Imperial escort fighter
Imperial escort fighters were airspeeders in use on the planet Mandalore by the Galactic Empire. Shrike Squadron was made up of these type of fighters, which flew patterns around the City of Bone, protecting it from outside attack. During the battle in the city, the squadron flew an attack pattern with in the city in an attempt to quell the slave uprising. When Leia Organa and Fenn Shysa commandeered a hovercraft to make their way out of the city, Shrike Squadron chased them towards the blast doors.
However, due to the efforts of Tobbi Dala, the doors were closed immediately after the hovercraft had escaped. The airspeeders crashed headlong into the city walls, creating a massive explosion which ignited the fuel and ammunition stored in the city. The blast consumed the city in flames killing all the Imperials within.
Behind the scenes
The design of the Imperial escort fighter seen in Star Wars (1977) 69, is nearly identical to concept artwork done by Ralph McQuarrie of the T-47 airspeeder. This may indicate that these ships were of the same design or perhaps a precursor to the Rebel snowspeeder.
They appear similar or identical to the non-canon Tachyon fast-attack airspeeder, which was probably based on the same concept art.