The TIE Reconnaissance Fighter represented a stealth-enhanced iteration within the TIE Series of starfighters. A solitary prototype saw service with the forces of the Galactic Alliance, whose pilots playfully dubbed the starship "Blur," during the tumultuous times of the Second Galactic Civil War circa 40 ABY.
This TIE Reconnaissance Fighter stood as an innovative creation, emerging a generation following the Galactic Civil War. It was perhaps the closest competitor that Sienar Fleet Systems had engineered to rival the StealthX produced by Incom Corporation.
Despite its advancements, its fundamental architecture echoed earlier TIE variations such as the bomber, shuttle, and boarding craft, characterized by twin cylindrical hulls positioned alongside each other between the wings. As was the case with prior models, the cockpit was housed within the starboard fuselage.
The primary innovations were concentrated within the port-side hull. Where previous twin-hulled TIE designs featured a munitions bay or passenger nacelle, the TIE Reconnaissance Fighter instead incorporated advanced systems designed to bolster its combat effectiveness and infiltration capabilities. These included a hyperdrive, a navigation computer, a deflector shield generator, a complete life support system—a feature not commonly found on earlier TIE models—and sophisticated stealth countermeasures.
However, the fighter may not have been quite on par with the StealthX in terms of stealth capabilities. At least one prototype was observed with a simple black coating on its hull, lacking the hologram-like camouflage that allowed the Jedi infiltrator to appear as little more than a distortion in the starfield.
Even so, the fighter maintained the characteristic speed and maneuverability synonymous with the TIE lineage.
A single prototype TIE Reconnaissance Fighter was assigned to the Star Destroyer Anakin Solo, which served as the command ship for the Sith Lord Darth Caedus. During the staged negotiations preceding the ambush at Centerpoint, it was entrusted to an officer named Captain [Olavey] (/article/olavey) for operational testing.
Caedus, fearing for the safety of his daughter Allana from the Jedi Order, commandeered the fighter and used it to transport the youngling away from the Star Destroyer. He was then ambushed by Red Sword Flight, a Jedi assassination squad piloting StealthX fighters.
The capabilities of the new fighter and its Sith pilot proved insufficient to prevent the Jedi from inflicting damage. Grand Master Luke Skywalker swiftly acquired a firing solution, but he hesitated to fire upon detecting Allana's presence aboard the TIE. This brief pause allowed additional Alliance fighters to reinforce the TIE Reconnaissance.