The world of Star Wars is home to many weapons, droids and ships. Among these sci-fi aspects, one that tends to grip fans the most is the starfighters. Starfighters are usually one-manned spacecraft designed for combat in the atmosphere or space. All factions in the Star Wars universe have their models, but some are more powerful or more interesting than others.
These ships were first seen in Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope, as the Empire's TIE fighter and the Rebellion's X-Wing made their humble debuts. These ships then went on to spawn several generations of starfighters in the prequels, sequels, and other media. Among them, these are the strongest and most memorable.
10 Delta-7B Aethersprite-Class Light Interceptor
The second generation of the Jedi starfighter first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an upgrade on the previous model, the Delta-7. The main upgrade to its predecessor is the relocation of the astromech droid to the center of the hull, which allows for easy removal of the droid.
The Delta 7B did not last for a long time, only featuring in the Clone Wars for the Jedi. By the end of the war this model was discontinued and an even newer Jedi Starfighter was in operation.
9 TIE Fighter
The TIE Fighter is an iconic Star Wars ship. The roar the starfighter makes when it tears through the sky is one of the most recognizable sounds in all cinema. With no combat shields, hyperdrive, or life support systems to reduce the mass and improve the mobility of the fighter, this was expertly designed and allowed for quick manufacture and easy replacing.
Though it has all the basic bells and whistles of a regular starfighter, the TIE Fighter does not go above and beyond like some other starfighters do, which makes for its low ranking on this list. However, it's worth noting that there are versions of this model which improved on this standard.
8 ARC-170 Starfighter
ARC-170 stands for Aggressive ReConnaissance-170, and it was used as a multipurpose starfighter designed for both intense battle and longer deep-space missions. It was built to replace the Clone Z-95 Headhunter as the primary straighter of the Galactic Republic.
This starfighter is capable of fitting three crew members: a pilot, co-pilot, and tail gunner, the latter which was in charge of its powerful laser cannons. The ARC-170 has two powerful engines as well as a hyperdrive, and can fit an astromech droid for help with navigation. This model was phased out when the Republic became the Empire, with the cheaper TIE fighter being preferred.
7 Vulture-Class Droid Starfighter
This starfighter differs from the others in that it has no pilot; rather, the Vulture-class Droid Starfighter is in fact just a droid. These are used by the Separatists' army as their starfighters alongside the droid tri-fighter.
The Vulture-class Droid Starfighter is capable of both space and land travel, as its wings could fold down and become legs. This offers a different sort of combat that other starfighters cannot. Without a pilot, though, the Vulture Droid lacks the free will and ingenuity of intelligent life, which may hinder it in combat situations.
6 B-Wing
The B-Wing is not like any other starfighter. It is piloted by one man, and focuses on heavy artillery as opposed to participating in dogfights. The B-Wing was used as a 'blockade buster,' which means it could destroy enemy capital ships with its heavy weaponry.
Fit with laser and ion cannons, torpedo launchers, and laser-guided bombs, the B-Wing was capable of complete destruction. However, all this firepower comes at a price. The B-Wing is slow and lacks the maneuverability of other starfighters.
5 N-1 Naboo Starfighter
This ship made its debut The Phantom Menace as the starfighters of the army of Naboo, famously piloted by a young Anakin Skywalker. The N-1 got new recognition in The Mandalorian as Din Djarin's latest ship, after the destruction of the Razer Crest.
Its sleek design and twin radial J-type engines allowed its speed to take front and center. It has blaster cannons and proton torpedo launchers that made ligh twork of the Droid Control Ship. The Mandalorian proved this starfighter's power under a great pilot such as Din Djarin.
4 General Grievous' Soulless One
The Soulless One was a customized Belbullab-22 starfighter that General Grievous customized to make his own, much like he did with his own body. It was reinforced with Impervum alloy armor and a sensor jamming system as its defense, and two rapid-fire laser cannons as its offense. The Soulless One was seen as an upgrade to the Vulture Droid and Droid Tri-fighter.
Grievous preferred hand-to-hand combat using his four lightsabers, so the Soulless One's full potential was never really used. Some even nicknamed this ship the Spineless One due to Grievous' tendency to use the ship just as a means to retreat, as he did in Revenge of the Sith.
3 X-Wing
The X-Wing is the standard class for starfighters, and there is no question that it is one of the most iconic and recognizable spaceships in pop culture. But it is also a very good starfighter, with four cannons on each of its s-foils, and a torpedo cannon that fans will remember took down the Death Star.
As a capable and swift fighter, the X-Wing became the gold standard for starfighters. Luke Skywalker made the X-Wing his own and the design stood the test of time, still being used years later by the Resistance in their quest to defeat the first order.
2 Eta-2 Actis-Class Light Interceptor
The upgraded version of the Delta-7, commonly referred to as Jedi Interceptor, made its debut in Revenge of the Sith, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker took part in the battle of Coruscant.
It was smaller, swifter and had an increase in firepower than its predecessor, capable of reaching speeds of up to 1,500 kph thanks to its ion engines. Its weapons were twin laser cannons and twin ion cannons to pack a punch. The Jedi Interceptor was discontinued with the fall of the Jedi order, but Darth Vader still used a modified black version of the fighter many years later.
1 Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1
Darth Vader was one of the best pilots in the galaxy, so it is fitting that his own starfighter takes the top spot. Vader owned a TIE Advanced, an improvement on the TIE fighter in every aspect.
Capable of reaching higher speeds and fitted with a deflector shield, a hyperdrive, and life-support systems, the TIE advanced was everything the TIE wishes it could be. Its weaponry was improved also with heavy twin blaster cannons and cluster missiles. Darth Vader had it all with his fighter, and it is a shame that it isn't used in more media.