After the Star League's war against Amaris ended, it soon became clear that the Star League would not last much longer. The Draconis Combine prepared for the post-Star League universe by building more and better weapons of war that had been researched in underground labs throughout the Star League age. The Shilone was placed into secret production in 2780, and the Coordinator planned to only reveal them when it best suited the Combine. He almost did so when the Star League Army entered his space, but held back and because of that was able to surprise House Davion with them during the invasion of Kentares in 2796. They disrupted the defending fighters and allowed the Combine DropShips to enter orbit and land their troops.
         The Shilone has since become one of the primary fighters of the Draconis Combine, its wing-like shape a warning to others that the Combine has come to stay. Its rugged design saw it through the worst of the wars, even the Jihad, and they still see action today.

         Unusually large for a medium fighter, it carries an impressive array of weapons and is better-armored than most aerospace craft of its weight class. The Shilone is affectionately known as "the Boomerang" by its pilots, who often boast of their craft's capabilities.
         Though the Shilone is better-armed than some smaller heavy fighters, its defensive armor and tonnage put it in the medium class. The nose-mounted Shigunga LRM rack and Diplan HD large laser give the fighter real punch at distances most aerospace weapons systems cannot reach. At shorter ranges, the wing-mounted Diplan M3 medium lasers add to the hitting potential of the Shilone's nose-mounted weapons. To the rear, the Shilone can fire its Shigunga short-range missile rack to keep opponents at a distance.
         Early models of the Shilone suffered from one major structural defect; they experienced severe wing rippling and other stress damage during high-powered atmospheric flight, which led to a number of fatal crashes caused by wing joint separations. After extensive tests, Wakazashi Enterprises rebuilt the wing joints with a new duroplastic alloy that provided the necessary resilience. By 2802, all operational Shilone fighters were refitted with these new wing joints and the problem has not recurred.

         A backbone of the Draconis Combine air and space forces throughout the Succession Wars, the design can be seen throughout the Draconis Rifts, in both Combine forces and the forces of non-aligned planets.