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Rebellion era

Description[]

Compared to many of the later model Yanibar Guard designs, the B-wing starfighter was unique in that it was not designed by Kraechar Arms. Instead, the design was "acquired" by Yanibar Guard Intelligence during the height of the Galactic Civil War in order to fill a glaring weakness in the Yanibar Guard Fleet's arsenal: a heavy, survivable strike fighter. Once acquired, though, the B-wing rapidly became one of the most popular craft in the Yanibar Guard arsenal.[1]

The cross-shaped fighter was built around a long vertical spacefoil. On top was a circular cockpit with dual laser cannons, while the bottom of the spacefoil mounted a weapons pod carrying another laser cannon and a light ion cannon. Two horizontal S-foils folded out from the fuselage in combat form, each carrying a light ion cannon. Two proton torpedo launchers with eight missiles each rounded out the arsenal of the B-wing, giving it a formidable payload of ordnance for use against capital ships. While Rebel Alliance and New Republic B-wings carried customizable hardpoints allowing the lasers and ion cannons to be swapped out,[2] Kraechar Arms opted to hardwire the weapons configuration in place, limiting versatility in exchange for cost.[1]

The B-wing was already a complex starfighter. The entire craft could rotate around the gyroscopically mounted cockpit and the aerodynamic qualities of the design made it tricky to fly in-atmosphere, particularly the windy skies of Yanibar. Just to fly the B-wing in the Yanibar Guard required six months of flight training in simulators before being allowed to step inside the cockpit. Pilots with Force-sensitivity were preferred in order to ensure fliers with enough control to handle the difficult craft.[1]

However, the B-wing was survivable, if slow. Unlike its predecessor, the Valkyrie starbomber, it could take punishment due to its de-centralized construction, reduced forward profile, and a capable shield generator. Kraechar Arms technicians were also able to add anti-missile counter-measures and targeting jammers to improve survivability on attack runs.[1]


History[]

The Yanibar Guard first encountered the B-wing fighter in 2 ABY, when a group of Yanibar Guard transports were being escorted in a convoy by Imperial ships, who thought they were civilian freighters. The Rebel Alliance attacked, and their B-wing fighters were particularly effective. Though the Yanibar Guard was able to escape with no casualties, the fighter left an impression on the officers who were present.[3]

The B-wing design was first "acquired" by Yanibar Guard Intelligence, along with an actual starfighter, in 4 ABY, by Yanibar Guard Intelligence agent Hasla Almani. Almani sent back not only the technical specifications and the starfighter, but also manufacturing techniques that she had stolen from the Rebel Alliance. Having also logged numerous hours of combat flight time in the B-wing, she was one of the first B-wing squadron commanders.[4] Kraechar Arms immediately diverted most of their starfighter construction to the platform as soon as the information was obtained.[1]

In a short time after the B-wing plans were obtained, Kraechar Arms had already built 24 of the new starfighters. It was a colossal effort that involved workers going nonstop for weeks to produce the complex craft, but it paid off.[1] All of the new B-wings saw use in the Battle of Yanibar when the Zann Consortium attacked. They were flown by the most experienced Valkyrie pilots and acquitted themselves well. Their launchers were used to deploy space mines and they also participated in attack runs against the Zannist fleet, causing heavy damage.[4]

Elated with the success of their new starfighter, YGF placed an initial order for 120 more B-wings, which was filled over the next several years. Another measure taken to exploit the potential of the fighter was the establishment of Paladin Squadron, an elite of the dozen best B-wing pilots,[3] led initially by Hasla Almani, who was YGF's first B-wing ace.[1] In 7 ABY, they participated in a mission to hijack an Imperial bacta convoy in order to help Yanibar combat an outbreak of the Krytos virus. They ran into the New Republic's elite Rogue Squadron, but though there were some tense moments with the famed X-wing unit, the two units avoided a shooting match thanks to Almani's diplomacy and returned to Yanibar with the bacta.[5]

B-wings continued to see service with the Yanibar Guard for the next decade. In 8 ABY, B-wing fighters off the cruiser-carrier Quinlan Vos disabled ships belonging to the Mysliiri Slaver Collective, allowing successful boarding actions to free the slaves. The same year, B-wings off of the Adi Gallia were used to destroy a ship belonging to the Malkite Poisoners over Makton. By 14 ABY, there were 336 B-wings in service,[3] with another 44 used as reserve.[1]

Two years later, the Yanibar Guard launched a mass fighter assault on a fleet of Imperial ships attempting to carve out a fiefdom deep in Wild Space. Seven squadrons of B-wings contributed heavily to the destruction of the fleet over the next six hours, making multiple attack runs.[3]

In 19 ABY, three squadrons of B-wings were used in a show of force to help encourage negotiations over Oldaris VII, which was successful in coercing the squabbling factions to return to the negotiating table. YGF B-wings also saw service over Saraswan in 25 ABY, attacking a space fleet belonging to an Imperial warlord who had captured the head of the Yanibar Guard. The Yanibar Guard completely defeated Ornall's forces, losing only 31 fighters, of which 6 were B-wings.[3]

By 26 ABY, B-wings were rapidly approaching obsolescence, and were in dire need of replacement, as evidenced by the Yuuzhan Vong War. New Republic B-wings had fared very poorly against the Yuuzhan Vong, and so the Yanibar Guard began designing a replacement bomber, dubbed the Thunderhead. However, design and testing issues delayed its service until after the Yuuzhan Vong War.[3]

Thus, B-wing fighters were the main Yanibar Guard assault fighter during the Battle of Rishi against the Yuuzhan Vong. They were used with some success initially in a flank assault that hit multiple Yuuzhan Vong warships,[3] but the fighters suffered heavy losses throughout the battle. Their success against larger ships came at a high cost in ships, pilots, and escorts. They had greater success later when used to barrage waves of seismic charges at the Yuuzhan Vong, but still suffered a total loss percentage of 32% in the battle. Following that, they were retired from service and replaced with Thunderheads as quickly as possible, with all withdrawn from service and either sold or scrapped by 30 ABY.[1] Paladin Squadron themselves had shifted away from the type much earlier in 24 ABY, going for Sabre IIs and eventually Maelstroms.[1]


Behind the scenes[]

B-wing starfighters were brought into the Yanibar Guard early in their conceptualization, as the author had long favored the design even early in his Star Wars fandom. Since they were his favorite fighter, he chose to include them in his faction. In particular, their heavy armament and durability, as well as the unorthodox design, attracted him to the type. A relative lack of notoriety for the fighter type was another contributing factor—the B-wing was probably the least known and least featured of the movie Rebel starfighters. The decision to create Paladin Squadron as a B-wing unit was influenced by the planned story Rogues and Paladins, where the author wanted to have a YGF counterpart to Rogue Squadron for the story.

Appearances[]

References[]

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