In order to ease this burden it was decided to remove the armor plating, which was used to refit other ships (such as the T-47 airspeeder). However, they quickly realized that the cooling system required extensive maintenance after every flight, necessitating the removal of the armor plates just to get at it. The Rebel Alliance sought to buy or steal as many Y-wings as they could to form their nascent rebellion. Because the Y-wing tended to run hot, a complex cooling system extended throughout the entire starfighter. This included backup batteries, a secondary life support system, fresh water tanks, and an emergency flotation system. The original Y-wing featured a plethora of additional equipment geared towards its mission of long-range strikes. Y-wings heavily depended on the astromech being operational, due to the fact that hyperspace was impossible without one. A R2 series astromech droid, fitted in a dedicated socket behind the cockpit, carried hyperspace data for the R300-H hyperdrive motivator and could manage all other systems by itself. The Y-wing's sensors were sensitive enough to locate an escape pod-sized target via it's metallurgical properties within a five- kilometer radius when operating at low altitudes. A composite sensor dome was fitted to the forward end of each engine, while a rear-facing sensor was positioned on the cross-wing. įor flight control, the Y-wing featured a Sublights Products Corporation NH-7 flight control avionics package and photonics communication system, as well as ANc 2.7 tracking computer linked to an SI 5g7 "Quickscan" vector imaging system, an ANs-5d "lock track" full-spectrum transceiver, PA-9r long-range phased tachyon detection array and PG-7u short-range primary threat analysis grid. The Y-wing could also use its cannons to shoot down enemy missiles, so long as the targeting computer remained functional. This allowed the pilot to angle the shields of maximum protection or cover damaged sections of the ship. The generator, powered by the ion engines, was linked to shield projectors located across the Y-wing's hull. The Y-wing was heavily armored with a titanium-reinforced alusteel hull and a Chempat deflector shield generator. The Y-wing could also carry external ordnance mounted directly on its hull, such as an electro-proton bomb. The starfighter was capable of unleashing a tremendous amount of firepower, especially when attacking in groups: a squadron of Y-wings could carry enough ordnance to glass an entire city, bathing the battlefield in blinding white detonations which scrambled sensors. Besides proton torpedoes, these launchers could launch other weapons including concussion missiles, proton bombs, and cluster missiles. Lastly were a pair of MG7 proton torpedo launchers, each with a six-round magazine. Backing up these were twin SW-4 or SW-5 ion cannons, mounted on a rotating turret controlled either by a dedicated gunner or by the pilot depending on the variant. These weapons, designed to penetrate battle cruiser hulls, could have devastating effect on lesser targets, collapsing a five-story stone building in just a few shots. įor weaponry, the Y-wing was fitted with two forward firing laser cannons, either the KX5 or IX4 models. In the event that the craft would have to make a make an emergency landing, the pilot could dump its fuel from the engines. A fuel recycling system gave the Y-wing extreme efficiency during long-range missions. Repulsorlifts were fitted in the neck and wings to provide atmospheric flight. A pair of thrust control jets were set in the aft central spar to give the Y-wing greater agility. Įach engine was fitted with four strong pylons that extended behind to support a long engine nacelle, at the end of which were disk-ventrals that redirected thrust for maneuverability. Some cockpit sections were modified so that they were fully contained, repulsor-powered escape vehicles, though most Y-wings incorporated traditional ejector seats. The pressurized cockpit seated a pilot (and in some models a gunner) protected by a transparisteel canopy. The BTL-B Y-wing consisted of a cockpit section which connected via reinforced central spar and cross-wing to two large Koensayr ion engines. However, except for differences in their cockpit and gunner layouts, these all shared the same characteristics. Their result, the original BTL-B model, proved so successful that additional variants were created, among them the BTL-S3 and BTL-A4 variants. Schematics of a stripped-down BTL-A4 Y-wing.ĭuring the early part of the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic commissioned Koensayr to develop a combination starfighter and long-range bomber. 3.2.10 Mission to recover Imperial communication logs.
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