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The V-19 Torrent starfighter, also known as the V-19 Torrent Interceptor, was a model of starfighter manufactured by Slayn & Korpil. They were used by the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars, predominantly during the early stages of the war, participating in campaigns such as the Battle of Christophsis, the Malevolence Campaign, the Battle of Ryloth, the Battle of Kamino, and the Battle of Sullust. It was eventually succeeded by the Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter.
Characteristics[]
The V-19 Torrent starfighter,[1] or the V-19 Torrent Interceptor,[8] was a sturdy, fast, and long-range space superiority starfighter produced by Slayn & Korpil for the Galactic Republic's naval forces. It possessed a flat, broad and roughly square-shaped fuselage with a cockpit mounted far aft on the starfighter's dorsal hull. The large domed canopy of the cockpit provided pilots with a greater view of their surroundings, and an advanced QY77.b avionics suite gave all necessary combat information.[2]
The starfighter also possessed two powerful ion engines that were mounted in nacelles located port and starboard that also contained the connections and control mechanisms for the fighter's primary S-foils. Furthermore, a third engine was housed in a third, aft-mounted and vertical stabilizer, which, paired with a powerful repulsorlift system, made the V-19 very fast and nimble.[2]
In its role of a space superiority starfighter, the V-19 possessed an armament of mixed energy weapons and ordnance launchers. It had a pair of wingtip-mounted laser cannons, which provided long-range anti-fighter capabilities, and two hull-mounted concussion missile launchers, all of which gave the fighter enough power for light anti-ship and standoff work. In addition, the V-19 did not come equipped with shield generators, but it was made up for in the starfighter's thick armor, sturdy hull, and its speed and agility.[2]
The V-19 served as a predecessor to the Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter, in terms of its usage and purpose.[13]
History[]
Clone Wars[]
Two V-19s patrol the skies of Coruscant with a Jedi Knight Delta-7s Aethersprite.
V-19 Torrents were developed to compensate the LAAT Gunships ineffectiveness against droid fighters. In the early stages of the war, Anakin Skywalker led a squadron of V-19 and Y-wing bombers against the Separatist vulture droids in the Corvair sector.[14]
V-19 fighters were also present during the Battle of Christophsis where they engaged droid fighters over the planet as Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi used their starfighters to break through the Separatist blockade so they can land on the planet. More V-19s were also present engaging vulture droids when more Confederate Navy ships arrived, making Admiral Wullf Yularen unable to deliver reinforcements.[7]
V-19 fighters were then deployed during the Battle of Teth, where Kenobi arrived with reinforcements to help Skywalker. With his wingman Odd Ball, they led the squadron against the vulture droids orbiting the castle. During the battle, Odd Ball was tailed by two vulture droids, but Kenobi was able to shoot them down to save his wingman. Kenobi then joined the battle on the ground while Odd Ball and the rest of the squadron continued to engage the droid fighters. When Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano stole a freighter after rescuing Rotta from Separatist captivity, they found themselves in the firefight between the V-19s and the vulture droids. Skywalker then requested Yularen in his Star Destroyer to have them land so they can deliver Rotta to safety, but vulture droids overtook them in a suicide run, crashing into the hangar and destroying all V-19s in there, making it impossible for him to land.[7]
They also comprised a proportion of Skywalker's fighter forces aboard his flagship, the Resolute during the Malevolence crisis.[15]
V-19's during the Battle of Bothawui
Following a recent string of defeats to Grievous in the Outer Rim Campaign, Gold Squadron, led by Anakin Skywalker, used V-19 starfighters to lure the cyborg general to a trap in Bothawui. However, the fighters were seemingly outmatched by the firepower of the Munificent-class star frigates of Grievous, resulting one of them being shot down. Anakin then ordered his squadron to break off the attack as he had AT-TE walkers under the command of Rex to destroy the Separatist fleet, giving victory to the Republic, though Grievous escaped the ensuing chaos.[16]
During the Battle of Quell, several V-19 fighters were deployed to defend Aayla Secura's crippled fleet from vulture droids while she was waiting for reinforcements led by Anakin Skywalker.[17]
Blue Squadron at the Battle of Ryloth
Not long after that, V-19 fighters also saw action during the Battle of Ryloth, where Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano led a squadron against the Separatist blockade led by Mar Tuuk. However, they were caught in a trap and overwhelmed, resulting Tano's second-in-command Axe being killed by a vulture droid. The squadron was forced to retreat, with only two V-19's left out of the 15 that took part in the engagement. They would later break through the blockade with the support of BTL-B Y-wing starfighters after Mar Tuuk's Droid Control Ship was destroyed by the Venator-class Star Destroyer Defender, just as Tuuk himself escaped the destruction of his ship.[18]
V-19s also took part during the evacuation of Felucia, led by Plo Koon to protect several gunships to aid in the evacuation of Tano, Skywalker, Kenobi, and their forces as they began to be surrounded by Separatist ground forces. Koon ordered his wingman Warthog to protect the gunships while he took out Separatist fighters over their path. They reached the atmosphere after breaking through the blockade but were pursued by a group of vulture droids. Warthog was pursued by two of them, but Koon was able to turn back and shot both droid ships down, but the crashing vulture droid careened and destroyed an AT-TE walker, nearly killing Anakin and Obi Wan. Following a failure to retrieve the holocron from Cad Bane following the Battle of Devaron, Bane, disguised as clone trooper "Denal," stole a V-19 Torrent from the Resolute. Though Anakin ordered Yularen to deactivate the hyperdrive docking ring, it was too late as Bane used it to escape.[10]
Throughout the war, V-19's would later be replaced by Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighters, though V-19's participated in a few battles such as the Battle of Malastare where they escorted Y-wing bombers and ARC-170 starfighters to assist in the dropping of the electro-proton bomb.[19] They also provided escort to Duchess Satine's ship, the Coronet following a skirmish orchestrated by Tal Merrik, who wanted to kill Satine so Death Watch can invade Mandalore.[20] Several V-19's were also present in Mace Windu's flagship, the Endurance, where Clone pilots used them to evacuate just as the ship was about to be destroyed by Boba Fett in a revenge plot against Windu.[21] V-19's also participated during the Battle of Kamino where they defended Republic ships from Hyena-class Droid Bombers,[22] and also participated in the Battle of Sullust, engaging droid fighters scrambled by a fleet led by Asajj Ventress.[23] V-19's also acted as aerial security over Kamino's cloning facilities until the V-Wings took their place near the end of the war.[24] They also participated in the Battle of Coruscant, where Odd Ball had a few of them shoot down droid tri-fighters to clear the way for Skywalker and Kenobi.[6]
Age of the Empire[]
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, these fighters were used by planetary defense forces, including the Botajef Defense Force, which mounted a rebellion against the Empire.[11] Additionally, even many years after Republic's reign, the Empire continued to use the V-19, despite its age, for missions in the Outer Rim Territories. The starfighter was still well-respected, with Imperial officers recognizing the starfighter for its versatility and durability.[5]
Behind the scenes[]
V-19 in different angles
LucasArts' Art Director Chris Williams and Concept Artist Greg Knight developed the design of the V-19 Torrent for the 2-D Clone Wars micro-series. They drew inspiration for the fighter's folding wings from the real-world F4U Corsair. Concept art of the Torrent for the 3-D Star Wars: The Clone Wars film was drawn by Thang Le.
A LEGO version of the fighter (LEGO STAR WARS - 7674 V-19 Torrent) was released in 2008, and is also a playable vehicle in the non-canon video game LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.
Page 57 of the 2017 reference book Star Wars: On the Front Lines states that the V-19 Torrent starfighters were deployed late into the Clone Wars,[6] though The Clone Wars film showed that they had been around since the first year of the conflict.[7]
The laser cannons are often called blasters.[3][1]
