TIE/SA Bomber Ingame
The TIE/Surface Assault Bomber, often shortened TIE Bomber, is the primary bomber of the Imperial Remnant and Pentastsr Alignment in Eras 1–5. It carries an armament of 2 Laser Cannons and 2 Proton Torpedoes.
History[]
The TIE/SA Bomber succeeded the TIE/GT starfighter as the primary ground assault craft in the Imperial Navy. Retaining the elongated, cylindrical pod to house the payload, but making it larger and making a secondary hull specifically for this purpose, the TIE/SA could hold more than double the payload as the TIE/GT without a dramatic increase in cost, making it extremely useful. It also incorporated a new design: curved wings, which could increase the power output of the fighter into the range needed for it to function without a secondary power source. The Bomber entered active service in the early days of the Empire; it was first used to quell the last remaining Separatist holdouts in the galaxy. During the evacuation of Yavin IV, TIE Bombers were used to much success against the Great Temple. Later, they would be used to bomb the asteroid where the Millenium Falcon was hiding. They continued to see active service throughout the Galactic Civil War and into the early confrontations with the Yuuzhan Vong.
Other warhead carrying fighters (Assault Gunboat, TIE Defender), despite having shields and a hyperdrive,, did not endear themselves to the Imperial Bureaucracy as the TIE/sa because of the higher cost to operate. The bent-wing concept would later be used in the TIE Advanced x1, which in turn inspired the TIE Interceptor. Further development of the TIE Bomber paves the way for the more advanced Scimitar assault bomber, designed with input from the elite "Scimitar" wing.
Use Ingame[]
The TIE/SA Bomber is the primary assault bomber for the Imperial Remnant and Pentastar Alignment. It carries proton torpedoes, which although this hampers its effectiveness against other fighters makes it lethal against large targets. Best used on Heavy Frigates, Capital Ships, and Space Stations (as very few of these carry antifighter defenses), TIE bombers are deadly with support from friendly ships. Effective against shields and hull——unique to Thrawn's Revenge——the ships are even more effective than ever, as they can now let other ships deal hull damage sooner.
The main weaknesses of the TIE Bomber are its lack of maneuverability, shields, and effective antifighter defenses. Fighters must be used to pave the way, destroying enemy fighters. Then any corvettes must be eliminated, or the bombers will be shredded. In short, the TIE Bomber is an effective support ship capable of destroying anything without laser cannons.