Nantex-class territorial defense starfighter/Legends

Nantex-class territorial defense starfighter "The last Human who tried to fly one of our ships crashed into the N'rakti Lava Fields. Your pilots would fall out of the sky like damp moths."

- Archduke Poggle the Lesser to Count Dooku

The Nantex-class territorial defense starfighter, also known as the beak-wing fighter or simply the Geonosian starfighter, was a model of starfighter that was designed and manufactured by Huppla Pasa Tisc Shipwrights Collective and utilized by the Geonosians to guard their territories against intruders. During the Clone Wars, these small, speedy craft would see service with the navies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems in a small number of key battles including the Battle of Muunilinst, as well as the Battle of Geonosis that saw the opening shots of that pan-galactic conflagration.

Design and construction
The Nantex-class tarfighter, also known as the beak-wing fighter, was a lean, needle-nosed fighter craft that possessed great speed and superior agility and was specifically designed for use by pilots of the Geonosian species, which were drawn from a specific pilot caste within their society. Designed and built by Huppla Pasa Tisc Shipwrights Collective, the starfighter's frame was, like many other types of Geonosian starship, made from thin strands of pliable laminasteel, a long metallic substance that was also used in constructing Geonosian hives. During the construction process this material was heated, then wrapped around the assembled inner components of the fighter. When the laminasteel hardened it produced a strong, flexible aerodynamic frame that could hold itself well against large amounts of heavy impacting. Once the frame was complete, engineers would fit the craft with magnetic fittings to which was mounted the primary engines and weapon. These mounts were completely modular, which allowed for the addition of various other components that may be required to fulfill special missions; these consisted of advanced sensor suites, booster rockets, or other additions.

Characteristics
The Nantex-class fighter possessed a complex set of multi-axis control yokes that required a Geonosian's superior manual dexterity in order to properly handle. In addition to this, vital performance feedback and systems information was forwarded to the pilot via a scent-stimulator mask that took advantage of the Geonosians' acute sense of smell; these design features made it all but impossible for members of other species to even fly the craft, let alone use it in a combat situation. A single Geonosian pilot sat within a small cockpit with his head poking up to see out of a transparent bubble canopy, which allowed for an unobstructed 360-degree field of vision. The fighter's main weapon was a turret-mounted laser cannon that was cradled between its forward needle-like mandibles and seated within a magnetic bracket. This turret shot purple laser bolts, and its emplacement was modular, allowing for other weapons, such as an ion cannon, to be switched in and out as circumstances dictated.

In addition to the modular weapon assembly, the Nantex-class fighter was also lined with one hundred small, independently-aimed tractor beam and repulsorlift generators. These extra systems could be used to give the starfighter increased maneuverability while flying within an atmosphere, limit the mobility of enemy craft, or allow the laser bolts fired from the fighter's main weapon to be guided and fired off-axis.The Nantex-class ship was thought of as a "stealth" vehicle, since its engine and weapons systems emitted very little ambient glow for sensors to pick up. This was used to the Geonosians' advantage when defending their home territory; whenever an intruding force threatened their homeworld, hordes of these craft would swarm out of the Geonosian asteroid field, ambushing any would-be attackers. The pilots of such craft, raised in vast hives within their caste, were trained to hurl themselves at any enemy force with seemingly reckless abandon; from birth each pilot was melded with the systems of a specific beak-wing, ensuring a lasting counterpart-level relationship between the two. This allowed for vastly-improved reaction time when in combat.

Pre-Clone Wars use
Prior to the onset of the Clone Wars, the Geonosians relied on the beak-wing starfighter as one of their primary defenses against unwelcome outsiders. The world of Geonosis was surrounded by a ring of asteroids that, while relatively stable, was made of of many hundreds of thousands of individual rocks that ranged from the size of small pebbles to large bulk freighters, all of which served as superior positions from which to stage ambush raids. With their inherent maneuverability and the skill of their bonded pilots, Nantex fighters were able to negotiate the field in ways that other vessels could not.

Clone Wars usage
Many Nantex-class fighters were used during the opening stages of the Battle of Geonosis. A number of these craft, accompanied by Vulture droid starfighters, were sent to intercept the Acclamator I-class assault ship Aken, which was carrying thousands of clone troopers who were accompanying the Jedi Master Yoda's mission to rescue those Jedi fighting in the Petranaki arena in the wake of their attempt to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. As the battle wound down, a pair of these craft protected Count Dooku from the pursuing LAAT/i carrying Obi-Wan and Anakin as he fled to his personal hangar ahead of the impending CIS rout. Geonosian lieutenant Sun Fac attempted to flee his homeworld aboard a Nantex fighter, however he was shot down by the clone commandos of Delta Squad.

Though the Geonosians did not sell these fighters to outsiders, they were seen being piloted by InterGalactic Banking Clan-owned and operated OOM pilot battle droids during the Battle of Muunilinst, in which swarms of them faced off against the clone-piloted V-19 Torrent starfighters utilized by the Galactic Republic during the battle.

Behind the scenes
The Nantex-class starfighter was first created for use in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, however it was first seen in the video game Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, which takes place just before and during the film. The fighters of this class seen during the battle over Muunilinst, which are shown being piloted by ordinary OOM pilot droids, could have been a simplified, export version of the craft that was designed for use by the greater CIS navy, as they do not seem to have an effect on the maneuverability of the Republic's own starfighter forces.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Republic Commando
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars game
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 2"
 * "Chapter 4"
 * "Chapter 10"
 * The Clone Wars: The Pengalan Tradeoff
 * CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 15:2:29 Edition
 * Labyrinth of Evil

Notes and references
Geonosischer Fighter Caça Geonosiano