The Alliance Starfighter Corps‘s doctrine during the Galactic Civil War was built around shielded, hyperspace-capable starfighters that were capable of long-range independent operations, were fast enough to counter TIE Fighters, and carried payloads powerful enough to bring down the shields of large capital ships. The Empire suffered an outright humiliation at the Fei Hu campaign in 1 BBY, where the Rebel Lightspeed Panthers, equipped with the T-65 X-wing starfighter, destroyed 265 Imperial fighters over the course of nine months with the loss of only four of their own.

The subsequent Imperial defeat at the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the First Death Star led the Starfighter Corps to begin mass production of the much faster, much more maneuverable TIE/IN interceptor, and to investigate development of its own snubfighters. However, both sheer cost and institutional opposition within the Navy meant that the TIE/AD «Avenger» and the TIE/D Defender would never see action outside of limited deployments. The Starfighter Corps attempted to redeem the humiliating defeat at Yavin with the victory at the Second Battle of Ord Biniir, which so happened to have occurred on the same day. The second squadron of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing under the command of Captain Soontir Fel successfully engaged and destroyed numerous Rebel Y-wing starfighters and recaptured Ord Biniir. The victory was heavily propagandised by the Empire and Fel became an Imperial hero. Now considered an elite unit, the 181st was reduced in size to a group, and the 181st Imperial Fighter Group became one of the most glamorous Imperial units and attracted the Empire’s finest pilots.

By 4 ABY, the TIE Interceptor formed twenty percent of the Starfighter Corps and was the craft of choice for elite units like the 181st Imperial Fighter Group. It was deployed in force alongside traditional TIE Fighters at the Battle of Endor, but despite inflicting heavy losses upon the attacking Alliance Fleet, was ultimately unable to prevent the destruction of the Second Death Star and the death of Emperor Palpatine.