Well folks back with another techy side of things of the SWU, this time looking at one of the Galactic Empire's 1st general deployment starfighters. So lets begin!

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The Xg-1 was based on the wing design of the Lambda-class shuttle, as such when landing the wings would fold up much like the Lambda. However it had two additonal wings coming from the cockpit, thus giving it more maneuverability compared to its shuttle counterpart, and when in flight position it resembled an inverted 5 point star thus the name 'Star Wing'. It was a relatively large craft, not particularly fast and average manuverability so not well suited for being a space superiority craft, but it was good for making attacks on the more bigger ships in an enemy fleet.

 

Armament

 

Taim & Bak KX5 laser cannons= 2

 

Borstal NK-3 ion cannons= 3

 

SFS M-s-3 concussion missile launchers= 2 with 40 missiles total. Also depending on mission, the Xg-1 could carry 12 proton torpedoes, 8 heavy rockets or 4 heavy space bombs.

 

Specs

 

MGLT(Megalight)= 90

 

Max speed(atmosphere)= 1,050 km/h

 

Engine Units= Cygnus 4K7 Dual Line ion engines= 2

 

Hyperdrive rating= Class 12

 

Hyperdrive System= Cygnus HD7 hyperdrive motivator

 

Power Plant= lotek ionization reactor, lotek 9j power cells

 

Shielding= Novaldex forward and rear projecting shield system(rated 100 SBD)

 

Hull= Quadanium steel-armored titanium hull(rated 50 RU)

 

Navigation System= SFS N-s8.6 Navcon computer system

 

Avionics= Miradyne RCS-6 flight control computer.

 

Crew= 1 Pilot

 

Consumables= 3 days

 

Cargo Capacity= 100 kilos

 

Roles

 

Assault Starfighter

 

Long-range interceptor

 

Pictures

 

Full View

 

An Xg-1 Squadron in action

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Thoughts: This is actually a pretty impressive work of starfighter tech, I mean the Xg-1 could take a serious beating and deliver a devastating one in return with its armament. The design I particularly like, it just as an interesting look.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Wolfninjajedi

It had impressive armor, shielding and weaponry sure (though I think it only had 2 ion cannons).

 

I wish it could carry 40 concussion missles in Tie Fighter, would have made it alot more useable. The problem with the Assault Gunboat (as they were commonly called) were that they were slow as hell. Maybe not Y-Wing slow but once you started redirecting engine energy to shields and lasers it really hampered performance.

 

Still I would rather use this than a Tie Fighter or Y-Wing (or a headhunter) but even an Tie Interceptor with no shields would be better than this through sheer speed and maneuverability. Even with only Quad lasers on the Interceptor, there was no way a gunboat could keep one off its tail.

 

Only useful for unloading on capital ships or disabling vessels (Missile Boat and Tie Defenders were the only other Imperial Starfighters with that ability and they were limited production only).

It had impressive armor, shielding and weaponry sure (though I think it only had 2 ion cannons).

 

I wish it could carry 40 concussion missles in Tie Fighter, would have made it alot more useable. The problem with the Assault Gunboat (as they were commonly called) were that they were slow as hell. Maybe not Y-Wing slow but once you started redirecting engine energy to shields and lasers it really hampered performance.

 

Still I would rather use this than a Tie Fighter or Y-Wing (or a headhunter) but even an Tie Interceptor with no shields would be better than this through sheer speed and maneuverability. Even with only Quad lasers on the Interceptor, there was no way a gunboat could keep one off its tail.

 

Only useful for unloading on capital ships or disabling vessels (Missile Boat and Tie Defenders were the only other Imperial Starfighters with that ability and they were limited production only).

 

Well they weren't made for Starfighter combat, they were designed for assaults on capital ships and the like. So of course they would be slow and not have great maneuverability. However what they lacked in speed/agility, made up on its armor and armament.

I can accept that, it was definitely best for unloading on capital ships (better than the Tie Bomber for sure).

 

The problem was, most capital ships would have a starfighter screen, and the Assault gunboats were pretty useless against most starfighters (unless it was similar bombers). The gunboats, despite their heavy arms and armament, were easy prey for almost all starfighters. I would rather go against a capital ship with an X-Wing or B-Wing, as proton torps have more kick than concussion missiles (missiles being agile and meant to take out starfighters). The B-Wing and X-Wing were both typically better dogfighting ships than the Assault Gunboat, so they could defend themselves and take a moment to unload on a capital ship.

 

For all intents and purposes the Gunboat was a uni-role bomber, which unlike most Tie's was hyperspace capable, making them the Empire only real hit and run fighter capable of destroying a convoy or single capital ship and running. That would be an advantage or impressive if it wasn't for the fact that nearly every Rebel Ship could do the same thing and was better at it.

I can accept that, it was definitely best for unloading on capital ships (better than the Tie Bomber for sure).

 

The problem was, most capital ships would have a starfighter screen, and the Assault gunboats were pretty useless against most starfighters (unless it was similar bombers). The gunboats, despite their heavy arms and armament, were easy prey for almost all starfighters. I would rather go against a capital ship with an X-Wing or B-Wing, as proton torps have more kick than concussion missiles (missiles being agile and meant to take out starfighters). The B-Wing and X-Wing were both typically better dogfighting ships than the Assault Gunboat, so they could defend themselves and take a moment to unload on a capital ship.

 

For all intents and purposes the Gunboat was a uni-role bomber, which unlike most Tie's was hyperspace capable, making them the Empire only real hit and run fighter capable of destroying a convoy or single capital ship and running. That would be an advantage or impressive if it wasn't for the fact that nearly every Rebel Ship could do the same thing and was better at it.

 

Well there is such a thing as having fighter support, not to mention it seemed built to last against damage so I wouldn't say its one shot or two shots and its destroyed.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Wolfninjajedi

Fighter cover would make it more viable, but that is part of the problem, and a problem with the Empire's whole battle plan. They had starfighters that had strictly defined roles, and stepping outside those roles they were pretty useless. They had no ability to adapt to the flow of a battle, to step outside very defined roles and make a difference. The Assault Gunboat was no different, it was a heavy bomber, the only reason it had the long-range interceptor tag was because it was hyperdrive capable. So it could travel long distances to a battle, but that only brought it up to par with everything the rebels had (headhunters excluded)

 

I would take a squadron of X-Wings or B-Wings over the Assault Gunboat any day, for pretty much any purpose. I might take it over Y-Wings, but that is really only because it was a bit faster, it really wasn't any more agile.

Fighter cover would make it more viable, but that is part of the problem, and a problem with the Empire's whole battle plan. They had starfighters that had strictly defined roles, and stepping outside those roles they were pretty useless. They had no ability to adapt to the flow of a battle, to step outside very defined roles and make a difference. The Assault Gunboat was no different, it was a heavy bomber, the only reason it had the long-range interceptor tag was because it was hyperdrive capable. So it could travel long distances to a battle, but that only brought it up to par with everything the rebels had (headhunters excluded)

 

I would take a squadron of X-Wings or B-Wings over the Assault Gunboat any day, for pretty much any purpose. I might take it over Y-Wings, but that is really only because it was a bit faster, it really wasn't any more agile.

 

It is also more armored and having a bigger playload then the Y-wing. The B-wings would be a better choice if only for the slightly better specs as far as shielding and armoring, the X-wings you wouldn't want at least for a big assault on a big target as they don't have a big playload. A squadron is only 12 fighters, so...you'd want the ships with a big playload to take down a big target quickly, as far as those targets not having any huge exploitable weaknesses to it to where you'd need to really hammer down on it.

 

I think i'll cover the B-wing next btw folks.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Wolfninjajedi

Ahh the good ol reliable Star wing. One of my Fav ships from Star Wars Tie Fighter.

 

Ship was AMAZING.

I don't know if I would qualify it as amazing, but it certainly had its uses. It would have been far more useful if it could carry the same payload that was shown in the original post. But I am pretty sure it was limited to 12 or 16 concussion missiles in game. I think it was best used instead of the Tie Bomber, or during a fight where a ship needed disabling so you could do it yourself and not have to rely on the AI to do it.

 

One other thing I might add, its payload is concussion missiles, not proton torpedos or any of the other higher yield ordnance. This indicates that the missile systems were meant more for starfighter combat than attacking capital ships. So having 40 missiles available might seem like a huge deal, but when you consider that the proton torpedos on a X-Wing will do nearly the same damage (still less, but has a bigger impact when hitting in more concentrated bursts, more time for shields to be recharged or the ship to be rotated to compensate).

 

Consider that an X-Wing Squadron has enough fire power to take out anything smaller than an Impstar Deuce, particularly if they concentrate their firepower, they can bring down the shields with the first 24 torpedo volley, and a second volley on the bridge or engines will basically leave it dead in space, and while the gunners can fire, the ship isn't going anywhere.

 

So if an X-Wing Squadron can take out most of the capital ships the Empire has, with the ability to fight off Starfighters (logically they can't do both at the same time, but they can at least defend themselves.), I am not sure why you would want a gunboat instead. Sure they can disable the capital ship with enough concentrated ion cannon fire, but they would have a harder time bringing down the shields with the concussion missles, since they don't hit nearly as hard as proton torpedos.

 

You have already conceded that the B-Wing is better, and to be honest it is a newer starfighter (developed by Ackbar and others in about 3 ABY as opposed to the Gunboat which was developed pre-Yavin), but the fact that the X-Wing is arguably better than the gunboat in most regards is clear evidence of why the Empire ended up losing. It focused on quantity over quality, hoping to overwhelm the Rebels with sheer numbers instead of better equipment (that it could surely afford) and better tactics.

Well the Xg-1 could also carry more then just the concussion missiles, they could carry proton torpedos or heavy space bombs or heavy rockets all depending on the mission. Sec i'll add that in. Edited May 29, 2013 by Wolfninjajedi

Out of curiousity, where are you getting the ordnance loads numbers from? Because some of the numbers seem off according to what I remember from playing Tie Fighter, and the Gunboat isn't seen in many other media.

 

If you go by Wookiepedia, it says the Gunboat only has Concussion Missile Launchers. But if you go by Tie Fighter, the missiles can be swapped for heavier ordnance, but the numbers seen in Tie Fighter are much smaller (I think Heavy Bombs is right at 4, but I think Rockets is 6, Torps are 8 and Missiles are 12 (to match the launchers visible on the graphics of the gunboat).

 

If that's the case, you can't pick and choose the sources when they conflict like this, either they have very high capacity missile loads or adaptable ordnance in smaller quantities.

There are other sources to go upon here other then the game(which it could be just game mechanics giving a fixed loadout), but if it makes you feel any better I suppose i'll change it. Edited May 29, 2013 by Wolfninjajedi

I wasn't so much requesting that, it was more trying to get a source for the information. I didn't know if you had the Star Wars Encyclopedia of ships that gave a "canon" ordnance load.

 

I'm not trying to be difficult, I just like debating the merits of the different starfighters. The X-Wing books and the X-Wing and Tie Fighter games are my favorite parts of Star Wars so you can imagine I have strong opinions on the capabilities and performance of the different starfighters.

 

Edit: I was looking over the Wookiepedia entry, it appears the 40 Concussion Missile load is from the 2009 Star Wars RPG Guide. Therefore it is newer information, which I guess means that the Gunboat carries 40 missiles and none of the heavier ordnance. This would make them more a fighter/interceptor than a heavy bomber.

Edited May 29, 2013 by LordFlasheart
Additional information

I wasn't so much requesting that, it was more trying to get a source for the information. I didn't know if you had the Star Wars Encyclopedia of ships that gave a "canon" ordnance load.

 

I'm not trying to be difficult, I just like debating the merits of the different starfighters. The X-Wing books and the X-Wing and Tie Fighter games are my favorite parts of Star Wars so you can imagine I have strong opinions on the capabilities and performance of the different starfighters.

 

Edit: I was looking over the Wookiepedia entry, it appears the 40 Concussion Missile load is from the 2009 Star Wars RPG Guide. Therefore it is newer information, which I guess means that the Gunboat carries 40 missiles and none of the heavier ordnance. This would make them more a fighter/interceptor than a heavy bomber.

 

Hence it being an assault fighter and interceptor.

In which case the fact they they are slow as hell means even a Tie Fighter would have no problem sticking to their tail so they couldn't use all those missiles...

 

They'd make a pretty explosion when they detonate though.

I beg to differ on the Gunboat. I found it a fine ship, one of my favorite Imp vessels in both TIE Fighter and XW vs TF. It isn't the fastest, but maneuverable enough and tough enough to handle extended firefights. You always have the option of turning down the shields if you need more speed. The hull alone was impressively durable. X-Wings have shields and hyperdrive, true, but they aren't very tough even so, and their payload is mediocre. Not a heavy strike fighter by any means. I imagine that a mixed assault squadron of some gunboats with missiles and others with torpedoes could make a very effective hit and run force. Even if they do not eliminate all the fighters, they can still accomplish their mission: destroying the target, and still make it out alive. Edited May 29, 2013 by KaitRaven

In which case the fact they they are slow as hell means even a Tie Fighter would have no problem sticking to their tail so they couldn't use all those missiles...

 

They'd make a pretty explosion when they detonate though.

 

TIE = Expendable piece of garbage. Basically winning by swarming with cheap replaceable fighters. Star Wing = Tough Robust, multi-task ship meant to get in, get the job done and return to tell about it.

 

BIG difference.

I get that it is tough, I never said it wasn't, but it is slow. Slow enough that a TIE fighter (or even more so Interceptor) could easily get behind one and stick to its tail. It is neither fast enough or agile enough to shake another fighter in a dogfight. Sure it may have lots of missiles, and could wreak lots of destruction in the first moments of a battle. But when it comes down to a dogfight, the gunboat has no way to shake something off its tail.

 

Squadron on Squadron, Gunboats would take Tie Fighters though. Not Interceptors though, and definitely not any actual fighter the Rebels have (X-Wing or A-Wing). Probably couldn't take B-Wings either. Only Y-Wings and Headhunters were really vulnerable.

Edited May 30, 2013 by LordFlasheart

I get that it is tough, I never said it wasn't, but it is slow. Slow enough that a TIE fighter (or even more so Interceptor) could easily get behind one and stick to its tail. It is neither fast enough or agile enough to shake another fighter in a dogfight. Sure it may have lots of missiles, and could wreak lots of destruction in the first moments of a battle. But when it comes down to a dogfight, the gunboat has no way to shake something off its tail.

 

Squadron on Squadron, Gunboats would take Tie Fighters though. Not Interceptors though, and definitely not any actual fighter the Rebels have (X-Wing or A-Wing). Probably couldn't take B-Wings either. Only Y-Wings and Headhunters were really vulnerable.

 

actually they take out X-wings all the time. CALLED ION CANNONS. They still have to come at you, even a half awake pilot can still get around to get Ion cannons on and what does the X-wing do then, call AAA?

They still have to get through an X-Wings shields first, so really whether using lasers or ion cannons it takes roughly the same amount of damage to take an X-Wing out. What's more is that ion damage is a lot more easily repairable than laser damage, so if an Astromech is undamaged it can repair a partially disabled X-Wing mid battle, or they can go for a cold restart. Granted the restart means they need to be ignored for a bit, but it is possible.

 

Also X-Wing torpedo's can take out gunboats with one shot, a gunboat needs at least 2 missiles to down an X-Wing and X-Wings are more agile and harder to lock on to.

 

12 on 12 I would rather be in an X-Wing fighting a squad of gunboats.

 

Edit: 1 on 1 I would take an X-Wing too.

Edited May 30, 2013 by LordFlasheart

as a dogfighter yes i agree.

 

But IMO considering the listed loadout is concussion missiles but it could actually be loaded with just about any ordinance you could think of.

 

But as a support craft, interdictor, the star wing was infact better.

 

What can an X-wing do. Basically blow stuff up. But if you want it taken alive, well have to call in a Y-wing. Star wing doesn't have that issue.

 

It's actually faster than a Y-wing, turns not quite as fast as an X-wing, but fast enough to get the job done. Personally I'd take a star wing over any kind of bomber style craft any day.

Personally I like the B-Wing better as a Bomber, can take more hits and it has the ion-cannons that the Star Wing has.

 

It has a larger profile, so it is easier to hit than the Star Wing, and probably doesn't handle as well in atmosphere. But as a space superiority Bomber it is better.

Good post. Sweet ride.

 

<sheds a tear for the old X-Wing series>

 

CARRY ON!