Vigilance-class A-9 Interceptor
Name: Vigilance-class A-9 Interceptor
Designer/Manufacturer: Kuat Drive Yards
Type: Medium Fighter
Users: Empire
Length: 7,4 meters
Crew: 1
Cargo: 5,5 kg
Speed Rating: (Cruise) 110 MGLT (Max) 140 MGLT
Acceleration: ? MGLT/sec.
Maneuver: 140 DPF
Power System: 2 (Iotek) G3-7.3 ion power cells and ionization reactor
Propultion System: (Kryomaster ) 4K7 Dual Line ion engines (rated at 260 KTU)
Hyperdrive: no hyperdrive
Flight Control System: (SFS) S-9x flight avionics system
Nav Computer: none
Sensor Systems: Carbanti sensor arrays
Combat Computer: (SFS) S-9x flight avionics system
Hull: Composite Quadanium Steel Titanium Hull (Hull rated at 20 RU)
Shield: no shield
Weapons:
The A-9 is a sleek, stripped down fighter. Like other Imperial models, it lacks both hyperdrive and shileds to cut all extraneous mass. In addition, it pares down the hull and escape system (Imperial ejection systems have become a joke to most pilots anyway). Reduced cockpit complexity makes the A-9 one of the easiest fighters to learn. The A-9 is very small, trading off mass for maneuverability, making it popular with elite pilot corps. The fighter's weaponry incorporates twin laser cannons that can be fired independently or linked. The A-9 Vigilance Interceptor was a short-range Imperial starfighter that was introduced shortly after the defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn, five years after the death of the Emperor at the Battle of Endor. Designed by Kuat Drive Yards, makers of the infamous Imperial Star Destroyer, the A-9 Vigilance represented an attempt by Kuat to steal some of the lucrative starfighter contracts Sienar Fleet Systems had received for its TIE fighter series. While some Imperial factions purchased A-9s, the ship also fell into New Republic hands. Oppressed workers on a Kuat factory world deposed their planetary governor and turned a few A-9 prototypes over to the New Republic forces just as the Empire's offensive against Mon Calamari was heating up (a year after Thrawn's death). The A-9 was typical for many Imperial fighters, it had no shields and no hyperdrive. Instead, it was compact, light, and fast and therefore perfect for shock attacks against reinforced enemy bases or slower capital ships and fighters. The hull was a simple affair, with a central control cockpit pod that contained the Carbanti sensor arrays, weapons, and all computer systems. Two wings connected to the powerful KuatDriveSystems A-9x thrust engines. The engines were as long as the starframe and had self-contained power generators. The laser cannons also had their own power generator, and the computer control system could reroute power from any of these generators to any other portion of the ship, allowing the pilot to cut power to the weapons and limp home even if the engine power generators failed. The A-9`s weapons consisted of two forward-firing laser cannons. The targeting system included a servo driver system that could depress the guns up to ninety degrees, making the A-9 capable of performing strafing missions against ground targets. While Kuat Drive Yards promised the Empire a superior fighter, combat results were consistently disappointing. While the ship was indeed faster than the TIE interceptor, it was less maneuverable, and its hull was significantly weaker.