Imperial jumptrooper

An Imperial jumptrooper was a variant of the Galactic Empire's stormtrooper. The direct successor of the the Republic clone jet troopers, they were assigned to the battlefields with the most treacherous terrain.

Overview
The jumptroopers were an air-to-ground attack unit that was trained to engage airborne, entrenched, or otherwise inaccessible enemies. They were also trained in the use of hit-and-run attacks in which they ambushed the enemy from above. They often provided stormtrooper units with air cover during pitched battles.

They were the primary Imperial unit designated to "keep order" on low gravity worlds or on atmospheric platforms such as Cloud City.

Equipment
These soldiers wore standard Stormtrooper armor, though their shoulders were black and had patches of red paint on them. Their armor was similar to the armor worn by Commander Cody. Furthermore, the forehead of the helmet was shaped in a black V and had a single red line on it with two red lights featured by the chin.

They were equipped with:


 * AJP-400 Hush-About personal jet packs
 * Heavy blaster rifles
 * Rail detonators
 * Plasma casters
 * Merr-Sonn Missile Systems (built in their jetpack)
 * Rocket launchers

They were equipped with an AJP-400 Hush-About personal jet pack that allowed them to burst through the air in short spurts of about 20 seconds and allowed them to hover over a location for an extended period of time. There was, however, the danger of being hit with a Force-lightning attack, which would cause the jet pack to explode or malfunction. If this happened, the jumptroopers would spiral into the ground.

In addition to this, they were armed with plasma disruptors which were far more powerful than standard Imperial-issued weaponry and was noted for its lack of a recoil when fired. This allowed the jumptroopers to discharge the fiery white bolts of the weapon without any fear of changing their flight path or being knocked off balance while flying. This allowed them to seek a high advantage point in the air and take out their foes at a distance. Besides this, they were occasionally outfitted with rocket launchers.

The troops utilized a heavy blaster rifle as on of their primary armament. To give an added punch, the jump troopers possessed an integrated Merr-Sonn Missile System in their jet packs that could fire rockets that possessed no homing capability, thus requiring the trooper to aim at the target directly. The missiles detonated with a grenade-like blast effect. The pack only contained a few missiles.

They were also known to use devastating rail detonator guns, that allowed them to eliminate targets from any angle they choose, as well as flamethrowers which they discharged when they were at close range to their enemies.

History
These troopers were stationed on Felucia, Bespin, Kashyyyk, and the Death Star shortly before the Battle of Yavin IV. On Raxus Prime, jumptroopers were part of the garrison guarding the Imperial Ore Facility. They engaged in numerous battles against Galen Marek, who came by the planets on which they were stationed. They fought alongside Navy commandos and heavy troopers.



A number of jumptroopers were stationed on the planet Kamino where they attempted to stop the clone test subject of the deceased Starkiller. Despite their best efforts, the clone easily defeated them all and escaped the planet. Later, they fought the clone on Cato Neimoidia under command of Baron Merillion Tarko in the city of Tarko-Se. They were all killed by him. When the Alliance to Restore the Republic attacked Kamino, the clone encountered and killed them again.

Jetpack-equipped stormtroopers known as air assault troopers, or airtroopers, helped to protect the AT-ATs of the Thundering Herd unit during the Battle of Hoth. Some of these airtroopers also accompanied Darth Vader during his attempt to capture Luke Skywalker on Bespin's Cloud City. It was unknown whether this unit was distinct from the jumptroopers. Interestingly, a type of stormtrooper operated around the same time as jumptroopers, known as Sky Troopers. They wore armor almost identical to that of jumptroopers.

Behind the scenes
Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back featured airtroopers as one of its many enemies. Their designation as air assault troopers was later revealed in Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 4.

The Hasbro jumptrooper toy's design was based on the unit in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, as it possessed a hose connected the helmet to a breathing tank on the chest armor - the version seen in the PS2, PSP, and Wii ports looked more like a standard Stormtrooper, with heavy shoulder armor. The figure's bio was also stated that they were equipped with rail detonators though these do not feature in the game. The title of "jumptrooper" comes from Hasbro toy catalogs and does not feature a jetpack.

The jumptrooper is also called the Raxus Prime Trooper in the Star Wars Miniatures game.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
 * Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * Shield of Lies
 * Shield of Lies