The primary component of the TIE Series starfighter was the Microparticle Ion Accelerator, which is alternatively called an ion-stream projector. This Accelerator used super-charged ions, collected by solar gather-panels, to generate thrust. These ions were accelerated to speeds approaching lightspeed, then channeled through repulsor fields and finally expelled via the Twin-Port Ion Stream Exhaust Vent to produce propulsive force.