Based upon the TIE Droid, the Swarm-class Droid Fighter was an advanced version with a different configuration, having a single overhead solar panel and two smaller panels on the sides. It was relatively cheap, had a small target profile, and could be churned out in huge numbers. In addition, it was faster and more manoeuvrable than the TIE Interceptor, mainly because the designers did not need to consider the livelihood of a living pilot. The encryption of the droid brain and of the link between the fighters was made by the best and brightest slicers in the galaxy, and was impossible to break.