The Star League Defense Forces contract called for a small planetary defense fighter with fast speed and light armor, but with enough firepower to substantially damage the enemy. The Shipil Company of Skye created just such a fighter with their design for the Seydlitz which handily won the contract and has won many more since entering mass production in 2504.
         When Skye fell to the Lyrans, it continued producing the Seydlitz for them for three centuries, making the Lyrans the undisputed master of that craft. Then the Jihad came and Skye seceeded, successfully this time, from the Lyran state, and the spare parts to keep the Lyran fighters online began to dry up. The Lyrans pressed their fighters into fights with superior Word fighters despite this problem though, and they took atrocious casualties. Skye on the other hand ordered an upgrade of the design that proved its potential during their fight with the Clans.

         Capable of maintaining over five gees of acceleration, and of bursting to nearly ten gees, the Seydlitz is an impressive interceptor. Older Seydlitz designs suffered from extremely light armor and minimal fuel, which kept them from staying in combat for any length of time. The model Z2B is another matter entirely.
         The Z2B carries more than twice the tonnage of armor, and the ArcShield Heavy ferro-aluminum privides more protection per ton, nearly tripling the amount of actual damage it can absorb. This version also modifies the weapons package, placing two extended-range Cyclops lasers in the nose and one in each wing. These give it impressive range and the ability to fire volleys of energy into a target.
         One of the more interesting modifications to the Z2B model was the inclusion of the Evil Eye targeting system. It turns the cockpit into a real time full surround video simulation of the battle in progress. The pilot simply looks at a target and the fighter displays the statistics of the design, including known damage. To fire, the pilot simply holds his gaze on the target, the lasers automatically traverse towards it while taking into account speed and distance, and when he or she pulls the trigger the fighter fires. This easy-to-use system has made the Seydlitz a deadly design wherever it goes.

         The Z2B is the primary interceptor of the Federation of Skye, and often doubles as a light strike fighter at need. Ever since Shipil built an expansion factory on Northwind in 3079, they have also sold the design to member units of the Allied Mercenary Command. The cheapest fighter primarily marketed to the AMC, they have also become by far the most common, capturing a fifty percent share of the mercenary market. Any force attacking Skye space, or an AMC mercenary, can expect to see large numbers of these fighters swarming them in short order.