A-9 Vigilance interceptor

The A-9 Interceptor, commonly known as the "Vigilance", is a starfighter used by the Galactic Empire.

Designed by Kuat Drive Yards (KDY), famous for its Imperial Star Destroyers, the A-9 was an attempt to enter the very profitable Imperial Starfighter market. Dominated at that time by Sienar Fleet Systems, makers of the TIE Fighter, the Imperial starfighter corps was in desperate need of a faster, more manuverable fighter to deal with the New Republic A-Wing starfighter. Released almost six years after the Battle of Endor, shortly after the defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn, the vessel the Empire received did not meet these requirements.

In true Imperial fashion, the craft has no shields or hyperdrive, requiring the craft to operate from a fixed base or starship. While faster than the TIE Interceptor, the craft suffers from reduced manuverability and a very weak hull. Due to independent power generators, the weapons system is quite powerful for a ship of it's size. Main armaments for the A-9 are two laser cannons, mounted on the bottom of the craft. While the base model allows for fire-linked forward-firing of the cannon, several modifications exist which allow the gun to pivot 90 degrees down to perform strafing runs, as well as allowing the cannons to be independently targeted.

Further hampering the effectiveness of the A-9 was the fact that the ship fell into the hands of the New Republic around the same time that the vessel entered service. After a KDY factory world rebelled and successfully removed the government, several A-9 prototypes were given to New Republic forces. This proved to be a crushing blow to the A-9 program, as the New Republic was ready for the fighter when the Empire attacked the ocean world of Mon Calamari.

While generally considered a failure, the A-9 continues to show up in Imperial Remnant fleets, as well as in New Republic/Galactic Alliance squadrons. It has been rumored for some time that KDY is in the process of developing an improved A-9 that addresses the problems with the first release.