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Description
This is the fully coloured view of my Empire's first generation starfighter, the X2 T-Wing, specifically the droid model, following my last design being it's predecessor.

Full Description:

With the X1 T-Wing having made it's mark in the events of the First Carai War, and the UED's proper formation the collective races, during their many discussions and debates on the first generation of United starships for their planned Grand Navy, would eventually decide to continue the X line of Starfighters. Quite a few of the humans and dragons of The Outcasts forming the design company Dracanis Armatech, as a means to properly and more professionally tackle the design process. Using lessons learned during the war, and now equipped with far more experience in interstellar warfare, the designers of Dracanis decided to completely overhaul the design, trimming the excess of the previous X1 while capitalizing on the surprising advantages of the design, the result is the sleek, fast, and imposing X2 T-Wing Area Superiority Starfighter. While significantly more complicated with a much higher material cost over the previous X1, the X2 is slightly smaller in terms of overall mass, while being just as fast, maneuverable, and with even more potent firepower at each craft's disposal.

  The X2 program also involved a split development, producing not one, but two Starfighter models, with the UED's formation it's doctrine moved more towards the notion of automated robotic soldiers, this also including vehicles such as starfighters, and Dracanis was quick to accommodate this new doctrine. To this end they designed both a fully piloted 'Squadron Leader' version of the X2, possessing a more robust frame, and a hyperdrive engine, as well as an automated model 'Droid' starfighter. These would be individually less potent but simpler to produce by comparison to the far more complex piloted craft, each of these droids would also lack a hyperdrive, relying on the Squadron Leader's Hyperdrive, which was big and powerful enough to provide a hyperspace window for the entire squadron to jump through. While the Squadron Leader could give commands to their attached Droid Starfighters for partially direct control, each were equipped with highly advanced semi-sentient brains, capable of learning within a specified set of parameters, giving them unparalleled decision making and strategic capabilities over a more standard slaved robotic or drone computer system. The Squadron Leader of the X2 being operated by a combination of a single fully sentient pilot, and a smaller, less potent droid brain to handle auxiliary systems and weapon's targeting duties.

  Both the Squadron Leader and Droid model of Starfighters capitalize on using powerful, highly regenerative shields in combination with extreme degrees of maneuverability and speed to give them survivability on the battlefield, sacrificing armour in the process, though unlike the X1, the X2 does not have any of it's sensitive components exposed, apart from the powerful shields and large powerplant necessary for it's combat doctrine. The large Fusion Reactor Powerplant nestled and slightly jutting out from the aft forward frame provides enormous levels of power at the cost of being incredibly fuel inefficient and more difficult to maintain, however this was seen as a necessary drawback in order to make the overall craft as powerful as it could possibly be during it's operations. This power however also necessitated large radiator surfaces to disperse heat, with a set on the aft side of each swept wing dispersing heat from it's weapons, with the Fusion Reactor itself having dedicated heat vents and electromagnetic shunts located at the back of it's assembly within the fuselage.

  For weapons each model is divergent, the Squadron Leader being the most potently armed, possessing four 15mm Gauss Autocannons, with two on each outboard wing, these weapons possessing galvan coils extending from their boxy barrels in order to 'steer' the tungsten rounds. The dorsal side of the front plate also mounts two small sponson turrets, with each housing a Light Repeating Blaster Cannon. The bottom wing possesses a folding Light Anti-Capital Torpedo Tube, with an internal rotating magazine within the top portion of the wing allowing an additional six torpedoes or sensor probes of various kinds to be reloaded for a total of seven possible shots. This bottom wing also mounts a folding plate of armour which covers the Hyperdrive's Event Horizon Emitter during combat. The Droid Starfighter by contrast possesses two 15mm Gauss Autocannons, with one on each outboard wing, a single sponson Light Repeating Blaster Turret on the dorsal front plate, and the bottom wing Torpedo Tube, with it's internal magazine having four slots.

  The role of Area Superiority was designated to the X2 for it's ability to perform just as well in anti-fighter duties, as well as providing close air support, and capital ship harassing runs, with it's speed and agility being retained in both void and atmosphere. It's shields not only giving it an advantage in space, but also eliminating it's possible deficiencies while maneuvering in a breathable atmosphere, cutting through the air with equal efficiency on every surface, to facilitate faster atmospheric flight, the more void suited Ion Engines are also supplemented by a cluster of small air-fed fusion jet engines, with four intakes inset into the fore of the fuselage lining up with the trailing engine array. This engine configuration, while complex allows a high degree of adaptability, most notably for atmosphere, by comparison to early craft utilizing purely ion engine based mobility. The standard internal Repulsorthruster Arrays allow it both tight and advanced maneuvering, but also the ability to hover near perfectly and even operate underwater for brief periods, albeit with a significant drop in speed and potential damage to the atmospheric jet engines.

  With the designing of the X2 Squadron Leader and Droid model Starfighters, Dracanis Armatech ensured that the burgeoning United Empire of Dimensions would have an incredibly deadly and potent fighter ready to be deployed on any front, and tackle almost any mission required of it. This craft, while fairly quickly phased out with the rapid march of design progress became a staple of many of the UED's early fleets and operations and ensured that the X line of T-Wing starfighters would go on to become some of the most storied and important craft in the entire history of the UED. Creating a lineage of up to and beyond two thousand years of proud and dedicated service to the pilots and droid minds of The Grand Navy.

Description
This is the fully coloured view of my Empire's first generation starfighter, the X2 T-Wing, specifically the droid model, following my last design being it's predecessor.

Full Description:

With the X1 T-Wing having made it's mark in the events of the First Carai War, and the UED's proper formation the collective races, during their many discussions and debates on the first generation of United starships for their planned Grand Navy, would eventually decide to continue the X line of Starfighters. Quite a few of the humans and dragons of The Outcasts forming the design company Dracanis Armatech, as a means to properly and more professionally tackle the design process. Using lessons learned during the war, and now equipped with far more experience in interstellar warfare, the designers of Dracanis decided to completely overhaul the design, trimming the excess of the previous X1 while capitalizing on the surprising advantages of the design, the result is the sleek, fast, and imposing X2 T-Wing Area Superiority Starfighter. While significantly more complicated with a much higher material cost over the previous X1, the X2 is slightly smaller in terms of overall mass, while being just as fast, maneuverable, and with even more potent firepower at each craft's disposal.

  The X2 program also involved a split development, producing not one, but two Starfighter models, with the UED's formation it's doctrine moved more towards the notion of automated robotic soldiers, this also including vehicles such as starfighters, and Dracanis was quick to accommodate this new doctrine. To this end they designed both a fully piloted 'Squadron Leader' version of the X2, possessing a more robust frame, and a hyperdrive engine, as well as an automated model 'Droid' starfighter. These would be individually less potent but simpler to produce by comparison to the far more complex piloted craft, each of these droids would also lack a hyperdrive, relying on the Squadron Leader's Hyperdrive, which was big and powerful enough to provide a hyperspace window for the entire squadron to jump through. While the Squadron Leader could give commands to their attached Droid Starfighters for partially direct control, each were equipped with highly advanced semi-sentient brains, capable of learning within a specified set of parameters, giving them unparalleled decision making and strategic capabilities over a more standard slaved robotic or drone computer system. The Squadron Leader of the X2 being operated by a combination of a single fully sentient pilot, and a smaller, less potent droid brain to handle auxiliary systems and weapon's targeting duties.

  Both the Squadron Leader and Droid model of Starfighters capitalize on using powerful, highly regenerative shields in combination with extreme degrees of maneuverability and speed to give them survivability on the battlefield, sacrificing armour in the process, though unlike the X1, the X2 does not have any of it's sensitive components exposed, apart from the powerful shields and large powerplant necessary for it's combat doctrine. The large Fusion Reactor Powerplant nestled and slightly jutting out from the aft forward frame provides enormous levels of power at the cost of being incredibly fuel inefficient and more difficult to maintain, however this was seen as a necessary drawback in order to make the overall craft as powerful as it could possibly be during it's operations. This power however also necessitated large radiator surfaces to disperse heat, with a set on the aft side of each swept wing dispersing heat from it's weapons, with the Fusion Reactor itself having dedicated heat vents and electromagnetic shunts located at the back of it's assembly within the fuselage.

  For weapons each model is divergent, the Squadron Leader being the most potently armed, possessing four 15mm Gauss Autocannons, with two on each outboard wing, these weapons possessing galvan coils extending from their boxy barrels in order to 'steer' the tungsten rounds. The dorsal side of the front plate also mounts two small sponson turrets, with each housing a Light Repeating Blaster Cannon. The bottom wing possesses a folding Light Anti-Capital Torpedo Tube, with an internal rotating magazine within the top portion of the wing allowing an additional six torpedoes or sensor probes of various kinds to be reloaded for a total of seven possible shots. This bottom wing also mounts a folding plate of armour which covers the Hyperdrive's Event Horizon Emitter during combat. The Droid Starfighter by contrast possesses two 15mm Gauss Autocannons, with one on each outboard wing, a single sponson Light Repeating Blaster Turret on the dorsal front plate, and the bottom wing Torpedo Tube, with it's internal magazine having four slots.

  The role of Area Superiority was designated to the X2 for it's ability to perform just as well in anti-fighter duties, as well as providing close air support, and capital ship harassing runs, with it's speed and agility being retained in both void and atmosphere. It's shields not only giving it an advantage in space, but also eliminating it's possible deficiencies while maneuvering in a breathable atmosphere, cutting through the air with equal efficiency on every surface, to facilitate faster atmospheric flight, the more void suited Ion Engines are also supplemented by a cluster of small air-fed fusion jet engines, with four intakes inset into the fore of the fuselage lining up with the trailing engine array. This engine configuration, while complex allows a high degree of adaptability, most notably for atmosphere, by comparison to early craft utilizing purely ion engine based mobility. The standard internal Repulsorthruster Arrays allow it both tight and advanced maneuvering, but also the ability to hover near perfectly and even operate underwater for brief periods, albeit with a significant drop in speed and potential damage to the atmospheric jet engines.

  With the designing of the X2 Squadron Leader and Droid model Starfighters, Dracanis Armatech ensured that the burgeoning United Empire of Dimensions would have an incredibly deadly and potent fighter ready to be deployed on any front, and tackle almost any mission required of it. This craft, while fairly quickly phased out with the rapid march of design progress became a staple of many of the UED's early fleets and operations and ensured that the X line of T-Wing starfighters would go on to become some of the most storied and important craft in the entire history of the UED. Creating a lineage of up to and beyond two thousand years of proud and dedicated service to the pilots and droid minds of The Grand Navy.