TIE Aggressor
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
| |
| TIE Aggressor | |
|---|---|
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Product line | |
| Model |
Twin Ion Engine Aggressor starfighter |
| Class | |
| Cost |
Not available for sale[1] |
| Technical specifications | |
| Maximum speed (atmosphere) |
1,100 km/h[1] |
| Shielding |
Equipped |
| Armament | |
| Crew | |
| Passengers |
None[1] |
| Cargo capacity |
75 kg[1] |
| Consumables |
2 days[1] |
| Usage | |
| Availability |
Military[1] |
| Role(s) |
Multi-purpose starfighter[1] |
| Era(s) | |
| Affiliation | |
The TIE Aggressor was a multi-role superiority starfighter-strike fighter.
Contents |
[edit] Characteristics
The production model of the TIE Aggressor was a small, two manned, hyperspace capable, starfighter, utilized as a long range scout, strike fighter, and space superiority fighter. The ship represented a distinct break in typical Imperial Starfighter design philosophy, placing survivability and performance over cost efficiency and ease of maintenance. For these reasons as well as a general emphasis on the reliance of capital ships for its intended roles, the TIE Aggressor was not deployed in large numbers during the Galactic Civil War.
Like most Imperial fighters, the Aggressor sported a small profile, making it a difficult target to hit. Its maneuverability suffered however, as what limited space was available was needed to provide additional power for the turret, shields and limited life support systems. In addition, as the turret needed extra firing space around the sides of the ship to line up shots, the Aggressor had a distinct shortage of ionization and radiation paneling in comparison to most TIE fighters. Because of this shortage of space, the standard TIE cockpit pod used for the Aggressor was lacking its usual chin-mounted weapon hardpoints, instead utilizing external racks for modular forward-facing laser cannons.
The Aggressor was one of the only TIE models to feature articulated solar ionization and radiator panels. When landing, or docking with parent vessels, the upper and lower panels folded inward, reducing the profile to facilitate docking with the upper hatch and landing on the two landing struts exposed with the folding of the lower panels. This was yet another design feature implemented to mitigate the starfighter's reliance on capital ships and Imperial landers - a rarity among Imperial starfighter design.
[edit] History
The TIE Aggressor was developed prior to the destruction of the first Death Star as a direct response to a perceived growth in the amount of heavy shipping aligned with the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
Originally intended as a heavy starfighter capable of long range escort duties, the initial Aggressor project was plagued with technical and political problems from the start. The ship was originally built around the trademark Sienar Fleet Systems P-s4 twin ion engines, the same engines used to power the mass produced TIE/ln starfighters. However, the design specifications also called for a laser cannon turret, ordinance launcher, a shield generator, armor plating, and a hyperdrive.
Though the ship was a marvel of engineering at only 9.5 meters in length, these additional systems required much more power to run and added significant mass to the chassis, making the ship much more sluggish when using the same powerplant. Initial testing revealed a performance arc roughly equivalent to that of the much older Koensayr BTL-S3 Y-wings used during the Clone Wars and by various pirate and Rebel organizations, with significant inferiorities even to these venerable starfighters in payload and range.
With this disappointing performance, a redesigned version of the ship was produced, cutting cost and increasing performance by removing both the hyperdrive and the deflector shield systems, but even with these changes, performance was deemed substandard and by 5 BBY production of the X5 project was halted and left to wallow in a perpetual holding pattern behind newer and more favored programs.
One such program would lead to the rebirth of the Aggressor.
[edit] Zaarin's Zenith
The TIE Advanced X5 "Aggressor" was a project that had been in the works for years prior to the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War, but it wasn't until the head of research and development for the Empire's starfighter technology, Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin's breakthroughs with the TIE Advanced X2 "Avenger" project that the aggressor realized its potential.
The development of the SFS P-sx7.4 twin ion engines for use with the TIE Avenger project convinced the Admiral of the possibilities of resurrecting other projects. The X5 was the primary beneficiary of this.
While the Avenger remained the primary focus of Zaarin's research and development facility, the inclusion of the upgraded engines into the Aggressor chassis increased its performance profile to one roughly equivalent to the frontline TIE/ln starfighter. With this performance threshold, plus the addition of the upgraded Sienar Fleet Systems L-s9.3 laser cannons, an Armek SD-5 twin laser cannon turret, an and the inclusion of the M-g-2 general-purpose warhead launcher, the TIE Aggressor became a formidable and versatile starfighter.
When Admiral Zaarin procured stable micro hyperdrive technology from the Habeen and Nharwaak, the Aggressor was able to fulfill its intended role as a long range escort and strike fighter.
[edit] Limited Deployment
Though the production model of the fighter far exceeded any original design specifications, and the ship's versatility was nearly unmatched in the Imperial Navy, the little strike fighter suffered from a political flaw. It was ideal for long range strikes, hit and fade attacks, and escort duty, all tactics employed to great effect by the growing Rebel Alliance.
While prudent military strategists saw the strengths that led to the initial concept of the ship, by the time the ship hit production lines, the war was in full swing and the production of cheap, efficient, and replaceable chassis was of paramount concern.
With production costs much higher than the basic TIE models and the performance profile not equal to those of the more traditional interceptors and new Avenger models, the TIE Aggressor was poorly received by many in the Imperial brass. Moreover, they saw the Aggressor as a ship that catered to the tastes of hated Rebel pilots, with the high protection value, self-sufficiency, sophisticated (and expensive) astrogation equipment, not to mention life-support and landing gear systems all flying in the face of traditional Imperial starfighter doctrine.
As such, the relatively expensive starfighter became a rarity among Imperial Fighter Wings despite its highly rated performance in those units that deployed it creatively. However, its shielding system, hyperdrive, weapons systems, as well as the avionics and navigation package were all used in the later TIE Defender project, the penultimate example of Imperial starfighter design.
[edit] Behind the scenes
The TIE Aggressor was created as an Imperial counterpart to the turret-oriented Y-wing for the Jump to Lightspeed expansion for Star Wars Galaxies. They were considered one of the more difficult starfighters to defeat in PvE combat due to the rear turret, but could be easily destroyed by a decent pilot with a frontal attack.
Though not one of the most popular PVP ships due to its low maneuverability, the TIE Aggressor was one of the (if not the) most versatile ships in the game. It could be very successfully flown with a single player and gun or utilized as a unique fighter +1 configuration. As the fourth smallest ship in Jump to Lightspeed, it was difficult to hit, even though it was relatively sluggish, and at ~125k mass, it was able to utilize a dizzying array of diverse ship parts. In short, it was a vastly underestimated ship more than capable of deployment as a front line fighter.
[edit] Appearances
Star Wars Galaxies – Jump to Lightspeed
[edit] Sources
[edit] Notes and references
