Difference between revisions of "Imperial Fighter Pilot"

Latest revision as of 21:04, 12 October 2021

LT Strong, an Imperial "Ace".

"The Galactic Empire's greatest strength is no doubt its ready supply of talented and ruthless pilots whom serve the Empire with indefatigable loyalty, battling terrorists, warmongers, pirates and others whom threaten Galactic peace and prosperity. Being an Imperial fighter pilot means dedicating your life to that cause, to the Imperial Navy and to your brothers in arms. It is imperative for a fighter pilot to be clear of this, of his principles, his will to serve, and if needs beckon; to die in protecting the Empire and all it stands for. One could go as far to say only when you have truly embraced that into your body and soul are you ready to be an Imperial Fighter Pilot."

— LTJG Feldure

Overview

The Imperial Fighter Pilot, often referred to as simply a "TIE pilot", is an Imperial Navy aviator specialising in space combat whilst piloting a starfighter; Commonly the TIE/in or TIE/Ln. Fighter pilots undergo specialised training in dogfighting on top of the other standard starfighter procedures. Not all fighter pilots experience combat, but one who attains the mark of five or more aerial "kills" is commonly known as an "ace".

Fighter Pilots are one of the most highly-regarded positions in the Imperial Navy. Comprising of the elite out of all the potential candidates. The pilot will be an individual who possess an exceptional academic record, physical fitness, healthy well-being, a strong mental drive. and exhibit reputable leadership and teamwork abilities since virtually all fighter pilots are also officers.

To an Imperial Fighter Pilot the success of a mission is viewed as something that eclipses personal safety. They are fiercely loyal and willing to die for the Empire. Their primary missions are often to attack Rebel and pirate ships, defend space stations, convoys, and planetary garrisons.

"Fighting those Imp Pilots is like facing hell itself."

— Rebel Pilot

Combat

To be an Imperial Fighter Pilot is to be an artist; where a non-Imperial pilot plateaus in skill, the Imperial fighter pilot excels. The fighter pilot is required to have a mind that is acutely aware and able to calculate and act with ruthless accuracy within a split second.

"Fighting itself is chaotic. Even with modern technologies such as electronic signals and comlinks, many battles are very hard to orchestrate on the spot. Careful planning, advanced training, and inspired thinking however, can lead to greater, quicker victory. War is an art of patience, crafting, and shrewd thought. To win, to be victorious, you must be able to plan and think ahead of your enemy. Even more so than a game of dejarik, a victorious leader must think differently, and view the galaxy as a myriad of lines and rows, and then see the patterns within them. One must craft one's armies to victory. One must plan one's campaign to victory. But most importantly of all, one must orchestrate one's campaign to play a beautiful melody of victory. When it comes down to the moment, anything is possible. As shown countless times in history, single events and single warriors can change the course of wars. However, viewing this statistically, the chance of this single event is very slim, but that is why we are here, to expand that chance and your belief in it."

— Imperial Navy Starfighter Instructor

Imperial Pilots are trained to know that the easiest way to shoot down an enemy fighter or other type of craft is to maneuver their vessel into a position directly behind the rear end of their target, engaging it with their primary weapons, either lasers, ion cannons or disposable ordinance. However, as the enemy starfighter in question will likely be engaging in maneuvering of its own, this is not always possible. Deflection shooting, which is in essence leading fire at an angle into a target as it turns in front of a ship's weapons, presenting one's opponent with a wall of destructive fire through which to fly, is an essential skill within the arsenal of veteran fighter pilots.

An advanced knowledge and well rehearsed ability in a multitude of areas are essential to the Imperial Fighter Pilot. Abilities will include; Situational awareness, Detection and Identification, Formation flying, Combat Space Patrol, Capital ship support, Escort duty, Battle strategy, Tactics and special Maneuvers. *Further details are Classified*

"When on the approach, do not shirk. Fear is your ally, in life as in the cockpit...there is no need to feel it yourself, but as an Imperial, you inspire it in your enemies. Hit them where they think they are the strongest, regardless of their defences, and they will falter. Such a sight would inspire."

— MFSGT Lucian Marcellus, Y11 D295

Situational Awareness

Situational Awareness is the perception of environmental elements within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future. It is also a field of study concerned with perception of the environment critical to decision-makers in complex, dynamic areas from aerospace, air traffic control, power plant operations, military command and control — to more ordinary but nevertheless complex tasks such as driving a landspeeder or speederbike.

A Fighter Pilot must see the entire situation, make swift judgement calls based on environmental factors, opposition, prediction of the opponents' movements and tactics and predict and make correct tactical decisions based on their own weapons, squad members and environmental factors.

Wingmen

A vital element to any fighter pilot is his Wingman. The idea behind the wingman is to add the element of mutual support to combat. A wingman makes the flight both offensively and defensively more capable by increasing fire power, situational awareness, attacking an enemy threatening a comrade, and most importantly the ability to employ more dynamic tactics. Starfighters often operate best in paired units; each member of the flight element alternating positions as leader and wingman as the situation dictates. The leader of an element will engage the enemy target while the wingman serves as a backup; this is the base foundation of any fighter unit. Bound together in element pairs within flights and squadrons, starfighter pilots soon learn that it is essential to memorise the habits and to earn the trust of the being assigned to be one's wingmate. Often in starfighter engagements the difference between survival and death at the hands of an opponent is one's wingmate, since they serve as a pilot's backup and extra pair of eyes; the two craft of a flight element constantly rely on each other to ensure that they come out of the fight alive and intact, one warning of impending danger to the other and lending mutual support. Within the Imperial Navy, the supporting pilot is often referred to as one's "panelman"; this is due to the characteristic solar panels on the TIE starfighter.

Standard Imperial Pilot Helmet

Equipment

Standard Imperial Fighter Pilot equipment includes black flight suit, similar to that worn by by most Naval crewmembers, a black helmet, and a life support chest piece with breather tubes to provide necessary gases. The flight mask design is reminiscent of the Stormtrooper armour, with a few notable distinctions. The shell is bulkier, due to reinforced padding and internal pilot-to-ship communications equipment. When coupled with its counterpart suit it provides the wearer with safety from the vacuum of space and enough oxygen, in the TIE which holds no life-support system, for up to 48 hours without resupply. The helmet is fully enclosed, and is full of features such as a comlink, filter, and imaging lenses that give the mask a unique look. Breather tubes extend from the helmet to the front of the chest plate, where controls for the suit's portable life support system are located. The actual supply of oxygen is built into the rectangular back plate of the armour. Due to its intricate design and increased resistance to damage, the mask costs over five times as much to produce as its suit counterpart.

Other Roles

Other from direct frontal combat roles Imperial pilot's will often be assigned reconnaissance roles in such starfighters as the TIE/sr Starfighter and bombing attacks within the TIE/sa Bomber.

Formation Flying

A flight is a grouping of three, four or five starfighters, depending on the military, that is typically though not always led by an officer. Three flights of four starfighters, or four flights of three starfighters, typically make up a full squadron. Many military organizations, such as the Imperial Navy and New Republic Starfighter Command, use this system of intra-squadron organization, however it is also known to be utilized within mercenary and even pirate units.

The basic unit of starfighters within various galactic military organizations, and even those who operate outside of military capacity, is the squadron. Usually consisting of twelve to sixteen craft and commanded by a commander or a colonel depending on the service, squadrons are further divided into flights typically led by captains which were in turn are made up of paired flight elements. At the opposite end of the spectrum, three to six squadrons make up a fighter wing, also known as a fighter group, commanded by a general or, in some cases, a colonel. The term "fighter wing" is also used to refer to the full complement of starfighters that are normally carried by large warships, such as the Imperial-class Star Destroyer.

Bomber Escort

Bomber escorts are not completely effective. Close escort cannot stop a good attack group from making a high speed head-on pass. In fact, if the escorts stay in close escort formation, they cannot stop that same attack group from making multiple passes.

The most effective escorts are the ones you don't see from the bomber stream - the ones who are engaging the attacker before they are in visual range of the bombers. Having TIE Scouts push ahead or behind of the escort is best used to achieve this.

Forward sweeps cannot get every attacker, so close escort is still necessary to prevent the attacker from being able to saddle up on the bombers at their leisure.

The diagram above shows a typical close escort formation, with flank escorts, rear escort, and a forward sweep. The latter is the group furthest away from the bombers, usually out of visual range, and is the group's defense against the head-on pass.

"You want as much distance between you and the bomber stream as you can get and still be able to see - and get to - the bomber group. The more distance you have, the more time you have to interfere with bandits on their way to the bombers. Escorts shouldn't hesitate to move beyond visual range of the bombers if they spot bandits further out."

— LTJG Feldure

The escorts usually stay between 5,000 to 8,000 feet higher than the bombers, so as to have enough energy to turn into attacking fighters.

The conventional wisdom is to stay with the bombers, to break off enemy fighters when they cease to be a threat. This may or may not be the right response, depending upon the circumstances. In an event, where every downed pilot means one less enemy plane, it is often better to release some escorts to follow and kill known bandits, even if they are trying to leave. In an arena, where there are always more enemy ships to come, it is usually best to stay with the bombers rather than chase bandits.

"Maintain your position relative to the bombers by keeping your speed high and flying at angles to the bomber stream. You will be faster than the bombers, and the temptation is to pull back and fly level with them. You can do this if you are sure no bandits are around, but otherwise, you want to keep your speed high so that when they do show up, you have the energy to deal with them.

If you have bandits hitting the bombers in a head-on pass, fire your guns at them, even if there's no hope of hitting them. A head-on pass is a tricky thing. It takes place at closure speeds of 80 MGLT or faster and aiming is very difficult. If the shooter flinches on the approach, it can mean the difference between a bomber kill and a clean miss. Fire repeatedly, make him think he has to take evasive action or die."

— LTJG Feldure

Article Credits

Article compiled by Lasidious von Feldure

See Also

• TIE Series
• TIE/ln Starfighter
• TIE/in Interceptor
• TIE/sa Bomber
• TIE/sr Starfighter
• Imperial Navy
• Capital Ship Support
• Combat Space Patrol
• Strategy, Tactics and Special Manoeuvres (Starfighter)