on the Death Star exhaust port in ANH rather than the instrument cluster targeting display. Since the pilot is required to take their eyes off the view forward to use this device, it appears that it would be rather useless in a dogfight, which takes the pilot's full attention (flicking the eyes between the HDD targeting scope and the view forward is much easier than doing the same with this computer). It may have a function related to the bombsights on the small carrier-borne bombers of World War II, and is devoted towards precision targeting of the fighter's proton torpedo launchers against a ground target, (like the Death Star exhaust port) whereas the main targeting display is designed for tracking a maneuvering target like another starfighter. The targeting computer may need to be configured against a specified target, as it seemed that the computers used in ANH were preset for the Death Star trench prior to launch. The hassle of reprogramming the device may explain why it has not been seen in use elsewhere in the Star Wars Universe, although careful study of the X-wing cockpit in RotJ reveals that the device is still in place.

The targeting computer display.

Flight Controls

The flight stick is located rising from the floor of the fighter's cockpit between the pilot's knees, much like that of a modern or historic fighter aircraft. There is a control board attached to the stick itself, likely for major ship's functions that the pilot needs right at their fingertips. The stick is rarely seen, and there are only a few instances where it is noticeable.

Unfortunately, there is a serious problem with the fighter's flight stick, namely that ANH shows two separate flight control devices! In three separate images, the X-wing's stick has a black, box-shaped top with two large, silver dials on the pilot's right hand side (Biggs is seen adjusting one of these knobs prior to strafing one of the Death Star's turbolaser towers). This stick also has a tall switch which may be related to the multi-directional "hat" switches found on many modern computer joysticks. This control is visible prior to Porkin's death when looking into both Biggs' and Red Leader's cockpit from starboard, and again when Red Leader pulls out of the Death Star trench, this time from port. There are a few other times where this stick can briefly be seen.

The other stick is shown when Red Leader fires his torpedoes, and isn't seen in much detail, however it has one large, gray, domed button and one small, flat red button on top. It is seen from the pilot's left hand side, and no side-mounted knobs are visible, and more importantly the tall "hat" switch visible on the other stick is not present. In addition, the stick is shaped differently.

Neither stick is visible at the same time as the other, and Red Leader goes right from firing his torpedoes (the red-buttoned stick) to pulling out of the trench (stick with the knobs) so he couldn't have had time to switch between two different controls! Not only that, attempting to do this would make the X-wing far more difficult to control than is necessary, and could even be dangerous (not only that, but he pulls out immediately after firing his torpedoes). Since the stick with two-knobs is seen most often, I tend to believe that it is the X-wing's actual control stick.

Both sticks are primarily seen operated with the pilot's left hand, although at times the right is used.

Biggs Darklighter in the cockpit of his X-wing prior to his death, with a rare view of the X-wing's control stick (black object in front). This is the version with two control knobs and a single top button. Its frequency of appearance suggests it is the X-wing's true flight stick. The stick is typically operated by the left hand, although here Biggs is using his right. (Picture from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

The ship has "rudder pedals" in the floor of the cockpit, located beneath the console dash. There is some minor conflict in how, exactly, they operate. In the novels, rudder and stick functions like that of a contemporary aircraft, with pitch and roll controlled by the stick, and yaw by the pedals. However, X-wing: Alliance (and many other space combat games, for that matter) has pitch and yaw controlled by the stick, and roll through the rudder pedals.

There is no recognizable throttle slider in the cockpit, although some sequences show a small, round knob in the cockpit that appears to be a control of some sort and may act as a throttle. Alternately, one of the other controls on the flight stick may perform that function. Although possible that one of the X-wing's two control sticks may be assumed to be rudder control I tend to doubt it. Foremost is the fact that both controls are known to be operated with the left hand. In addition, the problem remains that only one of these controls are seen at a time.

S-foil Toggle

The control switch for the S-foil actuator is shown, by film evidence, to be on the flat roof of the cockpit, aft of the main canopy and above the pilot's right shoulder. The surface of the "ceiling" is never clearly shown on film, but there appears to be enough room to contain some controls.

Oddly, despite the fact that the films, comics and novels all agree that the S-foil control in the X-wing is above the pilot's head, the original X-wing computer game makes it a lever located on the right-hand side of the cockpit beneath the main flight console assembly.

The pilot's seat doubles as an ejection system like in a real combat aircraft. This system has never been shown on-film, but it is known to exist through dialogue: Rebel pilot Jek Porkins was told to eject after his fighter took damage. The seat is reclined at a sharp angle so that the pilot is nearly lying down. This is reasonable due to the excessive amount of Gs the X-wing can pull, and is a feature found on the American F-16 Falcon fighter to reduce the effect of high-G maneuvers on the pilot's body. Oddly, the ICS neither identifies the ejection seat, nor shows any of the equipment needed to blow the seat clear. However it puts a significant amount of empty space between the floor of the cockpit and the underside of the ejection seat, which seems structurally unsound otherwise, so the equipment may have been removed for ease of viewing the interior.

Andrew Tse suggests that the X-wing's ejection seat may be powered by small repulsorlifts. A very intriguing idea, this would certainly suggest why the ICS doesn't show any equipment underneath the seat! The biggest problem is that Stackpole and Alliston specifically describe a burst of fire within the cockpit whenever a pilot ejects, suggesting that the seat uses some form of rocket or jet propulsion to blow the pilot out of the doomed craft.

It's worth noting that with the way the X-wing's pilot is stretched out, with the legs under the flight console, the ship's ejector seat poses a risk of smashing the pilot's legs into the control boards so it's likely that the seat must not only blow the pilot up and out of the cockpit, but forward as well. Being trapped in an endless somersault must be quite unsettling for a pilot! In addition, the fact that Rebel pilots wear open-faced helmets that could pose more than a slight problem for the extra-vehicular pilot.

Proton Torpedo Bay

The starfighter's proton torpedo bay is located directly beneath the cockpit. It consists of the internal storage racks for the warheads and their arming shells, and the external launch tubes.

Magazine

The X-wing carries a total of six proton torpedoes launched by two launchers. There are three of the cone-shaped warheads and their individual launcher shells per tube. Each set of torpedoes are loaded on a horseshoe-shaped rack that feeds the torpedoes in a clockwise (port) or counter-clockwise (starboard, both when viewing the launchers by looking back at the fighter from the nose) direction from top to bottom of each rack. As one torpedo is launched, the arming shells are rotated to the bottom of the rack, bringing the next warhead into place. When looking at the cutaways in the ICS, it shows that the readied torpedo is separated from the interior of the launcher tube with enough clearance to rotate, however to ensure the warhead enters the tube instead of accidentally striking the internal wall and detonating inside the fighter there is likely a loading mechanism that pushes the arming shell and warhead forward into the end of the launching tube (shown in the Y-wing cutaway).

There is an access hatch on each side of the hull allowing ground technicians to work with and reload the launchers, although the opening is not large enough to remove the racks themselves. Because the loading racks are designed specifically for the arming shells of the MG-7 proton torpedo the ship cannot load another type of warhead in these launch racks, and the small size of the access hatch prevents their removal so they can't be easily swapped for a different type of launcher. Refitting X-wings to mount a different type of weapon in place of the proton torpedoes would be too difficult and time-consuming to be viable in the field.

This is problematic, since many of the games have X-wings mounting warheads other than proton torpedoes. X-wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-wing: Alliance both allow the player to load different warhead types, and Rogue Squadron even has a mission where X-wings are custom-fit with ion cannon in place of the warhead launchers! Neither option is particularly viable without radically refashioning the interior and hull plating to remove and replace the torpedo launch racks, and in the case of Rogue Squadron adding a power source for the ion cannon and reinforcing them to keep them from jarring out of position while firing. One X-wing derivative, the X-TIE Ugly (which mounts a TIE fighter's panel wings to the X-wing's fuselage) replaces the torpedoes with laser cannons, or in some models a single laser cannon and missile launcher. None of these modifications are impossible, but are simply not ones that can be expected without being specially built in the factory, or without a lengthy refit process.

The torpedo magazine is one of the X-wing's key vulnerable points to enemy fire. Each warhead is a potent energy-scattering warhead, so premature detonation caused by either an accident, internal fire, or a laser blast would likely tear the fighter apart. This is demonstrated in several of the X-wing novels. Since the hit that finished off Rebel pilot Jek Porkins was never shown on film, but since the explosion that destroyed his fighter began in the front half of the ship he may have been killed when a lucky turbolaser hit from the Death Star surface cooked off his stored warheads.

Flight Computer

The fighter's flight computer takes up half the fuselage between the cockpit and nose cone. It is located immediately above the forward-most end of the torpedo launch tubes and runs from the forward edge of the canopy to the aft end of the landing gear well. It most likely handles all cockpit functions, from the flight controls themselves, to the various switches and control toggles for the ship's subsystems. Information displayed on the various cockpit monitors are also likely handled by the flight computer. Damage to this system would be truly catastrophic for the pilot!

Forward Landing Gear

Unlike the unusually placed aft landing gear, the forward landing skid does not interfere with any internal machinery. It is located just forward of the outer tubes on the torpedo launchers and flight computer. The forward gear is hinged to the aft end of the well and retracts forward into the fighter's nose.

Subspace Communications Array

The fighter's communications array is located immediately forward of the flight computer, above the forward landing gear well. Considering this device was destroyed when Luke Skywalker triggered an emergency braking maneuver with his acceleration compensator, despite being a good several meters away, the antenna is likely extremely fragile.

Sensors

The X-wing's sensors systems take up the remainder of space in the fighter's fuselage. Many of the sensors themselves are located in the craft's nose cone, much like the pulse-Doppler radar mounted in the nose cone of contemporary terrestrial military aircraft.

Sensor Computer

The sensor computer is located between the communications antenna and nose cone. It probably serves to translate sensor images into a data format readable by the flight computer.

Sensor Window

The X-wing's nose cone has a small depression along its upper face labeled as the "sensor window." Oddly it doesn't match up with the lens of the primary sensor array! It could be designed to give the device better "peripheral" vision along the fighter's dorsal surface.

Primary Sensor Array

The fighter's primary sensor array takes up the majority of the nose cone's interior. It has impressive forward coverage and a considerable amount out to the sides, top and bottom. The array consists of both long and short-range sensors, as well as the ship's targeting equipment.

Jammer

The SWTJ, ICS and SWSB note a jamming device located in the sensor cone. However, this device has not been used in either the films or any literature to date, and it is generally accepted that the only starfighter with standard-equipped sensor jamming of some sort is the A-wing (the jamming often attributed to the standard TIE models in ANH most likely actually came from the Death Star itself). The X-wing's jammer may be more closely related to a modern aircraft's electric counter measures for defense against incoming missiles than any true jamming device.

Miscellaneous Observations

The X-wing has quite a quite unusual distribution of mass. The majority of the ship's heaviest systems are located in the fighter's stern, making her remarkably tail-heavy. However while historically this causes significant control problems (notably the P-51 Mustang's center fuel tank being located behind the pilot made the fighter very dangerous to control while full) the aft-heavy design may actually be favorable to the X-wing. With a great deal of the ship's mass concentrated in the stern the center of mass itself is pulled farther aftward, nearer the engines. With the main sublight engines already quite spread out from the center of mass this could greatly increase the amount of torque they place on the hull, providing even better turning performance.

Side blueprint of the Incom T-65C A2, looking from port. The majority of the starfighter's largest systems are located aft of the center of mass. It's unclear whether this weight distribution is a drawback or an advantage. Certainly the concentration of mass in the stern may help increase the torque placed on the hull by the main engines in maneuvers.

The X-wing has a superb balance of performance characteristics. Her blend of range, speed, firepower, durability and maneuverability make her a true superiority fighter. She's equally adept as an escort, interceptor, defense, point, assault and reconnaissance craft, possibly one of the most versatile starfighters in the Star Wars Universe. X-wings in the novels and games are commonly assigned to combat roles that allow them to switch between assignments with ease over the course of an engagement.

X-wings are consistently called the "Incom T-65" in the games and novels, a designation dating back to a draft from A New Hope and part of the conversation between Luke and Biggs on Yavin IV where Red Leader identifies the craft as an Incom T-65. This line was eventually changed to "Are you sure you can fly this ship" when the actual scene was filmed, but the X-wing's manufacturer and model lived on (in addition, the Special Edition graphic novel retains the line).

Despite being several decades old (possibly even older) by the time of the later novels and with the more advanced E-wing in use, the X-wing has remained the primary fighter of the New Republic, somehow surviving despite many incidents that would otherwise give the E-wing prime opportunities to grab up manufacturing orders, notably the sabotage of the refit X-wings and new-production T-65Ds in New Rebellion.

X-wings are exceptionally durable, capable of surviving under the harshest of planetary conditions. This includes frigid weather, humidity, sandstorms, (as shown in a scene cut from Return of the Jedi) and can even function normally after being submerged in sediment-filled swamp water without heavy maintenance!

Unlike the Empire's TIE-series fighters, the X-wing builds from a strong aerodynamic base. While the squared-edge wings aren't the most efficient design for atmospheric travel it's possible that theship's deflector shields may alter airflow to direct it around the wings. The fuselage shares the same somewhat torpedo-like shape found in modern aircraft, and when opened, the fighter's S-foils would appear to act as both wing and stabilizer. The X-wing's atmospheric capabilities have been well illustrated in most Expanded Universe literature.

X-wing Variants

Because of the X-wing's superb versatility, and its popularity among fans and authors alike, the X-wing has seen a large number of variants aimed at revitalizing the fighter.

X-wing design variant designations follow a similar tradition to American combat aircraft, consisting of a letter and model number. Additional lettering and numbers beyond the actual model number denote sub-classes. The actual designation deserves some attention, as the X-wing's "T" doesn't seem to be an indication of its combat role as we would recognize it (in the US military "T" stands for "Trainer"). In addition, the X-wing isn't the only craft to carry a "T" designation. The Skyhopper (T-16) and "Snowspeeder" (T-47) also use the number, and both of these craft are also by Incom, however neither are starfighters. The Headhunter fighter, which is both an older craft and was developed by Incom in conjunction with SubPro, carries a "Z." Soviet aircraft follow a similar naming convention, using the designer in the designation (MiG, Su, Yak, etc). "T" may represent Incom, or as pointed out to me by Nob Akimoto, a specific design team from Incom (since the I-7 Howlrunner was also by Incom).

Assuming this, the X-wing becomes the sixty-fifth craft design (since the T-16 and T-47 are not starfighters, but airspeeders, it means that "T" does not apply only to starfighters) by Incom's "T" team. All craft designed by this group would carry a "T" designator (the E-wing was also developed by the X-wing's designers, and while it doesn't have an official number designator, it may likely also use a "T," assuming FreiTek carried on with the Incom team's designator). Letters following the designation would indicate new models featuring major design improvements, and additional letters would denote later subclasses of the fighter. Thus, the T-65C series would carry significant improvements over the T-65B (Nob Akimoto also points out that since there was a "B," there was likely an "A" preceding it, likely a concept or prototype. He also suggests that prototype variants may be designated "AC" for "Advanced Concept," which explains one X-wing variant to appear in the WEG RPG). Lettering and numbers beyond the current series would denote minor upgrades or field enhancements that wouldn't make it a totally new model. For example the A2 subclass of the T-65C would feature minor system upgrades over the A1.

Where possible, the ship's speed ratings are given as a rough estimate according to the 12.5 : 1 ILM to WEG conversion.

T-65A

Conceivably the prototype model of the X-wing. The ship's actual appearance is unknown, although many people like to believe that some of the early X-wing design sketches (notably those that resemble a hybrid X-wing/Z-95) are this fighter. Exact performance statistics are unknown.

T-65B

The first production model of the X-wing design, it is commonly cited as the ship involved at Yavin. This ship is not quite as fast as later models. The T-65B still sees continued service in the New Republic period, despite the appearance of the more advanced T-65C and later models of the fighter.

T-65C-A2

Perhaps the longest-lived X-wing variant, the C-A2 was introduced towards the end of the Rebellion leading up to the Battle of Endor in limited numbers, and mostly replaced the older T-65B by the Battle of Bilbringi. It is not believed that any C-A2 X-wings participated in the Battle of Endor (see the Introduction to the Starfighter Commentary for further information).

T-65R "Snoop Scoot"

A specialized variant of the X-wing dedicated towards reconnaissance seen in a variety of sources. It has the X-wing's durability and characteristic S-foils, but lacks any defensive armament. She carries two sensor pods, which can be jettisoned if the craft needs to run. Because the ship has neither the stealth to avoid detection, speed to out-run an attacker, or the armament to fend them off, it requires escort to get the job done. This makes the T-65R a decent combat observer, but not a good long-range reconnaissance craft.

T-65BR "Recon X"

Another type of reconnaissance-variant X-wing first seen in Kube's Black Fleet Crisis trilogy and the RPG. The ship retains the laser armament of the original X-wings, with the addition of a massive self-destruct device capable of knocking a ship at least the size of a Corellian Corvette out of action! She features slightly heavier shields, as well. This model removes the proton torpedoes and replaces them with her improved sensors (which also replaces the R's towed pods). The BR was developed and built from older X-wing models, specifically the T-65B, as is indicated in its designator.

T-65D-A1

A brief, highly-limited production version of the X-wing from New Rebellion which replaced the starfighter's astromech interface with a standard navicomputer like those of the A-wing and B-wing fighters. While this improved the fighter's efficiency, the combination of most X-wing pilots' preference for the astromech droids and the fact that the new computer systems were sabotaged in the factory brought the T-65D line to an abrupt end. The ship has marginally improved sublight acceleration, and greater agility than older X-wing models.

T-65-AC4

An advanced variant of the X-wing introduced in the Jedi Academy Sourcebook and used in the Star Wars RPG. As yet, the ship is not known to have appeared in a more official source such as the novels.

The AC4 (which ignores traditional variant designation conventions in the X-wing, although it's been noted to me by Nob Akimoto that it may be an abbreviation for "Advanced Concept") is as fast and maneuverable as the New Republic's A-wing starfighter, has improved shielding and hull armor over older X-wings, and her quad laser cannon are both more accurate and more powerful. The ship also features a radically redesigned cockpit and avionics, making her much easier to fly. According to the Jedi Academy Sourcebook these advanced fighters are exceptionally rare, limited-production craft.

The origin of this design, which seems solely for use with the RPG, is something of a mystery. One possibility is an error in research by West End Games (not entirely unheard of). Kevin J. Anderson mentioned in a preface to the graphic novel edition of Dark Empire that his own novel trilogy, which would eventually become the Jedi Academy Trilogy, was in-progress at the same time. He didn't know about this for some time, and when he did learn a significant number of his ideas had to be dropped or rewritten to fit the continuity of Dark Empire. It is possible that the AC4 was one such idea that he was developing prior to learning about the E-wing, West End Games may have found it and not realizing the idea was dropped, proceeded to create stats for the fighter.

Another possibility is that since the two known improvements of the T-65 A3 from Dark Tide I: Onslaught are also two of the AC4's advancements, specifically the heavier shielding and more potent laser cannon, the two could actually be the same craft!

T-65T "Tandem"

A very unusual craft based on the X-wing spaceframe that was seen at the end of Crimson Empire II. This ship mounts seven engines, one on each S-foil, one along each side of the fuselage at the wingroots, and one slung low under the fuselage. The S-foils were altered so that they rotated around the flank engines without interfering with the internal machinery. The fighter mounts the same four laser cannon on the tips of the S-foils.

There are a number of other departures from the X-wing hull. The fighter's nose has been heavily restructured, and the ship has a two-man cockpit. She is also slightly longer at 15 meters, and like many two-man Republic fighters lacks an astromech droid.

The only information I've been able to uncover on this fighter is from a fan site which credits the craft's design history to information by Hasbro and Dark Horse, and also includes an adaptation into the WEG RPG. The T-65T was introduced around the time of Yavin, and only a handful were produced. The fighter's primary function was as an improved attack craft, and the purpose for the second man in the fighter's crew was as a weapons officer and navigator.

The bizarre T-65T "Tandem X-wing." This ship saw limited service with the Rebellion after Yavin, and was largely replaced by the B-wing. (Picture from Star Wars: Crimson Empire II)

T-65XJ

Little is known about this latest version of the X-wing. Its first appearance was in Vector Prime, and it was only minimally described so its exact differences between it and older models are largely unknown. It does, for sure, have three proton torpedo launchers, each with a three-warhead magazine. In addition, when firing the XJ's cannon in pairs, they cycle by top and bottom pairs, rather than offset pairs as in earlier models (there's been some suggestions, however, that the XJ's firing sequence can be altered). Careful study of the novels indicates that the ship also replaces the four fusial-thrust engines with two ion engines.

Although heavily debated, the use of two ion engines is supported by book evidence. I do find reducing the number of drive engines surprising. One big advantage of the X-wing's quad engines was that if it lost one drive, it was only down a fourth of its total thrust output. However with only two engines, losing one cuts the available thrust by half. In addition, twin-engines would eliminate the pitch-improving spread of the S-foil engines because the nature of the X-wing's S-foil systems would interfere with a twin-engine, four-nozzle configuration. It's possible, however, that the XJ-series remedy this with alterations to the S-foil pivots that allow a split-nozzle for each of the engines as I have done on my own conjectural XJ model (see the "Models" link at left).

Worthy of note is that despite her highly advanced systems, the T-65XJ is still compatible with the older generation R2-series astromech droids. This backwards compatibility makes the XJ slightly more cost-effective than craft requiring special (in the case of the E-wing's R7 requirement) or late-model droids by allowing the starfighter to use older astromechs already available rather than having to build more. No information exists over whether older droids require system upgrades to handle the XJ's advanced systems, although it is a strong likelihood.

Another mystery of this craft is its rarity. Unless the vessel was an exceptionally new design there must be some valid reason for its limited deployment. Perhaps she's an exceptionally expensive craft Or maybe the pilots didn't like only having two engines compared to four on the older X-wings so the ship never entered full deployment.

One of the most interesting, unusual and unlikely theories about the XJ's limited deployment was that she is a special design for the Jedi Knights! While such an interpretation is quite a leap, it may point out what the "J" in the craft's designation stands for: "Jedi."

Without using direct reference, the biggest problem within the literature of the XJ as Jedi-only is the political climate at the time of NJO. Vector Prime shows that Borsk Fey'lya's new government is not as friendly with the Jedi (and at times is outright hostile) as it was under Leia's presidency. Logically, with the government not exactly trusting the Jedi they wouldn't want them to be provided with the only models of a highly advanced starfighter design. Another is, once again, expense. It is financially unsound to build such an advanced craft solely for one small group of people, and as much as providing a quality weapon, a defense contractor wants to turn a profit. This means selling their equipment in as large numbers as possible. For a galaxy-spanning civilization with a lot of space to defend, this means full fleet deployment.

It's likely that the craft's designers provided a few models to the Jedi for field-testing. Historically, the Jedi Knights tended to gravitate towards galactic trouble spots so there seemed to be no better hands to test the craft's combat effectiveness. Because the military is one of the precious few aspects of the New Republic that still has faith in the Jedi by the time of NJO, the military may be awaiting a recommendation on the craft from the Jedi before buying it. In addition, in Vector Prime Jedi Knight Wurth Skidder is introduced flying an XJ in defense of Mara Jade Skywalker's shuttle, Jade Sabre, but Mara, Jaina and Leia didn't know there was a Jedi at the controls until they actively stretched out to him through the Force. Obviously if the XJ was a Jedi-only fighter they wouldn't need to use the Force to know there was a Jedi aboard!

Another quote from Vector Prime can clarify the confusion. "There weren't many of those advanced fighters flying about, and none at all outside the Star Destroyer and battle cruiser squadrons, with one notable exception. These fighters belonged to Jedi Knights" (p 139). The "Jedi-only" deployment theory may come from the last sentence, which makes a direct reference to XJs in the hands of the Jedi, however the quote says explicitly that these fighters are the exception not the rule! The first half is the most important part, because it shows without a doubt that the T-65XJ has been deployed to regular New Republic military units.

There are three main XJ variants at the time of the NJO novels: the XJ-1, XJ-2 and XJ-3. There are very few differences between the three, however the XJ-1 is the initial prototype model introduced in Vector Prime. The XJ-2 and -3 models are "Vong-Killers," built specifically to combat the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong and their biotechnology. Both feature grab-proof shielding and laser cannon modified for multiple fire modes (including variable stutter, allowing the pilot to fine-tune both power and rate of fire of the "stutter-shots" used to defeat Vong dovin basal shielding). The XJ-1 and -2 both measure the standard 12.5 meters, although the XJ-3 is is slightly longer at 12.6 meters.

T-65A3

Another improvement over earlier X-wings first introduced in Dark Tide I: Onslaught, (book 2 of the New Jedi Order story arc) it is actually a contemporary or somewhat earlier design with the mysterious "XJ," despite not appearing in the Star Wars Universe until after the XJ's introduction. It's not quite as advanced, and is apparently both more common and closer in appearance to the older models. Like her predecessors she is equipped with four engines, and carries the same armament of quad laser cannon and twin torpedo launchers. The ship carries the same six-warhead magazine. She is known to have improved shielding, and her lasers are both more powerful, longer-ranged, and more accurate than those of her predecessors. Whether the ship has other performance improvements is as-yet unknown. Like the new XJ, the A3 is still compatible with older R2 astromechs, albeit with the Delta upgrade.

There is some mystery regarding what X-wing model the ship is a subclass of, as Stackpole simply refers to the craft as T-65A3. Since the T-65D was cancelled after the A1, the C line seems to be the only model that A3 would be the next immediate development. However the number of improvements of the A3 over the T-65C-A2 would seem to hint more towards an entirely new variant, rather than merely a subclass of the C model. She may be a third development on a T-65E, rather than the older C, or possibly even a subclass of the T-65D with the navicomputer replaced by the traditional astromech. With West End Games having folded their RPG, it may be necessary to wait for the Wizards of the Coast game to compare the A3's performance with older craft and make a final judgement on her development history.

Performance

No shield or hull strength rating for the fighter was given in the films. Of serious concern are the maneuverability ratings. While the LucasFilm speed and agility charts used for the production of Return of the Jedi cited no specific numbers for agility, LucasArts adapted a rating of 75 DPF, compared to the roughly 96 of the TIE starfighter. However, film evidence shows that Totally Games seriously crippled the X-wing's agility ratings to give an advantage to the lightly armed, unshielded TIE fighter. The RotJ speed chart states explicitly that the X-wing has maneuvering performance on par with or greater than that of the TIE starfighter, and this is clearly supported by canonic film evidence. West End Games gives the X-wing a higher agility rating, with a rating of 3D on the T-65B and C A2 compared to the TIE starfighter's and TIE/ln's 2D. See the discussion on this chart in the Introduction page for more information.

The craft's atmospheric performance has recently been a subject of debate. Novel evidence states a figure of 600km/h, roughly that of a WWII fighter aircraft. However this not only ignores earlier data by WEG (which clocks the T-65B at approximately 1100km/h) but one significant problem: The X-wing needs enough engine power, and speed, to reach escape velocity. At a mere 600km/h the X-wing will not reach great enough velocities to escape a planetary atmosphere. In addition, the fighter can do so in only a few minutes! This suggests extreme supersonic or hypersonic speeds greater than those a modern shuttle can handle!

However, as noted above the X-wing's S-foils aren't well-suited for atmospheric flight on their own, and must cause not only considerable drag, but would be badly affected by the nature of supersonic flight (basically, airflow forms a wedge around the craft as it strikes the nose. If any parts of the aircraft stick out into the flow it causes severe turbulence). It's been suggested that the X-wing's spaceframe couldn't handle the stress of such high velocities.

This is simply not possible for a craft built to handle the rigors of high relativistic velocities, the temperature extremes of vacuum and space combat, not to mention the amount of shock that re-entry would cause (the NASA shuttle re-enters at Mach 5+). The X-wing must be capable of velocities many times the speed of sound in atmosphere to be able to exit at a useful rate for a combat vessel (particularly with the possibility of scrambling to defend against an attack from orbit.

Repulsors may be fine for propulsion (especially since the main engines could wreak havoc with a planet's ecology) and lift, but something has to be able to hold the ship together at such high velocities. Presumably the ship's deflectors, already vital for protection from debris impacts and radiation screening, could handle such a job admirably.

Age Matters

Some debate has arisen over to the exact age of the X-wing's design. According to WEG and its derivative products, the X-wing was a relatively new fighter by the time of Yavin (at most a year or two old). The ship was originally designed as a competitive design to the TIE, but Incom's designers grew to dislike the Emperor's policies. Palpatine learned of the team's Rebel sympathies and ordered Incom nationalized. During the takeover, Rebel agents helped the Incom designers defect along with the only two X-wing prototypes, and all the information needed to build more.

Unfortunately like much of WEG's back stories, the Star Wars canon doesn't wholly agree. While vague, the Star Wars radio drama implies that the X-wing is certainly much older than WEG suggests. Han even attempts to convince Luke to drop out of the battle against the Death Star by talking down the fighters as twenty years old and outdated. Certainly from Han this is curious, considering that the Millennium Falcon is generally accepted to be quite an old spacecraft by the time of Yavin. The radio drama also points out that the X-wing is definitely quite well-known, even on a backwater world, by the time of the battle since Luke was able to identify the fighter by name.

The film itself makes no direct statement to the fighter's age at all. The only clue here is the general battered appearance of the fighters visible on the flight deck, although this is in no way conclusive. It takes very little time under combat conditions and primitive maintenance to turn a pristine craft into little more than a derelict (after only a few weeks of conditions on Guadalcanal during WWII, brand new American aircraft began to suffer performance loss and began to show considerable wear).

By far the most direct statement as to the X-wing's age comes from the Star Wars Sketchbook (1977). This book states that rebels acquired X-wings two decades before the Battle of Yavin, and at a considerable discount. While still somewhat vague (two decades doesn't necessarily mean twenty years exactly. The X-wing could conceivably be anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five years old and still meet this criteria) this provides the best evidence as to the age of the ship (it also puts a date to the earliest rebellions against Palpatine. If the current projected timeline is maintained, Episode III would cover the events twenty years before Yavin, and is believed to tell the fall of the Old Republic into the Empire). Unfortunately what it doesn't suggest is where the Rebellion picked up the fighters in the first place.

If we assume that the predicted timeline holds, this would place the X-wing in use during the creation of the Empire. The TIE starfighter was also developed during this period, which doesn't necessarily rule out the X-wing as a potential competitor to the TIE design. It's possible to believe that Palpatine had not yet unveiled his plans to dominate the galaxy through mass military force by the time the X-wing prototypes were completed, however once this became clear anti-Imperial sympathetics at Incom began surreptitiously selling either X-wings, or the knowledge on how to build more, to the rebels. It's also possible that Incom radically slashed the price of the fighters it provided, hoping that if the Rebellion managed to win they may feel indebted for the assistance, meaning lucrative contracts with the new government.

Recently, the first possible canon statement on the exact age of the X-wing's design has appeared: An X-wing starfighter appears in the background on Coruscant in Attack of the Clones. This could mean that the first X-wing flew 22 years prior to the Battle of Yavin.

Conflicts: Joe Johnston and Star Wars Chronicles

Published shortly following the release of the original film, Star Wars Chronicles contains blueprints of the X-wing directly from Joe Johnston and Industrial Light and Magic. Obviously the basis of the West End Games blueprints, these nonetheless possess a number of conflicts with later sources. Due to its origin and more recent discovery it is being treated here separately.

Star Wars Chronicles blueprints by Joe Johnston (courtesy of Rob Brown). Click for larger image.

A major consideration when dealing with this early blueprint is whether or not we're looking at a pre-production sketch, or something drawn up following the film itself. The Johnston blueprints very closely resemble the final X-wing model shown on film, and at least on the surface suggest that these are post-production and definitely carry more weight than any second-generation source such as West End Games or the Expanded Universe. However closer examination of the details of the drawings suggest an earlier phase of the X-wing's development. Specifically, the S-foil joint.

As shown on the top view blueprint, Johnston locates the S-foil drive mechanism and hinge along the edge of the fuselage. This edge-mounted hinge is supported by the side view blueprint (and incidentally the SWSB blueprints as well) which provide no room for a centerline pivot. However this is not correct to the final model! If the S-foils were hinged at a point along the edges of the hull, there would be no space between the upper and lower wing of each pair. This is not the case! There is a quite significant space between each wing when the S-foils are opened, suggesting that the hinge in the production models is deeper within the hull, centrally located! This small change between the Johnston blueprints and the final X-wing model used on film shows that these are the final blueprints used to build the X-wing, but were still drawn up prior to filming, and thus the X-wing's design had been changed, however minutely.

We are dealing with a pre-production design that has already been changed once, so any number of other functional changes have been made.

The Top View

The top view of the Johnston blueprints notes the following pieces of equipment: the aforementioned, and erroneous S-foil pivot; the S-Foil Neutron Arc, as part of the laser cannon assembly; Charge Cells, just inboard of the cannon; and what is labeled "Frequency Alternator Servos for S-Foil Targeting Compensator (overrides manual circuitry for pre-set interval)." Further, the two disks located in the wing are labeled with the forward one as "Pitch," the aft as "Roll."

The function of the neutron arc is somewhat difficult to describe, as the blueprint isn't entirely clear as to what part of the cannon is designated. Certainly it is part of the cannon system, however what purpose it serves is unclear.

The charge cells, located inboard of the cannon, are the same as what WEG labels as a reserve fuel tank. Their proximity to the laser cannon strongly supports their use as storage batteries for the cannon systems. This function makes much greater sense from their location than WEG's fuel reserves. In addition, it's possible that this stored energy is much less volatile than the X-wing's fuel, explaining examples of fighters which have had part of their S-foil tips shot a way without suffering significant structural damage.

Possibly the biggest problem with the Johnston blueprints are the frequency alternators. The full name suggests that these are somehow related to targeting, and the device attaches directly to the laser cannon. However there is only minute evidence that the cannon itself can physically move, and little clear evidence that the energy bolt can be directed by other means exists. It's possible that these were meant to aid in maintaining target locks while the craft maneuvers, as the individual alternators are labeled "pitch" and "roll" (forward and aft, respectively). However no device exists within the S-foils related to targeting, further compounding the problem of the device's function.

The Side View

The side view of the Johnston blueprints features a number of systems and designations, some of which agree with second-generation sources, others not labeled at all, and those that come in conflict. Noteworthy is that this side view is largely identical to that of the SWSB, including the lack of consideration for space occupied by the S-foil hinge, and room for the operation of this device.

Where WEG locates the primary sensor array, Johnston labels the device as a forward visual scanner and compumitter. Since the exact function of sensors in Star Wars are unknown, this doesn't necessarily refute the second-generation label. It is clear, however, that this is not related to Red Leader's order to use "visual scanning" during the Battle of Yavin, as the X-wing pilots subsequently used their eyes, rather than instruments to locate their targets. It's possible that sensors work under similar principal to eyesight, and make use of visual detection. The meaning of "compumitter" is less clear.

Aft of the scanner is what Johnston labels the "Armament Omni-guide and Relay Pack" (WEG notes this same piece of equipment as the fighter's sensor computer). As with the sensors, this does not necessarily conflict with later blueprints. Given the small size of the proton torpedo (which appears to consist solely of the warhead) it appears that all information on guidance may come from the X-wing's sensors themselves. The job of relaying this information can easily be assigned to the sensor computer device, therefore serving the dual role of interpreting data by the sensors, and directing the ship's ordinance.

Johnston names WEG's life support system as an in-flight servo powerpack. However there is no mention of what, exactly, it powers. Its location certainly suggests it may be connected to the S-foil pivot, and may operate this device. The problem here is that the fighter's reactor is also in the vicinity, and is responsible for all subsystems not powered by the engines. Since the reactor can run independent of the engines, both in-flight and on the ground, an individual power system for the S-foil servo would be redundant. Internal images of the X-wing cockpit show a significant number of tubes and wires behind the pilot's seat which seem to support the second-generation sources.

The Johnston blueprints have two particularly major conflicts with second-generation sources that directly affect multiple systems aboard the X-wing. The smallest is the rear deck machinery designated by West End Games and the EU as the fighter's shield generator system. In this case the fuselage generator and the "deflector ducts" are labeled by Johnston as the temperature control cycle, with the tubes designated "To combustion reactors via temp-controlled fuselage ducts," which likely function to deliver some sort of cooling fluid to the combustion chambers of the X-wing's four engines.

This is an important conflict as it would rectify a serious problem with the X-wing, in which there is very little equipment devoted to temperature control within the X-wing's engines. Under WEG, the only attributed devices are the blade-like cooling fins in the intake/retro thrusters. Given the power output of the X-wing's engines, it's unlikely that these fins can cool the starfighter's engines by themselves, meaning an alternate method is necessary (such as to the exposed inner surfaces).

The obvious advantage of this is that this device is exposed to vacuum through the X-wing's rear deck, allowing waste heat cycled back to this device from the engines to be bled into space. Since Johnston neglects to account for the fighter's deflector shield generator, (or the projectors, for that matter) and no other sources conflict, it's likely that the box-shaped structures that already house the shield projectors also contain the fighter's shield generators (this redundancy would actually be quite invaluable in the event that one generator is lost, there are three more still functioning).

By far the largest conflict concerns the X-wing's fuel system, which the SWC blueprints break down into six smaller subsystems. Three of these would largely remain unaffected by any changes. They are the spacial scavengers, the aeration channel, and what's designated as a self-contained reactant aeration system (non-atmospheric). The exact function of the spacial scavengers (perhaps they're some form of ram-scoop to harvest hydrogen from space) is unknown, however the aeration system makes a great deal of sense. Oxygen is an essential component of combustion, so the two components which make up the aeration system likely feed oxygen into the fuel stores while in vacuum since otherwise the fuel reaction may suffocate. Oxygen is also highly combustible in itself, so may greatly aid in the amount of power produced by the engines.

The remaining three components of the fuel system are of great concern. Johnston designates two fuel tanks. One in the stern and one where the cargo compartment is located. These are named Counter-reactant B and Reactant A, respectively.

This presents a serious problem. Dual-reactant propulsion is extremely primitive, and one the first forms of rocket propulsion used in a manned aircraft (German experimental fighters during WWII, such as the Me-163). Given the advanced state of technology in the Star Wars Universe, it seems highly unlikely that they must rely on such primitive methods of propulsion.

In addition, there seems to be no evidence that the X-wings in A New Hope were meant to be any different than the cargo compartment-equipped fighters in ESB and RotJ. Weathering and markings patterns, (particularly on Luke's X-wing in ANH and ESB: it features the side stripe broken in exactly the same manner) at least incidentally suggest that these fighters are the same (cockpit differences between ANH and ESB may indicate an upgrade to avionics. According to some EU sources X-wings even during the Rebellion were undergoing constant upgrades). Combining this, the wastefulness of building one model with one type of propulsion and a second otherwise identical ship with another, the lack of credibility of a dual-reactant fuel system, and the pre-production nature of the Johnston blueprints is strong enough grounds to suspect this as a design change between concept and final production. The best compromise is that the X-wing's cargo compartment can indeed be sealed as an auxiliary tank, and because the Yavin IV X-wings were flying into a pitched battle without knowing where they would be landing afterward if they failed their mission they carried the extra fuel in the case they needed to make an extended flight to a safe port.

The final conflicting component is what Johnston labels the bi-nucleonic catalyst tank, where second-generation blueprints locate the acceleration compensator. This device appears to be the catalyst used to trigger a reaction between the two fuel reactants. However, if the dual fuel system can be considered obsolete by the time filming took place the catalyst tank will similarly be made redundant.

Blueprints: A Compromise

Below is a compromise blueprint of the X-wing with information from this commentary and including information from multiple, if conflicting, sources. This is in no way perfect but is an attempt and combining all these conflicting sources into one cohesive schematic based on the above commentary.

Film evidence overrides the EU and WEG in all cases. Johnston's preproduction blueprints are also given precedence except for certain cases. The forward half of the ship is largely unchanged, as both second-generation and Johnston agree with only subtle differences in nomenclature. However, Johnston's dual-fuel system is considered obsolete in these blueprints based on film evidence in ESB and RotJ (specifically, the cargo compartment where he places a fuel tank). For this reason I defer to WEG's "acceleration compensator" over Johnston's "catalyst tank" since it's apparent that device was meant to be part of the dual-fuel system.

As a nod to Johnston's blueprints and because of historical precedence I have noted that the X-wing's cargo compartment can be sealed for use as an auxiliary fuel source. The WEG-labeled "deflector shield generator and "deflector ducts" are overridden by Johnston's cooling system, as this is a logical and necessary device and its absence from WEG-inspired products is surprising. Based on study of the X-wing's cockpit interior I believe the ship's onboard life support system is where WEG says it is (Johnston doesn't indicate any such system) so in this case also overrides the earlier blueprints.

I have retained the term "gate coupling," for want of a better one. However I have also noted its function for range adjustment. The "flashback suppressor" is simply renamed the new function based on the above commentary. WEG's "laser actuator" and "laser power line" are renamed to fit the satellite maneuvering thruster theory.

I have not included Johnston's "laser cannon neutron arc" as the image is unclear exactly which part of the weapon the term refers to. I have also retained WEG's "power coupling" definition for the twin-disk structure due to the lack of clarity over what Johnston's definition means. The wingtip "reserve fuel cells" have been redefined as cannon energy storage. I have designated the shield projector "boxes" to also include the shield generators per the above commentary.

The SWSB blueprint has been altered slightly to allow the fit of the centerline S-foil hinge and sufficient room for the device to function, a flaw with both the SWSB and SWTJ. The "S-foil servo" is renamed as an access hatch. I have also specified that the flank "recharge port" is to the main reactor. The "jammer" has been specified as a countermeasures system due to the lack of evidence that X-wings can fully jam the sensors of another craft.

1. Nose Cone	7. Flight Console	13. Main Cooling System	19. Cargo Compartment (Can be sealed for auxilliary fuel storage)	25. Thrust Channel (to Cannon Thruster)	31. Gate Coupling (Magnetic fields for in-flight range adjustment)
2. Sensor Window	8. Canopy	14. Temperature Control Ducts	20. Acceleration Compensator	26. Power Coupling	32.Firing Tip
3. Primary sensor Array	9. Targeting Computer (Telescopic Mount)	15. S-foil Servo Maintenance Access Hatch	21. Ejector Seat	27. Laser Cannon Charge Storage Cells	33. Laser Bolt Range Adjustment
4. Sensor Computer/Target Tracking	10. Life Support	16. Fuel Refill Port	22. Proton Torpedo Magazine	28. Maneuvering Thruster (pitch/yaw)	34. Laser Cooling Sleeve
5. Subspace Radio Antenna	11. Astromech Droid	17. Fuel Tank	23. Forward Landing Gear	29. Laser Cannon	35. Deflector Shield Projector and Generator Assembly
6. Flight Computer	12. Main Reactor/Power Generator	18. Recharge Port (Main Reactor)	24. Countermeastures	30. Laser Cannon Barrel	36. External Computer Link

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