A-9b Vigilance Interceptor

File:Tau-A9-White.jpg
A-9b Vigilance Interceptor
Production information
Manufacturer:	Kuat Drive Yards
Class:	Starfighter
Cost:	185,000 Credits
Technical specifications
Length:	7.4 meters
Max acceleration:	220 km/h
Max speed (space):	1,560 km/h
Max speed (atmosphere):	1,300 km/h
Hyperdrive rating:	No
Shielding:	None
Hull:	20 RU
Armament:	2 Heavy Turbolaser Cannons 2 KDY Standard Laser Cannons
Modified systems:	Force Vents
Crew:	1
Cargo capacity:	55kg
Consumables:	1 Day
Usage
Role(s):	Territorial Defensive Interceptor
Affiliation:	Tau Squadron
Fleet:	Emperor's Hammer TIE Corps
[ Source ]

Kuat Drive Yards has long been a major player in the Imperial war industry. Manufactuer of the Star Destroyer (and many other ships). KDY has long wanted a crack at the snubfighter market. Since the TIE fighter has been the fighter of choice for Navy planners, there was little chance, but their project teams, working closely with the new Emperor's Hammer XO and the Dark Jedi of the Dark Brotherhood they have developed a design that has been on the back burner for years... this craft's capacities are actually INCREASED if piloted by one knowledgable in the dark side! The A-9 is a sleek, stripped-down fighter. Like other Imperial models, it lacks both hyperdrive and shields to cut all extraneous mass. In addition, it pares down the hull and escape systems (Imperial ejection systems are a joke anyway!). Reduced cockpit complexity makes the A-9 one of the easiest craft to learn. The fighter's weaponry incorporates twin laser cannon that can be fired independently or linked, as usual. The A-9 is a very small craft, trading off mass for manueverability and speed, hopefully this will make it popular with the elite pilot corps.

History

From the Fleet Commander

The production version of the A-9 (the A-9b) has been approved by the Command Staff for full distribution to Tau Squadron ONLY. The use of the T-I cockpit design will allow use of the new fighter-mounted TurboLaser Cannon (4% capital ship damage/hit!) as well as the use of the Dark Side (i.e. beam weapons) by the Dark Brotherhood Pilots. The inclusion of "force vents" on the A-9b will allow the Dark Jedi TIE Pilots to use this fighter and their Dark Side abilities to the fullest in combat. This should make the A-9 and its pilots the deadliest fighters in the Fleet!

Custom Game Patch

Back in the day, people actually Hacked TIE Fighter in order to add custom ships and such into the game. The following is the TIE Fighter statistics for the A-9b Interceptor

GAME STATS (TIE Fighter)

Hull: 20 RU (15 RU Solar Panels)

Max. Speed: 156 (100)

Acceleration: 22 (15)

Roll: 54 (48)

Pitch: 30 (20)

Weapons: 2 Heavy Turbolaser Cannons,2 KDY Standard Laser Cannons

Shields: None Standard (None)

Beam: None Standard (None)

Note: TIE Fighter Stats in ()

Sources

EH Tau Squadron Article