Drag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom
Bomber · Rebel Alliance
Y-wing
The Rebellion's bomber: an open frame, two big engines, ion cannons and proton torpedoes.
- Model
- BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bomber
- Maker
- Koensayr Manufacturing
- Length
- 23.4 m
- Width
- 8.54 m
- Height
- 2.44 m
- Crew
- 1 pilot and 1 astromech droid
- Top speed in atmosphere
- 1,000 km/h
- Hyperdrive
- class 1
- Shields
- yes
- Armament
- 2 laser cannons · 2 ion cannons · 2 proton torpedo launchers · Proton bombs and ion torpedoes
Rebel AllianceGalactic RepublicNew RepublicResistanceCompare on the scale
Overview
The Y-wing is the Rebel Alliance's bomber: a long, open frame with a cockpit at the front and two large engines behind it[2]. A single pilot flies it with an astromech droid for help, and it can drop proton bombs, fire proton torpedoes and use ion weapons against hard targets[2].
Koensayr Manufacturing built it, and the Republic flew an earlier two-seat version, the BTL-B, in the Clone Wars[2]. The Alliance later stripped the design down to the single-seat BTL-A4, which became the Rebellion's most available starfighter[2].
Y-wings turn up across the saga. Anakin Skywalker and Plo Koon lead clone pilots in them against Grievous's cruiser Malevolence[1], and Gold Squadron takes off from Yavin 4 under Gold Leader, Dutch Vander, for the Death Star trench run[1].
Length 23.4 m
Width 8.54 m
How it flies and fights
The Y-wing carries a mixed armament. Two laser cannons and two ion cannons sit alongside two proton torpedo launchers, which hold eight torpedoes in the Rebel version and twelve in the original design[2]. The Rebel BTL-A4 gives the pilot control of the ion cannons, and mission loads can add proton bombs or ion torpedoes[2].
The ship has shields and a Class 1 hyperdrive, and reaches about 1,000 km/h in an atmosphere[2]. It is 23.4 metres long and 8.54 metres wide[1][2]. The Republic's BTL-B adds armour plating around the forward module and a rear-facing gunner seat with a bubble turret[2].
Who flew it
Jon 'Dutch' Vander
Commander
Gold Leader, who led Gold Squadron's Y-wings on the first Death Star trench run in A New Hope and appears earlier as Gold Leader in Star Wars Rebels[1].
Anakin Skywalker
Pilot
Led Shadow Squadron's Y-wings against Grievous's cruiser Malevolence in The Clone Wars, flying alongside Plo Koon and clone pilots[1].
Plo Koon
Pilot
Led Shadow Squadron's clone Y-wing pilots alongside Anakin during the hunt for the Malevolence[1].
Chronicle
Key moments in the ship's life, in story order. Spoilers stay hidden until you mark the title as watched in the timeline.
-
≈ 22 BBY
Anakin Skywalker and Plo Koon lead Shadow Squadron's clone Y-wings through the Kaliida Nebula after Grievous's cruiser Malevolence. Five pilots are lost, but a torpedo run on the ship's ion cannon drives Grievous off[1].
-
≈ 22 BBY
A Republic Y-wing squadron helps break the Separatist blockade of Ryloth, clearing the way for the ground assault[1].
-
≈ 21 BBY
Y-wing bombers stop a Separatist advance on Malastare with an experimental electro-proton bomb that disables the droids but wakes a Zillo Beast[1].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler from Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryShowyou've watched it
Gold Squadron Y-wings fire ion torpedoes to disable an Imperial Star Destroyer over Scarif[2].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler from Episode IV — A New HopeShowyou've watched it
Gold Squadron, led by Dutch Vander, makes the first trench run on the Death Star. Darth Vader and his wingmen shoot the Y-wings down before they can fire[1].
-
4 ABY
Episode VI — Return of the Jedi
Spoiler from Episode VI — Return of the JediShowyou've watched it
Alliance Y-wings attack Star Destroyers at close range, then fly into the second Death Star's superstructure toward the reactor[1].
-
—
After a Jedi cruiser is ambushed, R2-D2 and C-3PO escape in a Y-wing and crash-land on Patitite Pattuna, where the fighter's armour lets them survive[1].
Where it flew
- RylothA Republic Y-wing squadron helps break the Separatist siege so the ground assault can go ahead.
- Yavin 4Rebel Y-wings are based here, and Gold Squadron launches from the moon for the Death Star trench run.
- ScarifY-wings fire ion torpedoes at an Imperial Star Destroyer during the battle in orbit.
- EndorAlliance Y-wings join the attack on the Imperial fleet above the forest moon.
Where to see the Y-wing
Films, series and games with the Y-wing, in story order.
The Clone WarsAnimated series · 2008–2020Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and the clone troopers fight across the galaxy in the war between the Republic and the Separatists.
AndorSeries · 2022–2025Cassian Andor goes from a thief to a rebel as the Empire tightens its grip — the story of how the Rebellion was born.
Star Wars RebelsAnimated series · 2014–2018The crew of the starship Ghost takes on the Empire, and young Ezra Bridger discovers the Force.
Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryMovie · 2016A band of rebels led by Jyn Erso sets out to steal the plans of the Death Star.
Episode IV — A New HopeMovie · 1977Farm boy Luke Skywalker, smuggler Han Solo and Princess Leia take on the Empire and its Death Star.
Episode V — The Empire Strikes BackMovie · 1980The Empire hunts the rebels across the galaxy, while Luke trains with Jedi Master Yoda.
Episode VI — Return of the JediMovie · 1983The rebels attack the second Death Star, and Luke faces Darth Vader and the Emperor.
The Mandalorian and GroguMovie · 2026The New Republic enlists Din Djarin and Grogu in the fight against the remnants of the Empire.
Episode IX — The Rise of SkywalkerMovie · 2019The final chapter of the Skywalker saga: Rey, Finn and Poe make their last stand against the First Order.
Variants
BTL-B Y-wing (Clone Wars)
The original Republic version, flown by clone pilots in two-seat form: armour plating around the forward module, a rear-facing gunner seat with a bubble turret, and an astromech socket[2].
BTL-A4 (Rebel Alliance)
A stripped-down, single-seat Rebel conversion without the gunner turret, in which the pilot fires the ion cannons. It is the Alliance's workhorse bomber in A New Hope, Rogue One and Return of the Jedi[2].
BTA-NR2 Y-wing (New Republic / Resistance)
A newer, shorter Koensayr design used by the New Republic and the Resistance, about 18.17 metres long. Y-wings of this kind fly in The Rise of Skywalker[2].
Behind the scenes
- Colin Cantwell began the Y-wing with a large bubble turret for a gunner, a pilot-and-gunner layout like that of the Grumman TBF Avenger bomber. The dome did not read against the blue screen, so the film version dropped the turret[2].
- Joe Johnston reworked the cockpit and Ralph McQuarrie refined the designs. Only two Y-wing miniatures were built for A New Hope, and one of them, described at a 2024 auction as 1:24 scale, went up for sale[3].
Did you know
Y-wing: questions and answers
How big is a Y-wing?
A Y-wing is about 23.4 metres long, roughly two city buses end to end, and 8.54 metres wide[1][2]. The Rebel version seats just a pilot, with an astromech droid to help.
What does a Y-wing do?
It is a bomber and assault starfighter. It fires proton torpedoes, carries proton bombs and ion torpedoes as mission loads, and has laser cannons and ion cannons for support[2].
