Low Altitude Assault Transport/carrier

"Cody, get the tanks down. Come in, Cody!"

- Commander Jet tells Commander Cody to land his AT-TE tanks

The Low Altitude Assault Transport/carrier, known more simply as the LAAT/c, was a vehicle carrier variant of Rothana Heavy Engineering's Low Altitude Assault Transport series of repulsorlift gunships developed for the Grand Army of the Republic. Beginning with the First Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY, the LAAT/c saw use throughout the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems and in the years afterward. Manned by a single pilot, the LAAT/c was originally designed to deploy All Terrain Tactical Enforcers onto battlefields, though it was soon modified to accommodate a number of additional vehicles as the Clone Wars progressed, using powerful magnetic clamps to hold payloads in place. The LAAT/c shared the same rear-wing configuration common to all LAAT gunships, though it lacked the undercarriage that the more common Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry used to carry clone troopers into battle, and also lacked the heavy armament of its cousins.

Characteristics


The Rothana Heavy Engineering LAAT/carrier variant was designed primarily to airlift assault walkers and other heavy cargo into battle. Similar in design to the LAAT/i version, the carrier gunship removed the infantry model's troop hold, and featured heavy-lift agrav drives that helped the heavy electro-magnets hold payloads such as AT-TEs in place under the main hull.

A wide wingspan allowed for maximum distribution of repulsorlift vanes when carrying heavy weights. Most of the LAAT/i's weapons were not present, leaving only the three anti-personnel laser turrets. Because of it's lack of weapons, a Gunners station was not needed, thus the LAAT/c was a one man vehicle.

Role
The LAAT/c was specifically developed to deploy ground vehicles on the battlefield, ferrying them to and from orbiting transports and assault ships. The gunship was originally designed for use with the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE), but Rothana soon modified the LAAT/c to accommodate a variety of vehicles. The LAAT/c was capable of deploying one AT-TE, four All Terrain Experimental Transports, a Forward Command Center, one Republic Troop Transport, one TX-130 Saber-class fighter tank, a PX-4 Mobile Command Base, or a RX-200 Falchion-class assault tank.

History
The Low Altitude Assault Transport/carrier was developed by Rothana Heavy Engineering, a subsidiary of Kuat Drive Yards, which was contracted by the Kaminoans to develop a number of vehicles for the secret Grand Army of the Republic. LAAT/cs were first deployed in 22 BBY at the First Battle of Geonosis, the battle that sparked the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems and also saw the unveiling of the Grand Army. Four hundred LAAT/c gunships were deployed during the battle, ferrying AT-TEs into combat; a number of them were used to ensure that the Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery units deployed on Geonosis were defended against attack with AT-TEs.

During the Dark Reaper Crisis, one of the first major campaigns of the Clone Wars, three LAAT/c gunships were deployed during a battle on the planet Rhen Var. Three gunships participated in a battle at the planet Raxus Prime not long afterwards, and several LAAT/c gunships saw use when the Republic retook Rhen Var. Dropships were used during the fighting on the asteroid Sivvi, and they also deployed the Republic's ground vehicles at the final battle of the campaign at Thule, where the Republic succeeded in destroying the Dark Reaper superweapon. LAAT/c gunships were also used in the fighting in the Mirgoshir system.

Around seven weeks after the Battle of Geonosis, two LAAT/c gunships were used by the Republic's 501st Legion to deliver two AT-TE walkers to the surface of the planet Teth during the Battle of Teth. One of the gunships had the face of a snarling wampa creature on its nose, leading clone troopers to nickname it "Wampa Runner." Numerous dropships participated in the Second Battle of Geonosis, ferrying AT-TE walkers to the surface of Geonosis in large numbers amid many LAAT/i gunships and BTL-B Y-wing starfighters. The gunships came under fire from the native Geonosians during their descent, but several of the dropships under the command of Marshal Commander CC-2224&mdash;nicknamed "Cody"&mdash;managed to land and deploy their AT-TEs safely. In the aftermath of the battle and the destruction of the planet's primary droid foundry, several LAAT/c gunships were used to move debris from the site of the factory as part of the search for the Jedi Padawans Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee.

When an enormous Zillo Beast was subdued after the Battle of Malastare, a flight of four LAAT/c gunships were used to airlift the unconscious beast to a transport. Numerous dropships were used to deliver All Terrain Recon Transports and AT-TEs to the surface of Kiros during the Battle of Kiros around 21 BBY. Several LAAT carriers participated in the Battle of Sarrish in 20 BBY, deploying AT-TEs onto the battlefield.

The Clone Wars ended in 19 BBY with the rise of the Galactic Empire in the place of the the Galactic Republic, and the new Imperial Military made use of the LAAT/c in the early years after the end of the conflict. Dropships saw use during the fighting on the ice planet Atoa in 19 BBY, deploying AT-TE walkers to Atoa's surface. Decades later, during the Galactic Civil War, the Restored Empire faction fielded a number of LAAT/c gunships alongside other Clone Wars-era vehicles and ships in their effort to destroy the Imperial Remnant in 13 ABY.

Behind the scenes
The LAAT/c first appeared in the 2002 film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones in the Battle of Geonosis sequence, and they were first named in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, a reference guide for the movie released on April 22, 2002. LAAT/c gunships have appeared in a number of Clone Wars material since then, such as the Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. The LEGO toy company released a LAAT/c dropship with an All Terrain Open Transport, but it is uncertain if the gunship can carry AT-OTs in canon.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
 * The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: Tethan Battle Adventure
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Republic Commando: True Colors
 * Routine Valor
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars: Dark Times 13: Blue Harvest, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command 1
 * Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost 2
 * ''LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Republic Commando: True Colors
 * Routine Valor
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars: Dark Times 13: Blue Harvest, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command 1
 * Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost 2
 * ''LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
 * Star Wars: Dark Times 13: Blue Harvest, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command 1
 * Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost 2
 * ''LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars