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| - The Sabre starfighter was designed to replace a vehicle that was nearly obsolete when first released, the Shoto starfighter. While the Shoto's meager capabilities were attributed to the nascence of Kraechar Arms during its production, by late 0 ABY, the Yanibar Guard Fleet was no longer willing to tolerate its mediocrity. The success of Rebel Alliance X-wing starfighters against the Empire was further impetus to design a new starfighter. Two years later, the first Sabre rolled off the assembly line. A sleek, aerodynamic craft, the Sabre was designed with atmospheric performance in mind. Its forward-swept wings and smooth lines were reminiscent of Naboo craft, but it was much more heavily shielded and armed.
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| abstract
| - The Sabre starfighter was designed to replace a vehicle that was nearly obsolete when first released, the Shoto starfighter. While the Shoto's meager capabilities were attributed to the nascence of Kraechar Arms during its production, by late 0 ABY, the Yanibar Guard Fleet was no longer willing to tolerate its mediocrity. The success of Rebel Alliance X-wing starfighters against the Empire was further impetus to design a new starfighter. Two years later, the first Sabre rolled off the assembly line. A sleek, aerodynamic craft, the Sabre was designed with atmospheric performance in mind. Its forward-swept wings and smooth lines were reminiscent of Naboo craft, but it was much more heavily shielded and armed. Due to the turbulent skies over Yanibar, the capability to operate in harsh weather conditions was essential. As such, the Sabre was made as aerodynamic as possible in order to enhance its performance. In atmosphere, the Sabre boasted a superior turn radius, climb rate, atmospheric speed, and dive rate to most contemporary starfighters, including the X-wing. The Sabre handled fine even amidst wind conditions of greater than 200 kilometer per hour, though an experienced pilot was needed to control the craft. The shielding of a Sabre was tested against captured models and found to be superior to that of an X-wing. It was particularly resistant against lightning strikes. If the Yanibar Guard had ever seen fit to fight in the stormy atmosphere of a gas giant, the Sabre would have been at a decided advantage. The vehicle was tough and survivable, with redundant flight controls allowing it to sustain significant damage and still limp away. The cockpit was housed inside of an armored casing resembling a tub which was laced with energy dissipants and insulating foam to reduce the possibility of laser blasts, spalling, fragmentation, or circuit overload from incapacitating the pilot. Sabres were heavily armed, boasting three laser cannons mounted around the nose of the starfighter, as well as two underwing proton torpedo launchers that housed four proton torpedoes apiece. While packing less firepower than a Rebel Alliance X-wing, the Sabre compensated with manueverability and durability. The mounting of the lasers also meant that no convergence point was needed, unlike X-wing or B-wing lasers, which were limited to specific distances where all their S-foil-mounted lasers converged on a focal point.
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