Star Wars: That Time They Made The Dumbest Looking Fighter In The Galaxy, And It Was Awesome- The K-Wing Breakdown
The K-Wing might be one of the most ridiculous looking fighters in Star Wars, but it’s also one of the best.
Look we all know that the ships in Star Wars have, shall we say, a tenuous relationship to things like aerodynamics, structural integrity, or even just a design that wouldn’t immediately kill the pilot inside. Seeing a massive hulk of metal that should–in no way–be able to leave a planet’s atmosphere soar through the void of space like a lightsaber through several inches of durasteel plating, is a routine occurrence.
But that’s all for one very good reason–and that reason is because, when it comes to it, the only thing that matters is having a cool looking ship. Iconic designs like the Millennium Falcon or the Razor Crest leave a lasting impression on whoever sees them (and look great on lunch boxes). Which makes the BTL-S8 K-wing assault starfighter, more commonly known as the K-wing, something of an anomaly because, well, look at it.
Produced by Koensayr Manufacturing, whom you might know as the company that originaly designed the Y-wing, the K-wing was designed to as a flexible heavy fighter/bomber that was adaptable enough to take on a variety of roles in combat. In the K-wing’s case, the main role was to make attack runs of slow-moving capital ships, planetary targets, space stations/platforms, and the like. Its secondary functions could include escort duty or recon missions.
Which is a strange mix of functions to be sure, especially since the latter two require more maneuverability than you might expect out of a starfigher that boasts of achieving sublight speeds “similar to a Y-wing.” But what the K-wing lacks in speed, sensible structure design, and hyperdrive capability, it makes up for by having enough weapons to shame an Imperial Missile Boat.
With a total of 18 hard points (five on each upper wing, four on each lower stabilizer, the K-wing could be outfitted with a variety of weapons from flechette and concussion missiles, to proton and plasma torpedos, even space mines, bombs, and Conner nets could be loaded on board. The K-wing also boasted a quad-turbolaser turret located right at the fore of the ship, a medium-range twin laser cannon turret mounted on top of it, and if need be K-wings could mount slugthrowers.
Yep. In an age of blaster bolts, laser cannons, and explosive missiles, the K-wing is out here firing guns, just actual guns, that–judging by the other slugthrower weapons in Star Wars–aren’t even rapidfire, but just a single shot rifle.
Have you ever strapped a Winchester to a biplane wing? The K-wing has. The K-wing has every gun you could think of. It has so many guns, it needs a bombardier and two gunners and a pilot to successfully operate.
This (plus the K-wings success during conflicts where they were deployed) makes them leave a lasting legend in Star Wars.
May the Force be with you
