Star Wars: 10 Starfighters We Never Got To See
2. TIE Phantom Multi-Role Stealth Starfighter
The TIE Phantom was one of the most sophisticated ships in the Imperial Fleet, thanks to its distinction of utilizing a cloaking device. This made it invisible not just from sensors, but also from the naked eye as well, as observers would only see a slight shimmer where the ship was situated.
However, it is no more durable than a standard TIE-Fighter, as its true power came from its defensive systems rather than its offensive ones. Like many other ships in the TIE classes, it was equipped with solar panels on the wings to absorb additional power during flight, but unlike its peers the cockpit was conical. With one pilot and one gunner inside, it was a variation on the standard, spherical cockpit of the rest of the fleet.
It was equipped with twin ion engines, like the rest of the TIE line. It was also capable of traveling at hyperspeed. The excellent maneuvrability of the ship made it an excellent candidate for clandestine missions as well as hit and run attacks. TIE Phantoms would often engage their enemies by de-cloaking, firing a barrage and then re-cloaking, vanishing from sight. It was this capability that made them so valuable.
They were not mass-produced due to their complexity so, while an attack from a TIE Phantom could be devastating, they were quite rare.