The Imperial Patrol Ship functioned as a militarized version of the Action IV transport from the Corellian Engineering Corporation. During the era of the Galactic Civil War, it was utilized as a support vessel for isolated Imperial stations, fulfilling the dual purpose of providing supplies to Imperial staff and conducting customs checks.
Despite the fact that it could be classified as a capital ship from a technical standpoint, the Imperial Patrol Ship possessed limited weaponry, consisting of only two anti-starfighter laser cannons, alongside a pair of outdated T.I.E. starfighters, specifically older models compared to the standard TIE/LN. The majority of patrol ship captains understood that their primary form of defense was based on intimidation: the potential for Imperial retaliation in the event of an assault.