LAAT gunboat

The LAAT (Low Altitude Assault Transport) or Republic gunship, which means that it is a low altitude assault transport and was a widely used air vehicle by the Republic in the Star Wars universe during the Clone Wars. Due to its great adaptability and its powerful weaponry (two laser turrets, four cannons, and two missile launchers) they made this one of the most used vehicles in the Galaxy.

Vehicle used by the Galactic Republic in the battle of Geonosis, for the transfer of clone troopers and war survivors. They were designed in the year 22 before the Battle of Yavin and crafted by Rothana Heavy Engineering hailing from the planet Rothana and Kuat Drive Yards. They were composed of a platform that could carry up to thirty humanoid beings and small vehicles such as speeder bikes that kept up to 4 in its rear hangar for reconnaissance or search and rescue missions. But LAAT specialized in transporting only land vehicles like the AT-TE were built and it was only driven by a pilot and a co-pilot. But they also had a couple of auxiliary gunners per ship. It can be very well compared to a military or rescue helicopter with the side doors open (In this sense it has a great resemblance to the Blackhawk, since both ships have almost the same purpose, apart from the resemblance of the side doors). But in addition to offering transportation, they served as support vehicles, transport of attack tools, and medical services. Another of its characteristics is that it could hold up to 8 hours of fuel given its large capacity.

Early versions of the LAAT gunships only worked within an atmosphere, but later versions made them work through space.

LAAT gunships were the salvation of many Jedi who were trapped in the Geonosis Execution Arena. During the Battle of Geonosis, more than 2,000 LAAT gunships were deployed. They were later instrumental in defeating the Separatists at Muunilinst and in the other battles of the Clone Wars, including Mygeeto, Mustafar, Utapau, and Kashyyyk. Later, they would be used by the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance in the Galactic Civil War.

The variants of the LAAT gunboats were the following:

- LAAT/i (Designed for infantry transport)

- LAAT/c (Designed to carry heavier items)

- LAAT/s (Stealth version for covert missions because it was hard to detect)

- LAAT/v (Designed to carry up to 16 74-Z speeder bikes)