Assault Gunboat
With its slick design and star shaped profile, the Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wing, or Assault Gunboat, was the first ever production model for the Empire to equip shields and hyperdrive.
The space wasted for that equipment had a great impact in its performance, making it as slow and unyielding craft for those without the skill to tame it. Featuring fixed dorsal wings with folding lateral wings, the Gunboat carried two laser cannons and two ion cannons, which were also a novelty at the time. It also carried general use standard launchers with up to sixteen concussion missiles or twelve proton torpedoes, and other assorted warheads.
The use of hyperdrives to deploy fighter beyond enemy lines was usual at the time and without the need of a capital ship to support it the Gunboat made history as a deadly deep strike alternative, and its survivability was proved again and again, and additionally to the shields, the craft was also equipped with a heavy hull. It was a difficult transition for many TIE pilots, who were used to the doctrine of speed and maneuver instead of head-on tactics.
The Gunboat is almost retired nowadays, considering the introduction of its successor, the Missile Boat (MIS), and is only used in one of the TIE Corps active squadrons.
