Star Wars Episode 7 X-Wing: JJ Abrams shows off the new fighter in set video

Yes, that is the X-Wing.

Abrams gets distracted by a passing droid during his dispatch (Star Wars/YouTube)

It's been a good day for Star Wars Episode 7 news. This morning brought what are possibly the first details of the plot, and this afternoon director JJ Abrams has shown off the X-Wing spacecraft as it will appear in the sequel.

Abrams gives an update on the Force for Change charity campaign in the video posted by Star Wars' official YouTube account, but is under no illusion as to what viewers are there for, with the camera slowly panning out to reveal an X-Wing in all its glory as a pilot steps into the cockpit.

And that is an X-Wing by the way – after the video was posted there was much debate surrounding the class of the fighter, with many saying it looked more like a Z-95 Headhunter, with Star Wars ultimately having to step in on Twitter and explain that "it is in fact an Episode VII X-wing, not a Z-95," suggesting that, for reasons that will surely be chewed over on forums, it has undergone a redesign for the sequel.

The teaser follows a similar one JJ Abrams shot in Abu Dhabi that showed off one of the practical effects puppets being used in the film.

*Possible spoilers ahead*

If the unconfirmed plot leak is to be believed, Star Wars Episode VII will open with Luke Skywalker's severed hand from The Empire Strikes Back tumbling through the sky before being picked up by John Boyega and Daisy Ridley's characters, who will set out on a mission to find Luke after Han Solo admits to them that he hasn't heard from the Jedi master in many years.

The sequel is currently shooting at London's Pinewood Studio and is expected to hit cinemas on 18 December, 2015.