TIE/ad starfighter

The TIE Avenger was a further refinement of starfighter designs first explored in Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1.

The TIE Avengers looked like TIE Interceptors with wider bodies. The finished TIE Avenger featured Novaldex shields and an extended twin ion engine capacity. A SFS I-s3a solar ionization reactor powered the fighter, and twin P-sx7.4 ion engines propelled it through space. It featured two pairs of L-s9.3 laser cannons, and could be outfitted with a pair of warhead launchers.

The TIE Avenger was a superior starfighter, capable of meeting most any opponent on even ground and providing an overmatch for the majority of enemy starfighters in service. The most notable use of the Avenger occurred when loyalist Imperial forces made heavy use of the Avengers against the traitorous Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin's TIE Defender-equipped forces. Even though the TIE Defender was superior in performance, the loyalist Imperial forces were better led and more numerous.

Most notable among the pilots that flew the Avenger was General Maarek Stele, one of the Empire's legendary top aces (as well as an Emperor's Hand). The TIE Avenger was Stele's fighter of choice, even while flying against superior TIE Defenders. Stele was eventually transferred to the elite 181st Imperial Fighter Group, and was last reported to have been patrolling the borders of the Imperial Remnant just prior to the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. While the Imperial 181st was equipped with TIE Defenders, it seems that General Steele was able to retain his TIE Avenger.

The Avenger was initially developed by Sienar Fleet Systems as an intended replacement for the rapidly aging TIE/ln starfighter, but the Avenger's costs did not endear it to the Empire's massive bureacracy. When a rival SFS design team unveiled the TIE/in Interceptor, the Imperial Navy was quick to take note of the Interceptor's similar performance and much lower cost. As a result, the TIE Avenger never saw widespread deployment. Where the TIE Interceptor was more numerous than the Avenger, so too was the TIE Defender more capable. Consequently, the TIE Avenger became the middle child of Imperial starfighter development, never achieving the notoriety of either of its closest relatives.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: TIE Fighter
 * X-wing Alliance