The Defender Starfighter is part of the Defender Design Program, which is the concurrent development of a new starfighter, assault carrier and Star Destroyer design in an attempt to introduce standardization into the New Republic Navy. This program was initiated after the fall of Coruscant to the New Republic. Specifically conceived for space defence, the hyperdriveless Defender is a compact and lightweight short-range fighter. Interestingly, the Defender was developed from a considerably older fighter.

    Its premise is a departure from New Republic doctrine of hyperdrive equipped fighters. The reason for this lays with the New Republic adopting the concept of holding and patrolling the territories in its clutches. From the Defender Design Program, only the Defender Starfighter was able to begin seeing service, as the program's capital ships construction was delayed due to Grand Admiral Thrawn's righteous campaign to restore order to the Galaxy, and the subsequent return of Emperor Palpatine. Four years after the tragic defeat at Endor this fighter was seeing front line service. By the time of the Black Fleet Crisis only one Defender Assault Carrier carried the Defender, a fighter that it was originally intended to ferry. However, in the case of the Defender Star Destroyer, they often included this fighter in their complement for close support duties.

    This design is lightly armoured, possesses surprising firepower, and presents a difficult target against opposing gunners. Thanks to its extendable S-Foil struts with manoeuvring jets, the Defender boasts phenomenal dexterity. Like other S-Foil equipped fighters, the S-Foil struts are deployed for combat. As such this feature allows pilots to execute sudden turns, spins, and even 180 degree turns in the vacuum of space. During normal space or atmospheric flight the struts are retracted, becoming flush with the hull. In atmospheric flight, however, the struts can easily be weakened or completely torn off should the pilot conduct sudden manoeuvres. As a result, they are generally not extended during atmospheric flight.