The Low Altitude Assault Transport carrier (LAAT/c),^[1] also known as the LAAT/c assault carrier,^[3] AT-TE Carrier^[10] Tank Lifter,^[11] or the Republic Dropship^[12] 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^[13] and RTT-04 armored troop transports.^[6]

Characteristics[]

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 acceleration 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]

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