TIE/D Defender

The TIE/D Defender, commonly known as the TIE Defender or T/D, was a high-performance TIE Series starfighter developed for the Imperial Navy by Sienar Fleet Systems shortly before the Battle of Endor. Representing a shift in starfighter design from previous TIE models, the ship featured a hyperdrive as well as deflector shields to allow it to operate independently of Imperial capital ships. The ship's speed and agility, combined with its firepower, made it arguably the most advanced starfighter available at the time.

Pilot Module
The pilot module was similar to those found in other TIE series fighters, with a ball cockpit and a hatch on the top for entry and egress. The module had room for a single pilot, 65 kilograms of cargo and consumables for up to one week. Like previous TIE models, the TIE Defender lacked life support systems and pilots were required to wear the standard sealed TIE pilot flight suit. In a departure from the design of previous TIE models, instead of two parallel wings to either side of the pilot module, the TIE Defender had three quadanium steel solar array wings mounted around an aft section. The rear superstructure contained an I-s4d solar ionization reactor to store and convert solar energy collected from the wing panels.

Systems
As with other TIE series fighters, the TIE Defender used a wheel and yoke control system. Pulling back would cause the ship to climb, pushing forward would cause it to dive and the ship could be made to bank and turn by twisting the controls. Grips on either side had the weapons trigger switches while an array of buttons and switches in the middle controlled other functions, including throttle, weapons selection and target acquisition. Manipulating rudder pedals caused maneuvering planes to expand or contract to angle engine thrust and quickly alter the ship's trajectory. The ship featured an auto-landing function to plot entry vector and landing speed, although the pilot could retain manual control if they preferred. When not in use, the ship could be left in a password controlled standby mode to prevent unauthorized use.

Training
As with other Imperial starfighters, doctrine required pilots to gain a training certificate by flying the TIE Defender through an enclosed training course before proceeding to combat training missions. The training course consisted of a cylindrical loop containing targets and obstacles for pilots to traverse. Defender pilots raced against the clock to navigate the course, destroying targets when at all possible to gain bonus time. Having received a training certificate, Defender pilots could move onto the simulated combat missions, some of which were based on historical sorties, designed to familiarize the pilot with the controls and handling of the starfighter before they entered actual combat. If the pilot successfully completed all four training missions, they received the gold TIE Defender combat medallion.