Delta-7 Aethersprite-Class Light Interceptor

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Production information
Manufacturer
Kuat Systems Engineering

Product line
Delta-series

Model
Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor

Class
Starfighter

Cost
145,000

Technical specifications
Length
8 meters

Width
3.92 meters

Height/depth
1.44 meters

Maximum acceleration
5,000 G

Maximum speed (atmosphere)
1,150 km/h[3] to 12,000 km/h (with deflector shields on)

Hyperdrive rating
Class 1.0 (with booster ring)

Hyperdrive range
150,000 LY

Hyperdrive system
Syluire-31 hyperspace docking ring

Armament
Taim Co. sds8/5 twin laser cannons (2)
Optional warhead launcher

Crew
Pilot (1)
Integrated astromech droid (1)

Passengers
None

Cargo capacity
60 kg (0.03 m³)

Consumables
1 week
Fuel: 5 hrs
Air: 5 hrs


The Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor, more commonly known as the Jedi starfighter due to its extensive use by Jedi, was an interceptor commissioned just before the outbreak of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY.

The starfighter was considered highly advanced at the time of its creation and carried sophisticated equipment, but it was expensive to produce. The ship was armed with two twin laser cannons (later models modified by Jedi Master Saesee Tiin would contain four quad-pulse laser cannons hidden behind breakaway panels, in addition to its usual complement of two twin laser cannons), and an advanced communication and sensor array kept the pilot of the ship well-prepared in firefights as well as peacetime.

The Delta-7 fighter was fairly prominent in the Clone Wars, mainly through its use by Jedi. One of the most famous encounters and tests of the Delta-7 was the tracking of bounty hunter Jango Fett by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi through the asteroid fields of Geonosis.

Due to their visual similarities, the Delta-7 appeared to be an evolutionary descendant from the ancient Aurek-class starfighter: it was a small, sleek interceptor used by the Jedi Knights for reconnaissance missions. However, the starfighter was fitted with two twin-barrel laser cannons allowing the pilot to fight when necessary. As part of the Republic's Judicial Department, the starfighters owned by the Jedi Order were colored in the red and white hues that represented the diplomatic immunity that the Jedi enjoyed, similar to Republic Cruisers. However, some would be painted in other colors as the Clone Wars progressed.

It was designed by engineer Walex Blissex, who would later design the Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter and work on the Rebel Alliance's RZ-1 A-wing interceptor with Jan Dodonna. Due to limitations in technology at the time of its creation, the starfighter's size did not allow for a built-in hyperdrive, and instead had to rely on other spacecraft or an external hyperdrive docking ring for faster-than-light travel. (However, at the time of its creation, there were also some prototype Delta-7 Aethersprites constructed that had experimental hyperdrive engines built-in. In addition to this, the standard factory-model Aethersprite could be modified and/or tweaked to have a built-in hyperdrive engine). The Aethersprite also had very powerful sublight engines, driving it to a maximum acceleration of 5,000 G.

The very first models of Aethersprite would not allow for a full-size astromech droid navigator, as next-generation starfighters, such as the T-65 X-wing, would commonly use (most likely due to the fact that, because of the Aethersprite's design and hull's thinness, a full-size astromech socket wouldn't fit). Instead, the astromech droids were integrated directly into the starfighter, with only the truncated droid's head visible. At least two models of these droids were used, the R3-D series, which was used primarily for targeting (needed because the starfighter was so fast that most pilots would not be able to fire correctly and/or accurately), and the R4-P series, which was used more for navigation than targeting. Later though, a newer model of Aethersprite, the Delta-7B, would allow for a factory-model astromech-droid navigator.