BTL-B Y-wing starfighter
Production information
Manufacturer	Koensayr Manufacturing[1]
Product line	BTL Y-wing starfighters[2]
Model	BTL-B Y-wing starfighter[3][4]
Class	Starfighter[2]
Cost	127,000 (Used: 63,000)[5]
Technical specifications
Length	23.4 meters[6]
Maximum speed (atmosphere)	950 km/h[5]
Hyperdrive rating	Class 2[5]
Navigation system	10-jump memory (astromech droid)[5]
Armament	Medium laser cannons[5] Double light ion cannons[5] MG7 proton torpedo launcher[7] 10 torpedoes[5] Proton bombs
Escape craft	None
Crew	Pilot (1)[2] Gunner (1)[2] Astromech droid (1)[2]
Passengers	None[5]
Cargo capacity	130 kg[5]
Consumables	1 week[5]
Usage
Availability	Military[5]
Role(s)	Starfighter[6] Bomber[5]
Year introduced	22 BBY[6]
Era(s)	Rise of the Empire era[2]
Affiliation	Galactic Republic[2]

[Source]

The BTL-B Y-wing starfighter was a heavy assault starfighter that flew combat missions for the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars.

CharacteristicsEdit

Unlike the BTL-S3 Y-wing and its successor designs, the BTL-B model had a full covering of both the primary fuselage and engines. A bubble-turret provided clear view for the gunner, with a 360-degree field of fire.^[2]

The BTL-B was designed as a bomber, using such weapons as proton bombs. The bubble-turret utilized two light ion cannons for defense against enemy starfighters. It also was equipped with two medium laser cannons mounted on the front of the starfighter.

They possessed a hyperdrive system allowing them to jump into hyperspace without the reliance on a carrier or hyperspace ring. To aid them in their operations, they also made use of an astromech droid.

HistoryEdit

The BTL-B Y-wing was acquired from a Koensayr testing facility in orbit around Bormus.

After receiving the fighters, Anakin Skywalker formed Shadow Squadron of the Republic's most skilled Clone trooper pilots, and began using the ships immediately to hunt General Grievous's flagship Malevolence, the secret weapon of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.^[8][9]

Koensayr testing facilities could barely keep up for the demand on the fighter, and in addition to the ships that were acquired by Skywalker, two squadrons of BTL-B's were issued to Hunter Squadron, who participated in the Battle of Gwori, led by Jedi Generals Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin.^[10]

BTL-Bs were subsequently issued to Blue and Red, and were repainted with their respective squadron's colors. Gold Squadron were also issued Y-wings.^[3]

Around 21 BBY, the Y-wings were used as a decoy in the battle of Ereesus.^[11] Y-wings also served in the Battle of Umbara^[12] and the attack on Obi-Wan Kenobi's fleet.^[13]

Behind the scenesEdit

Designer Russell Chong spearheaded the ship's development. "The Y-wing was a really fun project, bringing it back fully faired," he says.

When Joe Johnston refined the Colin Cantwell and Ralph McQuarrie Rebel Alliance Y-wing designs for construction into a visual effects model for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, he posited that the starship was once a sleek vessel that was chopped and stripped like a hot rod by Rebel Alliance technicians. The BTL-B is apparently the stock version of the "stripped-down" Rebel ships.

A version of the BTL-A4 Y-wing starfighter seen in the original trilogy reference book Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections depicts the "original" version of the starfighter encased in armor plating. While the concept jives with the intent behind the BTL-B, the illustration provided in the book shows the craft with the traditional Y-wing shape and no bubble turret, unlike the "arrowhead" shape of the craft seen in the TV series.^[14]

According to Chong, "We back-engineered the Y-wing and turned it back into a bomber. I took images of the actual Y-wing model from the files at Lucasfilm and I designed our new version over it. We revitalized the bubble turret that Colin Cantwell and Ralph McQuarrie had developed. All the body panels are very much the same as the original Y-wing. I did my best to give it the same styling and the same look as the original Y-wing."

The early Cantwell concept models built of the Rebel Y-wing featured an immense bubble turret dome for a gunner to sit in. The limitations of bluescreen technology at the time made such a dome impractical. Concerning the original turret design, Chong states, "I didn't want to use the actual bubble turret with the single laser cannon in the original Ralph McQuarrie illustration because it was too bulky and interrupted the sleek lines of the ship so I opted for a more aerodynamic design similar to the WWII B-17 and B-25 top turret."

The role-playing supplement, The Clone Wars Campaign Guide, identifies a starfighter of the same design as the BTL-S1 Y-wing starfighter.^[5] This is likely an error on the part of the writers of the book, being that the iteration that the Rebel Alliance had access to was the BTL-S3. The writers likely made the assumption that the first of the line of Y-wings developed by Koensayr was an S1 model. It is possible, however, that the very next series of Y-wings after the BTL-B was the BTL-S1, and has yet to be introduced into the Clone Wars television series

AppearancesEdit

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• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom (First appearance)
• The Clone Wars: Procedure
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Shadow of Malevolence"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars 9: In Service of the Republic, Part 3
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Wind Raiders of Taloraan
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Storm Over Ryloth"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Innocents of Ryloth" (Appears in flashback(s))
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Liberty on Ryloth"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Zillo Beast"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars 12: Hero of the Confederacy, Part 3
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Landing at Point Rain"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Legacy of Terror" (Appears in flashback(s))
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Grievous Intrigue"
• LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 game (Non-canonical appearance)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 film (Non-canonical appearance)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Colossus of Destiny
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "ARC Troopers"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Senate Murders" (Appears in flashback(s))
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Nightsisters"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Mercy Mission"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Nomad Droids"
• "Speaking Silently"—Star Wars Insider 139
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Darkness on Umbara"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Plan of Dissent"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Bound for Rescue"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "A Necessary Bond"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Point of No Return"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Wrong Jedi"

SourcesEdit

• Clone Wars web comics: Official thread on the Jedi Council Forums (Literature board; posted by Pabawan on 10/7/08 1:19pm; accessed February 10, 2013)
• Official Site preview
• Y-wing model from WhizKids PocketModel gallery
• Torpedo model from WhizKids PocketModel gallery
• Discussing the origins behind the Clone Wars Y-Wing design
• Star Wars PocketModel TCG: Clone Wars
• Star Wars PocketModel TCG: Clone Wars Tactics
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide
• Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 12
• The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
•  Y-wing starfighter in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
• The Essential Guide to Warfare
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic UK 6.26
•  Y-wing starfighter in the Encyclopedia

Notes and referencesEdit

Wookieepedia has 30 images related to BTL-B Y-wing starfighter.

External linksEdit

• Y-Wing on CWA Wiki