A - 9 Vigilance interceptor The A - 9 " Vigilance " interceptor was a short - range starfighter , which began production in 9 ABY , used by the Galactic Empire . Characteristics . Simple cockpit controls made the A - 9 an easy fighter to learn . While faster than the TIE Interceptor , it had a weaker hull due to deliberate design choices made to reduce mass . Thanks to independent power generators , however , the weapons system was quite powerful for a ship of its size . The A - 9 was armed with two laser cannons , mounted in a structure on the ventral side of the fuselage . One was slightly more powerful than the other . They were fire - linked and aimed forward in their standard configuration , but several modifications existed which allowed the gun to pivot 90 degrees down to perform strafing runs , as well as allowing the cannons to be independently targeted . These cannons were more powerful than those of a T - 65 X - wing starfighter . History . Designed by Kuat Drive Yards , famous for its " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers , the A - 9 was an attempt to enter the very profitable Imperial starfighter market . Though KDY was a major manufacturer of fighters for the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars , the Imperial market was largely dominated by Sienar Fleet Systems , makers of the TIE Series . The A - 9 was intended to fulfill the Imperial Starfighter Corps ' desperate need for a faster , more maneuverable fighter to deal with the New Republic A - wing interceptor . Released almost six years after the Battle of Endor , shortly after the defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn , the vessel the Empire received did not fully meet these requirements . In true Imperial fashion , the craft had no shields or hyperdrive , requiring the craft to operate from a fixed base or starship . Like TIE series craft , A - 9s were generally deployed in large numbers to compensate for their shortcomings and replaced as required . After Norval II rebelled against its governor Abam Tev and successfully removed its government , the New Republic gained access to the new A - 9 interceptors . This proved to be a boon to the beleaguered New Republic military after the fall of Coruscant , as the A - 9 , along with the new E - wing fighter , helped to even the odds when Emperor Palpatine ' s forces attacked the ocean world of Dac . While it was never widely adopted because of its technical shortfalls , the A - 9 continued to show up in Imperial Remnant fleets , as well as in New Republic / Galactic Alliance squadrons years after its introduction . It was often rumored that KDY was in the process of developing the A - 10 interceptor , which would address the problems with the A - 9 . In the Second Galactic Civil War , a number of them were in the Corellian Defense Force . Behind the scenes . Starfighters very similar to the A - 9 were seen in a captured Imperial hangar on Brentaal IV in , but their class was not stated . They may be early prototypes of the A - 9 or a similar - looking predecessor . A - 6 Interceptor s were mentioned in " " , but very little information was provided aside from the fact that they had turbolaser cannons and used astromech droids . It was the predecessor of the A - 9 interceptor .