Imperial Fighters 2
This is a continuation of the Imperial Starfighters list- these are the fighters seperate from the TIE class but are still in use.
Skipray Blastboat
*Class: Patrol Craft
*Corporation: Sienar Fleet Systems
*Hyperdrive: x2
*Sublight: 91 MGLT
*Weapons:
-3 Mendar Arms Dar-2 ion cannon
-2 Senko Systems 5000x2 "Tru-Lok" Laser Cannons
-Port-mounted Concussion Missile Launcher
-Starboard-mounted proton torpedo Launcher
*Length: 25 m
*Hull (RU): 61
*Shields (SBD): 102
*Crew: 4
*Passengers: -
*Cargo: 20 t
The Sienar Fleet Systems GAT-12h Skipray Blastboat is small enough to be carried aboard capital ships as a starfighter, although, according to some registries, the Skipray Blastboat is designated as a capital starship. Generally, the ship is considered a heavy gunboat or gunship.
The crew is made up of a pilot, co-Pilot/sensor officer, and two gunnery officers. While this is considered "standard", the ship is capable of being piloted by a single person. The ship is one of the few starfighter-sized vessels in the Imperial arsenal capable of hyperspace travel. Also, while designed as a space-faring vessel, the ship actually performs better in atmospheric flight, with a (reported) top speed of 1,200 km/h. One factor in creating this ability would be the aft-mounted dorsal fin that rotate up to 90 degrees for atmospheric flight and and laying flat landing. Fully supplied, a full-crewed Skipray Blastboat can operate for one month independent of itself. Not to mention the impressive arsenal-
Assault Gunboat
*Class: Starfighter - Independent
*Corporation: Cygnus Spaceworks
*Hyperdrive: x1
*Sublight: 90 MGLT
*Weapon(s): 2xLaser cannon
*2xHeavy ion cannon
*2xConcussion missile tube
*Length: 15 m
*Hull (RU): 28
*Shields (SBD): 100
*Crew: 1
*Passengers: 1
*Cargo: 100 kg
The Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wing Assault Gunboat is an Imperial starfighter constructed by Cygnus Spaceworks. It is 15 meters long and it has one pilot. It is armed with two Taim & Bak KX5 medium laser cannons under the nose, two Borstel NK-3 ion cannons above the cockpit and two warhead launchers (8 missiles each, 6 torpedoes each, or 4 heavy rockets each) on each side of the fuselage, with an ion engine behind each. The ship has been given a speed rating of 90 MGLT (roughly the same as a B-Wing Fighter.) It is notable for being the Empire's first general-use starfighter with shields (both ray and particle), ion cannons or a hyperdrive. The combination of all three makes it a formidable strike fighter, escort and (thanks to its ion cannons) even a convoy raider able to disable enemy ships. Lastly, the Gunboat is durable even without shields as it has a much stronger hull than TIE fighters, although this hampers its manuverability making it less suited for dogfights. Imperial Star Destroyers carry 5 Assault Gunboats to complement their TIE squadrons.
Aesthetically it looks like a smaller, slimmer Lambda-class shuttle made by Sienar Fleet Systems, but has two additional, diagonal wings on the engines/launchers that also fold upward, intended to aid atmospheric flight thus the name "Star Wing". Based upon the Assault Gunboat, Cygnus Spaceworks developed the faster and more powerful Missile Boat.
Missile Gunboat
*Class: Starfighter - Independent
*Corporation: Cygnus Spaceworks
*Hyperdrive: x1
*Sublight: 122 MGLT
*244 MGLT with attached SLAM (SubLight Acceleration Motor)
*Weapon(s):
-1xLaser cannon
-2xAdvanced concussion missile tubes
-2xGeneral purpose launcher
*Length: 16 m
*Hull (RU): 19
*Shields (SBD): 120
*Crew: 1
*Passengers: -
*Cargo: 100 kg
The XM-1 Novawing, commonly known as the Missile Boat, is an Imperial starfighter built by Cygnus Spaceworks that was rushed into service to counter Grand Admiral Zaarin's TIE Defenders. It is the successor to the Alpha XG-1 Starwing Assault Gunboat, and has similar characteristics including the overall hull design and cockpit configuration.
Its weapons consisted of 1 Taim & Bak KX6 laser cannon, two advanced concussion missile launchers (20 missiles each), and two more warhead launchers of variable payload (advanced concussion missiles, advanced proton torpedoes, mag pulse torpedoes, heavy rockets or space bombs). (Previous Imperial starfighters only carried a maximum of 16 missiles.) Its two dedicated missile launchers more than compensated for its lack of fixed energy armament and besides their anti-starfighter purposes, they could be used for intercepting enemy warheads (in order to protect a VIP's craft) or even as unguided rockets. The Missile Boat's massive warhead payload was sufficient (in the TIE Fighter game) to singlehandedly destroy a large capital ship or facility from a safe standoff distance. Even if the enemy had an advanced anti-warhead defense missile system, the Missile Boat could expend a few of its own missiles to easily overwhelm it.
The Missile Boat was usually armed with a tractor beam to hold the TIE Defenders so that they could be destroyed by the craft's many missiles at stand-off ranges (2.5 kilometers in the Star Wars: TIE Fighter flight simulator) rather than attempting to enter dangerous dogfights with it.
Its shields were slightly more powerful than that of the Assault Gunboat in order to compensate for its weaker hull. The single laser cannon on the missile boat has an unusually fast firing rate to compensate for the fact that it is only a single laser, however most pilots rarely made use of that "pea-shooter" and instead diverted its energy towards shields or the SLAM. At cruise speed the Missile Boat was rated at 125 MGLT, making it a touch faster than the A-wing, and considerably faster than the X-wing star fighter. It could also use the new SLAM (Sub-Light Acceleration Motor) System to double its speed up to 250 MGLT, by drawing on its laser cannon's generator and draining its power; the speed boost allowed the Missile Boat to outrun enemy advanced concussion missiles or quickly close within firing range. Dumping shield recharge and laser cannon recharge to engines and activating the SLAM resulted in a speed of approximately 420 MGLT, over four times the speed of a standard configuration X-wing.
A-9 Vigilence
*Class: Starfighter - Empire
*Corporation: Kuat Drive Yards
*Hyperdrive: -
*Sublight: 115 MGLT
*Weapon(s): 2xHeavy turbolaser cannon
*Length: 7.4 m
*Hull (RU): 16
*Shields (SBD): -
*Crew: 1
*Passengers: -
*Cargo: 55 kg
The A-9 Interceptor, commonly known as the "Vigilance", was 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 series). 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 during the Imperial Mutiny, the vessel the Empire received did not meet these requirements. The A-9 was KDY's first new starfighter design since selling the Delta-7 and Eta-2 lines to Sienar following the Great Jedi Purge.
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 a very weak hull and no provisions for a pilot to eject. Due to independent power generators, the weapons system is quite powerful for a ship of its size. Main armaments for the A-9 are two laser cannons, mounted on the bottom of the craft, which can fire together or independently. 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 carefully analyzed the design and 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.
I-7 Howlrunner
The I-7 Howlrunner is made by Incom Corporation to show the Empire that it could produce a fighter that was comparable with the main fighter in the Empire. Unlike normal Imperial starfighters, it has shields. However, most Star Destroyer captains did not choose the fighter. It is thought that top advisors in the Empire had a liking for it, however; for example, Palpatine's Dark Side elite used exclusively I-7 Howlrunners.
Though it has shields, it does not (in standard configuration) have a hyperdrive (conforming to Imperial Doctrine). They are more expensive than TIE fighters and produced by a company that had been in the Imperial's bad graces since they allowed the X-Wing designs to be leaked to the Rebellion. The fighter was a less than perfect success.
