The 181st Imperial Fighter Wing constituted a fighter wing within the Galactic Empire's Imperial Starfighter Corps. This particular group gained notoriety due to the red stripes that decorated their starfighters, a visual threat to enemies that encouraged other Imperial squadrons to emulate this aesthetic.
Prior to the Dissolution of the Imperial Senate which occurred in 0 BBY, a member belonging to the senatorial body advocated for the 181st to launch a raid targeting the Alliance to Restore the Republic. This operation resulted in a major setback, with the wing suffering the loss of at least two individuals, including the brothers of fellow TIE fighter pilot Havina Vonreg, due to a barrage of Alliance torpedoes. Hedrian, the younger of the two brothers, survived the initial assault, returning injured to his hangar before ultimately dying. Havina held the senator just as responsible for her brothers' fate as she did the rebels.
During the Battle of Endor, the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing, in conjunction with the Imperial Sector Fleet, Scythe Squadron, and other Imperial forces, engaged in combat against the forces of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Scythe Squadron, along with members of the 181st, pursued Red Squadron and Gold Squadron into the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station. Around 4 ABY, the pilot later recounted the ill-fated mission to another member of her own starfighter group, Titan Squadron.
The 181st Fighter Wing receives a mention within the current Star Wars canon timeline in the 2020 video game Star Wars: Squadrons, which was developed by Motive Studios. The "Ashen Cardinal," a paint scheme inspired by the wing's distinctive red stripes, is available as a "Rare" cosmetic option for the Imperial faction's starfighters in multiplayer modes. It can be unlocked through the expenditure of 400 Glory, one of the in-game currencies.
The 181st Imperial Fighter Wing was initially introduced into the Star Wars Legends continuity in the 1997 comic X-Wing Rogue Squadron 21, authored by Michael A. Stackpole. Within Legends, they were prominently depicted as an elite Imperial TIE/IN interceptor unit known as the 181st Imperial Fighter Group, commanded by Baron of the Empire Colonel Soontir Fel. The group also had Colonel Evir Derricote and General Turr Phennir as leaders at different times. The characteristic bloodstripes featured on the unit's TIE Interceptors were awarded to pilots who had achieved over ten kills.