TIE Fighter

"When the Empire sends TIE Fighters screaming through the sky, you're in for a fight!"

- Introduction of the TIE Fighter Imperial TIE Fighters (also simply known as TIEs) were a series of Imperial combat fighters that appeared in the original Star Wars franchise.

Used by the Galactic Empire, TIEs served as the Imperial Navy's primary attack forces and space patrol. Small and quick they can easily take out a single fighter or overpower a small vessel. However since they lack shielding and life support systems, they can become easy vulnerable targets against the enemy.

A New Hope
Several TIE Fighters served in patrolling and scouting the surrounding areas of the Death Star. Four Fighters were engaged in a dogfight against the Millennium Falcon after her crew attempted to escape. They put up a vicious fight but were easily destroyed one by one by the Falcons Turrents, manned by Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.

When the Rebels committed an attack on the Death Star, the TIES were called in to destroy the Rebel fighters with Darth Vader joining the fight in a more Advanced TIE Fighter. Despite their efforts, the battle was lost to the Rebels and the Death Star destroyed.


 * The Empire Strikes Back
 * Return of the Jedi

TIE Fighter
Sienor Fleet Systems' TIE Fighter (also known as the TIE/LN Starfighter) was the clearest symbol of the Imperial Navy's control of space. TIE Fighters were present aboard even the smallest Imperial cruisers and were stationed at starports and garrison bases across the galaxy, an ever-present reminder of the Empire's might.

TIE Fighters were short range ships whose most distinguishing feature is the pair of dominate solar array wings mounted on either side of a small, spherical command pod. The TIE Fighter presented a small target from the front and back, and its incredible maneuverability made it difficult to hit in combat.

One TIE Fighter may be vulnerable to attack and may be easily destroyed, but for every TIE that is defeated, thousands more would rise up. In battle, an Imperial cruiser could arrive near an enemy ship and launch all its TIEs before Rebel gunners have a chance to respond. TIE Fighters were used for planetary and cruiser defense as well as in assaults against Rebels, pirate, and alien vessels. A secondary TIE mission profile involved escorting heavily armed TIE Bombers used in attacking planetary installations.

TIE Fighters had only sublight drives. This saved weight and increased speed and maneuverability, but it made TIEs dependent on a home base, such as a nearby planet or an Imperial Cruiser.

The TIEs maneuverability and speed came at great practical cost to the pilot inside. TIE Fighters had no shields, no secondary weapon or drive systems, minuscule fuel supplies and no on board life support system: pilots had to wear fully sealed flight suits with self-contained atmosphere converters. By eliminating all these systems, the TIE saved mass and made room for large generators, engines and weapons inside the compact hull.

The pilot is strapped into a simple high-gee shock couch and is protected by crash webbing and a repulsorlight anti-gravity field. The pilot's feet slip into control yokes: pressing or pulling on the yokes controls speed and maneuvering. The hand-control yoke affects precise maneuvering, targeting, navigation, and fire control. Auxiliary speed and maneuver controls were also located in the hand-controlled yoke, but attempting both flight and fire control through the hand-control unit is difficult.

The TIE had a pair of forward-mounted, fire-linked laser cannons. The laser generators were located in the undercarriage of the main pod and fed off the power generators and batteries. The TIE Fighter drew much of its energy from solar radiation absorbed by the hexagonal wings.

TIE Bomber
The TIE Bomber (also known as the TIE/SA Bomber) was the Empire's prime assault bomber. While Slower and Less Maneuverable than standard starfighters, these bombers provided excellent "surgical strike" potential against ground and deep-space targets.

TIE Bombers had double pods and elongated solar panels. The standard pod held the pilot's compartment as well as flight computers, communications, and life support. The port pod contained the forward and main ordnance bays as well as the targeting and delivery systems. The ship was powered by Sienar Fleet Systems P-s4 twin ion engines mounted as a single unit between the two pods.

The TIE Bomber's weaponry included high-yield proton bomb, guided concussion missiles, orbital mine and free-falling thermal detonators. Depending on the mission configuration, TIE Bombers could carry eight concussion missiles or four proton torpedoes in the forward ordnance bay. The main ordnance bay could carry eight more concussion missiles, four additional proton torpedoes, eight proton bombs, six orbital mines, or sixty-four thermal detonators. Two front-firing laser cannons provide protection from enemy ships.

The TIE Bomber's targeting computers were mounted below the forward ordnance pod. Bombs were fed through the bombing chute behind the targeting computers, while missiles were launched through the missile port at the front of the port pod.

For space duty, the TIE Bomber was used to deliver heavy ordnance Rebel capital ships. Traditionally, TIE fighters first softened up the target. Then the TIE Bomber, in conjunction with assault gunboats and skiray blastboats, used its precise targeting computers to disable vital areas such as the shield generators or engines. With the target crippled and unable to protect itself, Imperial boarding parties took control of the vessel and capture Rebel troops for interrogation.

TIE Bombers were used to assault space stations and stardocks and to mine planetary orbits. TIE Bombers normally had TIE Fighters for protective escorts in hotly contested combat zones. The TIE Bomber packed a high payload for its small size and could often slip through enemy defenses, which tended to be geared toward defecting capital ships. TIE Bombers were preferable to large capital ships because of their pinpoint targeting, capital ship turbolasers were far less precise.

TIE Bombers were also exceptional for ground bombing missions. Their targeting computers were precise enough to level specific buildings while leaving adjacent areas unscathed. They were maneuverable and fast enough for low-altitude bombing runs in cramped situations, such as canyons and cities.

A Star Destroyer typically carried one squadron of twelve TIE Bombers. A rare, hollow-hulled version of the TIE Bomber could carry small boarding parties when larger ships were not appropriate to the task. Before the Emperor's death, the Empire began developing a more advanced bomber prototype, which eventually evolved into the Scimitar assault bomber.

TIE Interceptor
The TIE Interceptor (also known as the TIE/IN Starfighter) was the direct result of advancements developed for Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1 Prototype. Faster, more maneuverable, and far more lethal than the standard TIE/LN Fighter.

The Interceptor used the standard TIE cockpit, drive pod, and wing braces. The solar collector panels had been elongated and bent, providing extra power while not limiting the pilot's field of vision. The solar panels appeared to be "dragged-shaped", making the Interceptor far more intimidating while giving it a smaller profile, making it harder for opposing gunners to target. The TIE Interceptor had more powerful drives than does the TIE/LN and was almost as fast as the Alliance's A-wing fighter; it was faster than any other fighter in production.

The TIE Interceptor used an advanced type of ion-stream projector that allowed pilots to execute tight turns and rolls. Twin-port deflectors could be manipulated individually for fine control and counterbalancing, making the TIE Interceptor a superior choice for dogfights. With a skilled pilot behind the controls, the TIE Interceptor could literally fly circles around X-Wing starfighters.

For weaponry, the Interceptor had four laser cannons, one at the end of each solar panel. Advanced targeting software gave the pilot grater fire accuracy even during complex maneuvers. While the Interceptor did not have a pair of laser cannons below the pilot's compartment, the cannon hardpoint was still in place and additional cannons could be mounted there if technicians could find the room for additional power generators.

Like other TIE Fighters, the TIE Interceptor had little armor plating and no shield generators, which made it an easy target to destroy by enemy fire. Interceptor pilots relied on the ship's maneuverability and no superiority of numbers to survive engagements with better armed and armored fighters.

Every effort had been to save weight on the TIE Interceptor. There was no life support systems, so pilots still had to use fully sealed flight suits. The Interceptor had no hyperdrive and required a large capital ship to serve as a base of operations. TIE Interceptors were primarily deployed from Star Destroyers or key star bases.

TIE Advanced x1 Fighter
The TIE Advanced x1 Fighters were advanced prototype starfighters as a replacements for the standard TIE Fighters, tested by Darth Vader himself during the Battle of Yavin. Its Weaponry has two laser cannons and a Cluster Missile Launcher that launches 20 missiles and also has a hyperdrive.

Trivia

 * The roaring engine sound for TIE Fighters was created by combining an elephant's scream with the noise of a car driving on a wet road.
 * The word TIE is short for Twin Ion Engine.