TIE/ad starfighter

TIE/ad starfighter "Impressive."

- Darth Vader to Grand Admiral Zaarin

The TIE/ad starfighter, or TIE Avenger, was a further refinement of starfighter designs first explored with Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1.

Incorporating the previous successes of the TIE series starfighters, along the those of the Rebel Alliance, the TIE Avenger was one of the first production starfighters to break away from the Imperial doctrine of quantity over quality.

Characteristics


On sight, one could logically deduce that TIE Avengers were direct descendants of the TIE Fighter and TIE Advanced x1 starfighters. TIE Avengers shared many commonalities with the TIE Advanced x1; notably bent solar arrays, flattened and extended fuselage, and non-standard wing pylons in contrast to other TIE series fighters. Similar to its cousin, the TIE Interceptor, the Avenger featured the intimidating pointed solar arrays, not only in front, but also in the rear. The Avenger's cockpit assembly was elliptical in shape, coinciding with overall smoother bodylines, contrasting those of its TIE relatives.

Weapons
The TIE Avenger's primary weapon system was four Sienar Fleet Systems L-s9.3 laser cannons. These laser cannons were initially deployed on the TIE Interceptor, and later incorporated into the TIE/D Defender. These cannons were also more powerful than those of the standard TIE Fighter, capable of destroying an asteroid in a single burst. The Avenger's cannons could be fired in single, dual, or linked modes depending on the pilot's preference.



Warhead launchers were another weapon system that TIE Avengers took to the battlefield. SFS M-g-2 general-purpose warhead launchers formed the Avenger's secondary weapon system, possessing a magazine capacity of four concussion missiles each; however, they could also be loaded with proton torpedoes. This standard feature was yet another advancement against the older TIE fighters, and the beginning of a major shift in Imperial doctrine leaning towards quality over quantity.

Beam weapons were yet another weapon system available to TIE Avenger pilots. Tractor beams offered Avenger pilots the ability to hold enemy fighters on course while they could move in for the kill. This weapon paired with the fighter's superior maneuverability promoted space superiority.

Propulsion
The TIE Avenger was powered by the SFS I-s3a solar ionization reactor and featured the new SFS P-sx7.4 ion engines. This new propulsion system, rated at one hundred and forty-five MGLT, pushed the Avenger faster than any previous TIE starfighter. The Avenger was also more nimble than the TIE Fighter and the RZ-1 A-wing interceptor, with a maneuverability rating of one hundred and four DPF. These factors were a major contributor in TIE Avenger's success over the Rebel Alliance's fighters.

As impressive as its speed and agility is, the Avenger was still a small craft in the mold of the TIE Fighter and TIE Interceptor, and emphasized space superiority due to its small warhead load and lack of ion cannons. The next step in evolution was the TIE Defender. Its triple wing design, and numerous advances over the Avenger such as the inclusion of a more powerful hyperdrive, the doubling of the warhead payload, stronger shields, and reinforced armor made the Defender larger and heavier than any of its predecessors&mdash;a fact which made its speed and maneuverability all the more impressive.

Defenses
Coinciding with the trend of improved quality in Imperial starfighters, the TIE Avenger was equipped with deflector shields, similar to the TIE Advanced x1.

In Star Wars: TIE Fighter, the TIE Avenger's shields were equivalent to the Assault Gunboat and twice as that of the T-65 X-wing starfighter. In X-Wing Alliance, where the Avenger's speed was toned down, its maximum shield level is the same as that of the X-Wing, but the Avenger's shield regenerates faster. In all sources, the Avenger's armor plating is as weak as that of the TIE Interceptor.

Role
The TIE Avenger's primary role was space superiority or starfighter interception. The Avenger excelled in this role, considering that during the Galactic Civil War, no Rebel Alliance fighter could out-run or outmaneuver the Avenger. In a close dogfight, the Avenger could even outmaneuver its intended replacement, the Defender.

Bearing in mind the state of the archaic TIE Bomber, the TIE Avenger was at times called on to perform assault or bombing roles. With its nimble frame, the Avenger was easily able to dodge defensive fire, even more so than its successor, the Defender. The Avenger's small hull was a drawback as it lacked the large capacity warhead magazines necessary to destroy larger capital ships.

Lacking ion cannons, the TIE Avenger was also reliant on assault starfighters, such as Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wings, to disable mission critical craft, a problem later solved by the TIE Defender.

History


The TIE Avenger was initially developed by Sienar Fleet Systems as an intended replacement for the rapidly-aging TIE Fighter but ending up it never saw widespread deployment.

The Avenger's costs did not endear it to the Empire's complex bureaucracy. When a rival SFS design team unveiled the TIE Interceptor, the Imperial Navy was quick to take note of the Interceptor's similar performance and much lower cost.

The Avenger was also overshadowed by its successor, the TIE Defender. While the Avenger had made significant improvements in propulsion, and had a standard hyperdrive, warhead launcher, and shields, it was still a small craft and space superiority fighter in the mold of the TIE Fighter and TIE Fighter. The TIE Defender was a far more flexible craft than the Avenger, with stronger shields and hull, double the potential warhead payload and additional ion cannons. The Defender retained or improved on the Avenger's agility and speed (its only disadvantage was its large size relative to the Avenger and older TIEs.)

When Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin turned traitor, one of his first acts was to launch a campaign to destroy the TIE Avenger production plants, denying the Empire a means to produce starfighters that could match his own TIE Avenger and TIE Defender squadrons. The campaign was largely successful, further reducing the role that the Avenger would play in Imperial history. By the time Zaarin was finally killed and his forces destroyed, Imperial Command chose to focus on less costly starfighters, largely abandoning TIE Avenger production. Any hope of restarting TIE Avenger production was lost as the Empire shortly afterwards suffered a heavy defeat at the Battle of Endor.

Where the TIE Interceptor was more numerous than the Avenger, so too was the more capable TIE Defender. Consequently, the TIE Avenger became the middle child of Imperial starfighter development, never achieving the notoriety of either of its closest relatives. Interestingly, as it had major roles in the attempted defection of two high-profile Imperial officers, it was used nearly as much by non-Imperials as it was by the Empire itself.

Harkov defection
The TIE Avenger's first recorded major deployment was under the infamous Admiral Harkov. When subduing the Sepan Civil War, Harkov's fleet took heavy losses to its starfighter contingent. As such, a shipment of several squads of TIE Avengers was delivered to Admiral Harkov to replace his losses. The shipment came under attack by Dimok and Ripoblus forces seeking to deny Harkov his reinforcements, however the attack was staved off by Imperial escort starfighters, including one flown by the legendary pilot Maarek Stele. Ironically, in the same mission, Stele uncovered perhaps the most damning piece of evidence pointing to Harkov's treachery as he inspected a shuttle bound for Harkov's ship and discovered it contained a high-ranking Rebel officer who was attempting to rendezvous with Harkov to discuss the terms of his defection. With the new starfighters under Harkov's control, the Sepan Civil War ended shortly thereafter.

A short time later, Harkov and the fleet under his command turned traitor. The fact that his fleet was outfitted with several squadrons of the most advanced Imperial starfighters to date made taking down Harkov a very dangerous proposition for the Empire. However, the Empire knew that letting such a large number of advanced starfighters fall into rebel hands would be disastrous, so the decision was made to destroy Harkov before he could flee to the Rebellion. Several missions needed to be undertaken to whittle away Harkov's supplies before an open assault could be made. Maarek Stele, after discovering Harkov was behind the death of his mentor, Admiral Mordon, volunteered to spearhead the mission specifically aimed at destoying Harkov's advanced starfighters. Stele piloted one of the few loyalist TIE Avengers available, which was also the first time he flew one of these craft. He and three wingmen made a hyperspace jump into Harkov's domain, and shot down a large number of enemy Avengers. The men of Harkov's flagship were so stunned by this that they marooned their Admiral and fled.

Zaarin's TIEs
The most notable use of the Avenger occurred when loyalist Imperial forces made heavy use of the Avengers against the traitorous Zaarin's TIE Defender-equipped forces. Zaarin controlled an unparalleled number of advanced starfighters in the form of several wings of TIE Avengers and TIE Defenders. Further compounding the problem was Zaarin's intricate knowledge of Imperial production lines, which he used to wreak havoc on loyalist starfighter production. This lead to the Imperial Navy being forced to use inferior fighters to combat Zaarin's TIE Avengers and TIE Defenders. Even though the TIE Defender was superior in performance, the loyalist Imperial forces were better led and more numerous, resulting in their eventual victory.

Maarek Stele
Most among 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. Having flown a Defender non-stop for months in the aftermath of Zaarin's attempted coup d'état, General Stele was quite familiar with the starfighter's capabilities. The Defender's main weakness was its large size, and the Avenger by itself was a close match for the Defender in a dogfight. Stele proved an inferior fighter in the right hands was more than a match for the more technologically advanced TIE Defender.

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 is rumored General Stele retained his TIE Avenger.

Others
Another notorious unit that flew the TIE Avenger early on, and was eventually upgraded to fly this craft exclusively, was Avenger Squadron which was part of Admiral Senn's Task Force Vengeance during their campaign into the Airam sector.

Behind the scenes
The TIE Avenger is referred to as simply the "TIE Advanced" in Star_Wars:_TIE_Fighter and Star Wars: X-wing Alliance. The Avenger was actually the culmination of several development stages and prototypes that were usually referred to as TIE Advanced. The Avenger was the only prototype that saw full scale production, while the preceding TIE Advanced x1 did not, so "TIE Advanced" is technically correct.

In Star_Wars:_TIE_Fighter, it is referred to as the production model of TIE Advanced x1 (also known as Darth Vader's TIE Fighter) and nicknamed "Avenger".

Regardless, the craft is referred to as TIE Avenger to avoid confuse with Vader's ship.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: X-wing
 * Star Wars: TIE Fighter
 * Star Wars: X-wing vs. TIE Fighter
 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * X-Wing: Rogue Squadron (mentioned only)