Dark Trooper Phase IV

Phase IV dark trooper

The Phase IV dark trooper, also known as the dark starfighter or the dark trooper fighter, was an experimental facet of the dark trooper project conducted after the Battle of Yavin. The Phase IV was not a trooper per se, but rather a starfighter following the same philosophy of automated powerhouses that was embodied in the dark trooper project. Like the other three phases of dark troopers, the Phase IV was forged aboard the Arc Hammer, but unlike the other phases, the Phase IV never ventured far from the factory ship, instead maintaining escort duty for the vessel. Though most of these units were deactivated following the destruction of the Arc Hammer, they have appeared occasionally throughout the rest of the Galactic Civil War.

Details
The dark trooper phase IV was a well-armored fighter with a relatively small profile and shields comparable to those of an X-wing. Because there was no need for life support or room for a pilot in the automated fighter, the fighter could achieve remarkable speeds for a fighter with its armor, being able to reach the same acceleration as a TIE fighter. Though it was not nearly as advanced as later Imperial fighters such as the TIE Defender, the dark trooper Phase IV was more than a match for the Alliance's standard X-wings.

The dark trooper phase IV was armed with four laser cannons, two mounted on each wing, and a concussion missile launcher with a full load of 12 missiles. Individual shots from the laser cannons could not do much damage, especially when compared to the laser cannons on TIE fighters, but their rapid-fire capability allowed for the Dark Starfighters to destroy starfighters and other small units with their lasers and use their concussion missiles for larger targets.

History
The dark trooper phase IV was something of an afterthought with the dark trooper project, not being the focus of General Rohm Moc's ambition. It was largely due to the influence of Sienar Fleet Systems employee Duke Raider that the Phase IV made it off the drawing board, as Raider's having witnessed Imperial TIE fighters performing miserably against Rebel fighters convinced him that the Empire needed better fighters for system defense. Though the Empire was already developing fighters such as the TIE Aggressor that aimed to solve this, Rohm Moc nevertheless approved the addition because of sufficient resources and because of the advantages of having automated fighters.

Only one squadron of dark trooper phase IV units were equipped with hyperdrives. This squadron was still in testing phase when it was called as emergency reinforcements on Kuat after General Morgan's and General Hol'ali's fleets captured a Mandator-II dreadnaught.

The Arc Hammer manufactured several hundred of these fighters before its destruction, but as the majority of the fighters flew escort to the factory ship, few survived the Battle of the Arc Hammer. At least thirty-six of these fighters survived the Battle of the Arc Hammer, as they were subsequently encountered by Ace Squadron at later times in the war.

Behind the scenes
The dark trooper phase IV was created for Ace and Commander, a top-down starfighter game created by C3PO the Dragon Slayer. The fighter was designed by I really love yoda.

Appearances

 * Ace and Commander