Rocket-Jumper Elite Advance Unit



A Republic rocket-jumper, a member of what was formally known as the "Rocket-jumper Elite Advance Unit", was an elite soldier equipped with a jetpack, used by the Galactic Republic millennia before the rise of the Empire. They were organized as a part of the Republic Army.

Characteristics
Rocket-jumpers were tasked with holding and pressing forward the Army's front line as slower troops, artillery and craft arrived, and with engaging in special-forces missions, such as reconnaissance, rescues and other tactics requiring speed and skill.

They were equipped with a Zim Systems ROCKET jetpack, armor, and a Pulse-wave Rifle.

History
Senator Netus served with them prior to his service as Minister of Defense. Very few members of the Republic military ever became part of this elite and renowned force. Each year, only 8% of candidates were selected for rocket-jumper training.

When highly disciplined in combat, rocket-jumpers had a reputation for bizarre behavior when not on duty, presumably a result of their esprit de corps and the intense danger of their role. They were expected to succeed or die trying on the battlefield. Surrender was not considered an acceptable option.

During the Great Droid Revolution, they were defeated by Juggernaut war droids in a battle over Monument Plaza on Coruscant.

By the time of the Clone Wars, they were mostly-forgotten after being decommissioned by the Republic during its reformation and reassignment of its military, but its legacy lived on in the form of the Clone Jet Troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Airtroopers of the Galactic Empire.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising