| abstract | - The Longsword Fighter is a capable, if uninspiring fighter, created by Hoersch-Kessel Drive as the successor to the R-41 Starchaser in the middle-weight fighter range. Like the T-wing, most pilots found it somewhat disappointing; however, its low price compared to other shielded, hyperdrive-mounting fighters led to high sales. The ship is shaped like an isosceles triangle with the base at the back, with a length of 14 meters and a width of 7 meters. However, the middle is cut out, leaving the sides, as tubular hull sections, and the corners, with spherical hull sections of greater radius than the tubular edges. The front sphere has a window at the front for the cockpit, similar to a TIE Fighter. On either side of the window, protruding forward by a meter, there is a laser cannon; below the window, there is a torpedo launcher, drawing on a nine-torpedo magazine that extends into both of the connecting edge sections. Each of the rear spheres contains an engine. There is a vertical stabilizer that runs both below and above the back tubular section, connecting to it at the middle; it extends two meters vertically from the centerline in each direction. Attached to each end of the stabilizer, there is a wing, rectangular in shape, equaling the width of the craft in span. Because of this, rebel pilots sometimes called the Longsword the "I-Wing", both because of the wing configuration and because the cockpit looked like an eye; however, since the wings looked more like a sideways H than an I, the name never really stuck. Although the Longsword's shields are as powerful as those of the X-wing, this craft's hull is substantially weaker, which has led pilots to give it mediocre ratings for durability. Pilots also complain about the aging avionics, many of which were ported from the R-41. A large number of buyers complain that the craft looks better on the sales statistic sheet than it does in real battle.
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