TIE / LN starfighter The TIE / LN starfighter , or TIE / line starfighter , simply known as the TIE Fighter or T / F , was the standard Imperial starfighter seen in massive numbers throughout most of the Galactic Civil War and onward . Colloquially , Rebel and New Republic pilots referred to the craft as " eyeball s . " Characteristics . The TIE Fighter is the original design for later upgraded TIE models such as TIE / sa bomber , TIE / IN interceptor , TIE / D Defender , TIE / D automated starfighter , and many more . The TIE Fighter was a descendant of the T . I . E . starfighter and the V - wing starfighter , both developed for the Galactic Republic , and was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems . In addition to the T . I . E . and V - wing , it was also descended from the TIE starfighter , the first TIE model developed for the Galactic Empire . The namesake for the fighter and line was the Sienar Fleet Systems P - s4 twin ion engine s that acted as its engines . However , it also to some degree was named after an item of clothing due to its overall shape resembling a bow - tie . The TIE / Ln ' s engine was one of the most precisely manufactured propulsion systems in the galaxy and , with no moving parts , was low - maintenance . Unlike the TIE before it , the TIE / Ln sported independent generators for the engine and the weapons . The lack of combat shields , hyperdrive , and life - support systems , in concert with the advanced engine design , reduced the mass of the fighter and conferred exceptional maneuverability . This also made them both inexpensive and quick to replace . Primary armament was a pair of L - s1 laser cannons , coupled with a powerful sensor suite . The cannons were relatively powerful , and a well - placed hit on a starfighter or medium transport could damage or destroy it . It did not carry missile tubes , but such weapons could be added if necessary . Due to the lack of life - support systems , each TIE pilot had a fully sealed flight suit superior to their Rebel counterparts . The absence of a hyperdrive also rendered the fighter totally dependent on carrier ships when deployed in enemy systems . TIE / lns also lacked landing gear , another mass - reducing measure . While the ships were structurally capable of " sitting " on their wings , they were not designed to land or disembark their pilots without special support . On Imperial ships , TIEs were launched from racks in the hangar bays . Power conduits were attached between the engine system and the solar arrays . TIEs were designed to attack in large numbers , overwhelming the enemy craft . Standard attack squadrons consisted of 12 fighters while full attack wings were made up of six squadrons . The Imperials used so many that they came to be considered symbols of the Empire and its might . They were also very cheap to produce , reflecting the Imperial philosophy of quantity over quality . Contrary to popular belief , the ships did possess ejection seats , but the nature of space warfare often resulted in pilots riding their craft down to a swift end rather than ejecting and risking slow death by heat loss and oxygen starvation in the vacuum of space . The design choices of the TIE / Ln could arguably be explained by Imperial military philosophy , which viewed the starfighters and their pilots as an expendable asset . Though Imperial pilots were of an elite stock , they were also expected to consider themselves expendable , in accordance with their ideological training . Other Imperial pilots considered TIE Fighter pilots to be suicidal due to how expendable the starfighters were . Like stormtroopers , TIE pilots had their own identification , such as DS - 61 - 2 ( the first two letters indicated the posting , the next two or three digits indicated the squadron number , and the last number indicated the pilot ' s ranking in the squadron ) . This procedure reduced them to being no more than anonymous and standardized operatives of the Imperial war machine . This attitude was further reflected by the lack of any sentimental attachment to particular TIEs by TIE pilots , unlike Rebel pilots who often grew attached to their craft . As far as they were concerned , every fighter , whether reconditioned or factory - fresh , was identical . A disadvantage of the fighter was its lack of deflector shields . In combat , pilots had to rely on the TIE / Ln ' s maneuverability to avoid damage . The cockpit did incorporate crash webbing , a repulsorlift antigravity field , and a high - g shock seat to help protect the pilot , however these did next to nothing to help protect against enemy blaster fire . However , despite this lack of protection , the fighter was at least able to survive glancing hits , such as when the quad laser cannons on the " Millennium Falcon " were able to hit a TIE fighter without actually destroying it . The TIE / Ln starfighter ' s eponymous twin ion engines are also notoriously easy to sabotage ; all it takes is moving an energizer out of alignment for a TIE ' s recharge systems for them to become time bombs . The side view of a TIE / Ln ' s radiator panels curiously resembles the emblem of the Confederacy of Independent Systems , but it is not clear if the similarity was intentional . The front / rear cross - section of the fighter was designed to be small to make it difficult to hit with blasters , but these side panels proved easy targets for flanking enemy pilots . They also hampered the fighter ' s ability to maneuver while in the atmosphere . Due to their distinct shape , TIE / Ln came to be referred to occasionally as " eyeball s " by enemy pilots . History . The basic TIE starfighter inspired a number of other Imperial starfighters manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems , which became collectively known as the TIE series . The TIE Line fighter was one of them , and replaced the original model as the standard fleet fighter in the Empire . While the original TIE had performance parity with heavier - built X - wings , the newer TIE / ln boasted improved engines and more powerful weapons , surpassing contemporary Rebel fighters . TIEs would be used in massive numbers throughout the Galactic Civil War and would be regarded by many as a symbol of the Empire . Some TIEs fell into the hands of the Rebellion , who would sometimes use them to infiltrate Imperial facilities . It had been intended that the TIE / ln would be replaced by the TIE Interceptor , as a direct result of the T65 X - wing starfighter owned by the Lightspeed Panthers outperforming them in the Fei Hu campaign , resulting in 286 destroyed TIEs . Indeed , Interceptors began to see greater use around the time of the Battle of Endor , but the collapse of the Imperial government into sectionalism precluded this . As the Galactic Empire retreated , more and more factories found themselves behind New Republic lines and ceased production . The New Republic made limited use of captured TIEs , equipping them with shields and assigning them to sectors where they weren ' t considered a symbol of the Empire . Their most notable use in New Republic service was at the Battle of Adumar . Captured TIE fighters were also used for deceptive purposes , such as during the Mission to Prefsbelt IV . By the time the peace treaty was signed , the Empire ( now known as the Imperial Remnant ) began to use export starfighters manufactured by other races ( such as the Sullustan SoroSuub Corporation " Preybird " - class starfighter ) because they lacked the manufacturing facilities to build new TIE Fighters . Behind the scenes . Originally meant to have a blue hull , this was abandoned when blue - screen filming made the fighters transparent . The original TIE / ln fighters seen in " " were relatively white ; the TIEs of " " and " " were grayer , with a bluish hue added during post - production . The sound for TIE Fighters was created by combining an elephant ' s scream with the noise of a car driving on a wet road . Rob Coleman originally considered putting TIEs into the end of " " , but Lucas decided to show Alpha - 3 " Nimbus " - class V - wing starfighters instead , pointing out that the Empire would have nineteen years to build TIEs . Although Expanded Universe material and a speed chart used by the film crew of " Return of the Jedi " shows the speed of the TIE fighter to be equal to that of an X - wing , " A New Hope " shows them overtaking X - wings despite the latter going " full throttle . " In the " Rogue Squadron " series of video games , a TIE fighter is used as the basis for the game ' s sound test to test the input of the stereo surround sound . It first flies toward the player and then flies around the screen . In the 2001 video game " " , TIE fighters serve as the Galactic Empire ' s fighter unit and may be built at airbase s in single player or multiplayer . The 2005 video game " " depicts TIE Fighters as having a proton - torpedo launcher in addition to two laser cannons . However this was most likely a game mechanic , used to balance teams and gameplay . The ( 1987 ) states that the cargo capacity is 110 kg and the consumables last one day , but later sources retcon ned these numbers . A TIE fighter , alongside a T - 65 X - wing starfighter , made a very brief cameo in during Anakin and Obi - Wan ' s chase against Zam Wesell , where the latter vessel was chasing the former . The " " game gave the following description concerning the TIE fighter : " The first in the series of advanced twin ion engine starfighters , the original TIE fighter was developed by Sienar Fleet Systems . The agile single - pilot craft has a titanium alloy hull , and quadanium steel armored solar panels , but lacks a deflector shield and primary life - support systems . The TIE Fighter was intended to be used as a short - range attack craft , launching from nearby Imperial installations . TIE Fighters typically attack in swarms to overwhelm their opponents . " In 2012 eFX Collectibles released a limited edition of 657 studio - scale TIE Fighter models .