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The Low Altitude Assault Transport carrier (LAAT/c),[1] also known as the LAAT/c assault carrier,[3] or the Tank Lifter,[8] was one of the two models in the Low Altitude Assault Transport line of gunship designed to transport a single All Terrain Tactical Enforcer. The ship locked onto an AT-TE with its magnetic claps and brought the walker to the designated drop zone.[1] They were used by the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars,[4] and by the Galactic Empire as well. They could also carry K79-S80 Imperial Troop Transports.[9]
Characteristics[edit | edit source]
The Low Altitude Assault Transport carrier produced by Rothana Heavy Engineering was a heavy airlift variant of the Grand Army of the Republic's Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunship. Initially designed as a carrier for the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer, the LAAT/c was a fast, lightly armed vehicle used to transport walkers and other heavy vehicles,[3] such as RX-200 Falchion-class assault tanks,[5] to the battlefield for fast deployment. These large, 175,000-credit airspeeders allowed Galactic Republic Army commanders to move and deploy their armored forces quickly and efficiently.[3]
Like the LAAT/i, from which the carrier was derived, the LAAT/c had a long, narrow fuselage with a broad, armored flight deck forward and a pair of high-mounted, downward angled wings mounted aft. Two huge ion engines were mounted in armored nacelles above the wings, which provided the vehicle with a blistering straight-line[3] maximum speed of 620 kilometers per hour[1] and a maximum altitude of 100 kilometers per hour. The troop compartment of the LAAT/i was replaced with modular articulated electromagnetic clamps and other cargo-handling equipment used to carry and deploy vehicles.[3]
While not a frontline combat vehicle like the LAAT/i, the carrier still possessed a respectable defensive weapons load-out, armed with two light laser cannons mount in ball turrets below the flight deck, and two more were mounted aft beneath the speeder's engines for both anti-fighter and anti-personnel purposes. In addition, four unguided air-to-ground rockets were mounted beneath both wings, which provided the craft limited light anti-air capabilities and the ability to clear fighting vehicles and droids from contested landing zones. The LAAT/c was also equipped with medium-ranged sensors, had a passenger complement of two for capacity, and crewed by a pilot and co-pilot, while also possessing a cargo capacity of fifteen metric tons for encrumbance.[3]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Star Wars Battlefront II (DLC)
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Bounty Hunters"- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Zillo Beast"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Landing at Point Rain"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Weapons Factory" (First identified as Tank Lifter)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Legacy of Terror" (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Grievous Intrigue"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Deserter"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Death Trap" (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Heroes on Both Sides" (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Senate Murders" (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Mercy Mission"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Kidnapped"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Old Friends Not Forgotten"
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 13
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 14
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 20
Sources[edit | edit source]
- We've Spotted Imperial Walkers: A History of Legged War Machines on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Ultimate Star Wars (First identified as Low Altitude Assault Transport carrier)
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 22 (Highlights of the Saga: The Battle of Geonosis) (Picture only)
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 35 (Databank A-Z: Kyber Crystals–Laser Cannons)
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 37 (Weapons & Uniforms: Republic Ground Vehicles)
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 40 (Helmets: Clone Pilot; Highlights of the Saga: Battle on Geonosis)
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 45 (Weapons & Uniforms: Republic Pilots; Highlights of the Saga: The Battle of Teth) (Picture only)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles
- Collapse of the Republic
- Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition – BTL-B Y-Wing Expansion Pack (Card: Red Squadron Bomber)
- Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
- Battle Droid in the Databank (backup link) (Picture only)
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 Collapse of the Republic
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- ↑ 5.0 5.1
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Zillo Beast"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 13
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Grievous Intrigue"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Weapons Factory"
- ↑ Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 14
