Dragon kite maneuver

"Watch this--Little trick I picked up flying dragon kites on Coruscant... put 'em on spin dry... and turbulence does the rest!"

―Wes Janson

An ARC-170 starfighter performing a barrel roll, causing a turbulent wake

The dragon kite maneuver was a starfighter combat technique that was invented by Wes Janson during the Galactic Civil War, while in combat with Imperial TIE/LN starfighters over Cilpar in 4 ABY. The tactic was only effective while flying in an atmosphere; it consisted of deliberately spinning one's starfighter in order to create a pocket of turbulence to form in the craft's wake. This would ideally make any pursuing enemy ships buffet in the unstable air; in the instance that Wes first attempted the maneuver it worked, causing the two TIEs chasing him to crash into one another. Unfortunately for Janson, the debris resultant from the collision also downed his X-wing.

Behind the scenes

The tactic is not given an official name, but it is referred to as being similar to a technique used in combat kite-flying competitions.

Appearances

• X-Wing Rogue Squadron 1