Difference between revisions of "Alliance Starfighter Corps"

Revision as of 16:27, 29 October 2014

Alliance Starfighter Corps

Name

Alliance Starfighter Corps

Purpose

Strategic Fighter Operations

Leader

General Meiers Brecklin

Headquarters

Bothawui / Moonus Mandel
Marianas
Challenger

Branches

Marianas Attack Wing
Challenger Air Wing
Rogue Squadron

Affiliation

Alliance of Free Planets

Members

See: Faction Roster)

The Alliance Starfighter Corps is an autonomous branch of the Alliance High Command, which fields starfighters for reconnaissance, space superiority, and assault missions, on behalf of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Alliance of Free Planets. Alliance starfighters deploy both from carriers and starships of the Alliance Fleet, and from dedicated Starfighter Corps bases, via hyperspace.

A separate command within the Alliance military, the Starfighter Corps has it's own unique rank structure.

History

Established during the early days of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the Alliance Starfighter Command existed before the Alliance Fleet. As a result, the fighters used by the Corps needed to be hyperspace-capable, as the Alliance lacked the carriers and cruisers necessary to transport them. In particular, the early Alliance relied upon Y-Wings, ARC-170s, and R-41 Starchasers.

First big boon to the Corps was the defection of a group of Incom engineers, who provided the Alliance with blueprints for the T-65 X-Wing Starfighter. Via the Alliance Underground Engineering network, the Rebellion began to produce these fighters, which proved to be more than a match for the Imperial TIE Fighter. The Empire reacted with the development of the TIE Interceptor however, and with Rebel fighters and pilots in short supply, it was essential that the Alliance had a technological edge. The RZ-1 A-Wing Interceptor was developed, based on the R-22 Starchaser, to provide the Alliance with a fast and hyperspace-capable ship.

Following the liberation of the Mon Calamari homeworld, Dac, the Alliance finally gained access to a star fleet, allowing the Alliance and the Starfighter Corps to deploy fighters in larger numbers with more mobility. To help defend the new Alliance Fleet, the Corps worked with Slayn & Korpil, a Verpine corporation/colony, who developed the B-Wing Assault Fighter as an anti-starship starfighter platform. The B-Wing - alongside the X-Wing and A-Wing - was used to great effect during the Battle of Endor.

As the Alliance

Organisation

Because of the need to remain mobile during the early stages of the Rebellion, the Alliance Starfighter Corps was usually broken into small units. Most autonomous forces were organised as a Wing, which would typically consist of three Squadrons of around twelve fighters each, though that varied depending on the mission profile, and the craft used. Squadrons were further subdivided into Flights.

In rare instances, several Wings could be combined into a Group, which became more common once the Starfighter Corps began to deploy from large carriers like the MC80 Star Cruiser. In other rare instances, an elite Squadron would operate autonomously, as was the case with Rogue Squadron.

Originally, any autonomous unit (Wing or Squadron) was led by a Commander. As the Corps grew in size however, Wing Commanders were given the rank of Major; Squadron Leaders had the rank of Commander; a Captain was a senior pilot such as the unit's Executive Officer; and a Flight Lieutenant would be the lead pilot of a Flight. Fighter Groups, where they exist, are usually led by a Colonel.

• Group - Colonel (multiple Wings)
  • Wing - Major (~ 3 Squadrons)
    • Squadron - Commander (~ 3 Flights)
      • Flight - Flight Lieutenant (~ 4 Starfighters)

As per naval parlance, the fighter forces aboard a starship are referred to as the Air Wing regardless of size, but it's Commanding Officer is referred to as the Commander, Air Group (CAG).

Specific Units

• Marianas Assault Wing - the Air Wing assigned to the Marianas of Task Force 42.
• Challenger Air Wing - the Air Wing assigned to the Challenger; includes representative Squadrons from many Alliance members.

Squadrons

• Bandit Squadron - an obsolete Z-95 unit.
• Bravo Squadron - a Naboo N-1 squadron assigned to the Challenger.
• Dagger Squadron - an elite B-Wing squadron assigned to the Challenger.
• Gold Squadron - an obsolete Y-Wing squadron.
• Raptor Squadron - an ARC-170 squadron assigned to the Challenger.
• Renegade Squadron - an obsolete fighter squadron and SpecOps unit.
• Rogue Squadron - an elite X-Wing unit assigned to the Challenger. (Originally Red Squadron, Red Hand Squadron)
• Tierfon Yellow Aces - an obsolete Y-Wing unit. (Originally Yellow Squadron)
• Valkyrie Squadron - an elite A-Wing unit assigned to the Challenger. (Originally Blue Squadron)
• Viper Squadron - an A-Wing squadron assigned to the Challenger. (Originally Green Squadron)
• Wraith Squadron - a squadron assigned to the Novgorod. (Originally Grey Squadron)

Starfighters

Originally, the Alliance Starfighter Corps relied on fighters that had been donated, commandeered, or purchased as military surplus after the Grand Army of the Republic was dissolved. As a result, many early fighters were old Republic designs, or were the kind of budget fighters intended for private and planetary militias.

Nowadays, the vast majority of Alliance starfighters are produced as direct government contracts with specific suppliers. Most designs are produced by Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei, Slayn & Korpil, or Hoersch-Kessel Drive, though some units and some planetary militias rely on designs produced by the SoroSuub Corporation and other manufacturers.

Designs that are crossed out are no longer produced, but are still in service with some Alliance units.

Trainers

• T-Wing Interceptor (produced by Hoersch-Kessel Drive / Mon Calamari Shipyards)
• Z-95 Headhunter (produced by Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei)
• ZX-95T Headhunter Trainer (produced by Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei)

Interceptors

• Cutlass-9 Patrol Fighter (produced by SoroSuub Corporation)
• Miy'til-class Starfighter (produced by Olanji/Charubah)
• R-22 Spearhead (no longer produced)
• RZ-1 A-Wing Interceptor (produced by Hoersch-Kessel Drive / Mon Calamari Shipyards)
• Z-95 Headhunter (produced by Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei)

Space Superiority Fighters

• BTL-S3 Y-Wing Starfighter (no longer produced)
• Preybird-class Starfighter (produced by SoroSuub Corporation)
• R-41 Starchaser (no longer produced)
• RZ-2 A-Wing Interceptor (produced by SoroSuub Corporation)
• T-65B X-Wing Starfighter (produced by Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei)

• E-Wing Escort Starfighter (in development, Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei)

Assault Fighters / Bombers

• BTS-A2 H-Wing Strike Fighter (no longer produced)
• BTL-A4 Y-Wing Assault Fighter (no longer produced)
• B-Wing Assault Fighter (produced by Slayn & Korpil / Mon Calamari Shipyards)
• B-Wing/E Assault Fighter (produced by Slayn & Korpil / Mon Calamari Shipyards)

• BTL-S8 K-Wing Assault Starfighter (in development; Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei)

Reconnaissance Fighters

• ARC-170 Advanced Reconnaissance Fighter (no longer produced)
• BTL-A4 LP Y-Wing Long Probe Recon Fighter (refit/refurbishment only)
• T-65BR X-Wing Reconnaissance Fighter (produced by Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei)

Planetary Defense

• Planetary Defender Starfighter (produced by SoroSuub Corporation)
• Systems Defender Starfighter (produced by SoroSuub Corporation)
• V-19 Torrent Starfighter (produced by Slayn & Korpil / Mon Calamari Shipyards)

• Belbullab-22 Starfighter (produced by Feethan Ottraw Scalable Assemblies / Utapau Skyforce)
• Mankvim-814 Light Interceptor (produced by Feethan Ottraw Scalable Assemblies / Utapau Skyforce)
• Porax-38 Starfighter (produced by Buuper Torsckil Abbey Devices / Utapau Skyforce)

• Naboo N-1 Starfighter (produced by Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps)

Airspeeders

• T-47 Airspeeder (no longer produced)
• V-Wing Combat Airspeeder (in development; Incom-Koensayr-Meorrrei)