The Cutlass-9 Patrol Fighter was first produced by the Sorosuub Corporation before the First Galactic Civil War. It was conceived of as an inexpensive, reliable, easy-to-fly starfighter to outfit their private security forces. The Cutlass-9 is an agile, single-seat starfighter powered by two sublight engines and a high speed hyperdrive. Armed with a pair of front-mounted laser cannons and a concussion missile launcher, the Cutlass-9 was designed to intercept starfighters or smaller gunboats and freighters, but it lacks the protection to last long against larger craft.
Production of the Cutlass-9 was increased during the First Galactic Civil War as one of only a handful of starfighters flown by organic Separatist pilots. As the bulk of Separatist forces relied on droid starfighters, ships like the Cutlass-9 were relegated to local defense forces, a role the ship excelled at. Production halted at the war's conclusion as Soruosuub was nationalized into the nascent Galactic Empire. When Sorosuub defected from the Empire, it began to manufacture an updated version of the Cutlass-9 for the cells within the Rebel Alliance, who flew them in limited numbers alongside surviving war-era examples. Popularity of the Cutlass took a hit after the Alliance embraced other starfighters like the Incom T-65 and updated Y-Wings, and today the Cutlass-9 is most commonly flown by low-budget mercenary outfits and local pirate gangs.