protects the fighter from enemy attack and allows it to achieve hypersonic speed in an atmosphere by dispersing the heat created from air friction. After the end of the Clone Wars, the ARC-170 would continue to serve under the Galactic Empire until replaced in favor of the TIE Fighter. It would also serve as the in-universe inspiration for Incom's next starfighter, the X-wing. Like the X-wing, the ARC-170 features S-foils, which open during combat to shed waste heat, enlarge the starfighter's deflector shields, and function as stabilizer surfaces during atmospheric flight. Droid Tri-Fighter Droid Tri-fighters are droid starfighters used by Separatist forces during the Clone Wars. They made their first theatrical appearance in the opening battle of Revenge of the Sith (2005). Original plans to equip the fighters with boosters were abandoned when Lucas decided they were an unnecessary distraction in the already chaotic scene. Its curved braces are deliberately reminiscent of the Trade Federation's circular battleship. The tri-fighter is a compact and heavily armed starfighter with three arms surrounding a rotating gyroscopic core. Measuring long, with a wingspan and width, its in-universe manufacturer are the Colicoids, the same species which produced Droideka. They are more dangerous than Vulture droids thanks to an advanced heuristic droid brain which better learns from enemy tactics and can be linked to coordinate multi-fighter attacks. While not as fast as a Jedi interceptor, the tri-fighter has three independent thrusters to give it impressive agility. Four laser cannons, one light cannon on each arm and one nose-mounted medium cannon, can fire together or independently. It can also carry between two and six missiles, including proton torpedoes, concussion missiles and buzz droids. Geonosian starfighter Geonosian Nantex-class Starfighters appear in the climactic Battle of Geonosis in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones when they chase after a Republic attack gunship carrying Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman). The craft was also set to appear in an air battle during which Republic attack gunships attack a Geonosian airstrip but the scenes were ultimately cut. The starfighter technically made its first appearance in the video game Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter which was released prior to the movie. Within the Star Wars universe these craft were considered nimble fighters, working equally well in space or in an atmosphere, and afforded the pilot a 360° field of view. Formally known as