The TIE/Ae was originally envisioned by Imperial Engineers as a solution to the poor performance of their basic TIE/In starfighter in atmospheres. They produced and used the ship occasionally, but it was dumped when the Empire began retreating and the cost was not deemed necessary. Unlike the original TIE, which relied on cieling racks, the TIE/Ae could land on conventional landing pads due to reinforced wing struts. Despite the lesser ability of its ion engines in space, it could still fly from an orbiting ship to its target planet easily.