The Whirlwind, a starship of Chiss design, served within the Chiss Ascendancy's Expansionary Defense Fleet. This vessel possessed advanced engines and could achieve flight readiness within a mere thirty minutes. Circa 19 BBY, Supreme General Ba'kif of the Expansionary Defense Fleet utilized the Whirlwind for transport to the Ascendancy planet Naporar. His mission was to collect Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo, who was receiving recuperative treatment at the Chiss Expansionary Fleet medcenter located on Naporar. The starship's journey culminated in arrival after a duration of four hours, whereupon a Chiss shuttle was dispatched to bring Thrawn aboard.
Within Star Wars canon continuity, the Whirlwind received a mention in Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, a 2020 novel that initiated Timothy Zahn's Ascendancy Trilogy. Conversely, in the Star Wars Legends continuity, the Whirlwind was depicted as a warship featured in the 2006 novel titled Outbound Flight.