The Thrush over the centuries has been considered a House Liao design, but the fall of Tikonov, Sarna, and the defection of St. Ives during the Fourth Succession War resulted in the design being fielded by the Federated Commonwealth. The recovery of Star League technology resulted in no upgrades to this design since the Commonwealth placed more importance on BattleMechs though. With the advent of WarShips the AFFC reconsidered this stance and they began putting resources into upgrading the existing AeroSpace forces. The "Flying Frisbee" as many called it benefitted from this program greatly.
         The upgraded Thrushes served on both sides of the FedCom Civil War, where they proved their effectiveness. The survivors of the Civil War also fought during the Jihad, though no replacements or spare parts came out of the Syrtis Federation and their numbers declined rapidly due to battle losses. When the Ridzik brothers captured the world, they placed a priority on replacing their rag-tag AeroSpace forces with as many Thrushes as the factories could build, and the lines have been running constantly since.

         The Thrush is one of the fastest and most agile fighters in any AeroSpace force in the Successor States. Its Mujika Type 12 frame can withstand the gravitational forces and stress of most of the maneuvers it must perform in combat. Powered by a Rawlings 250 extra-light fusion engine, it has all the energy it needs for movement and to fire its four wing- and belly-mounted Intek Extended-Range Medium Lasers. With modern heat sinks, these lasers may be fired as quickly as they recharge without causing heat buildup. The armor on the Thrush is impressive, matching that of many medium fighters, though its strength is still speed and maneuverability.
         A major drawback that even modern engineering has been unable to correct in the Thrush design is its tendency to lurch into uncontrolled spins when entering planetary atmospheres. Though pilots can usually bring their craft out of these spins before they become dangerous, doing so costs precious seconds that could prove critical in a dogfight. The spins are thought to be caused by a flaw in the fighter's circular wing arrangement. In support of that theory is evidence that House Kurita's SL-21 Sholagar, which also has a circular wing arrangement, experiences the same problem when entering atmospheres.

         A few TR-8Ds remain in use, scattered throughout the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federation Expanse, survivors of the Civil War and the Jihad. Very few of them still operate at full efficiency though due to the lack of spare parts. The Syrtis Federation and the Tikonov Free Republic field the largest number of these fighters, with entire wings of the design being common.