Armored Transports Course Notes {AT}

All-Terrain Assault Transport (AT-AT)
Manufacturer: Kuat Drive Yards
Vehicle Class: Heavy Mechanized Assault Walker
Length: 16 Meter tall
Speed: 60 kilometer per hour over even terrain
Crew: 3 (Pilot, copilot and gunner)
Troop Capacity : 40 Stormtroopers
Weapons:
- Two Heavy laser cannons
- Two fire-linked medium blasters
Shields/Armor: Heavy Durasteel alloy armored hull. Impenetrable to even heavy anti-armor cannons.

In designing it's primary ground assault vehicles, the Empire knew that fear and superstition would play a big part in destroying the moral of those who might oppose it's ground forces. To this end, Palpatine approved a series of vehicles that resembled, more than anything else, massive beasts that dwarfed any repulsor lifts of crawlers in use by the worlds of the Old Republic. Awesome when on the move, shaking the ground with each step, these walkers in stilled fear into even the most hardened enemy troops.

The Imperial All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) is a formidable battlefield vehicle. Assembled at the Kuat Drive Yards to exacting specifications, the AT-AT is the lagers of the walker’s designs, and can perform equally well in desert, forest or snow conditions. Controlled by pilots in the forward "head" section of the vehicle, this impressive metal monster moves along at a rapid and unstoppable rate towards it's target, crushing any thing and everything in its path beneath its massive durasteel feet. The great height from which it is controlled allows the AT-AT crew to see over obstacles that might hamper other vehicles, such as trees or the low buildings that would be encountered during urban battle situations. The AT-AT's head section is connected to the main body by a flexible armored tunnel resembling a neck, and this flexibility permits the control cockpit to swing from side to side and up and down as if the beast were peering around for its victims. The standard crew consists of an AT-AT Commander, a pilot and a co-pilot, who is primarily responsible for weapons.

Two fixed heavy laser cannons, targeted via head movement, are mounted beneath the "chin" area of the control head. On the cockpit's sides are mounted mobile medium blasters that can be brought to bear by computer-aided targeting. This allows the AT-AT to fire in multiple directions, at multiple targets, at once. AT-AT walkers load and drop the troops they carry by "kneeling" to allow the use of a ramp in the main body. In this way, battle ready Stormtroopers "hit the ground running, weapons drawn, initially shielded from enemy fire by the massive bulk of the walker above and around them. Side-mounted hatches allow personnel to enter or exit the vehicle via the boarding ramps of imperial landing platforms.


All-Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST)
Manufacturer: Kuat Drive Yards
Vehicle Class: Medium Mechanized Scout Walker
Length: 8.6 Meter tall
Speed: 90 kilometer per hour over even terrain
Crew: 2 (pilot and gunner)
Troop Capacity : N/A
Weapons:
-1 twin blaster cannon
-1 light blaster cannon
-1 concussion grenade launcher
-2 durasteel feet with claws
Shields/Armor: Medium Durasteel alloy armored hull.

The All-Terrain Scout Transport is a relatively lightweight vehicle and a vital component of the Imperial ground forces due to its speed, maneuverability and precise weaponry. A pilot and gunner, who enter the command pod via a small hatch on the topside of the armored module, man each scout walker.

The scout walker issued to protect and support the ground troops and guard the flank and vulnerable under belly of the AT-AT walkers. An AT-ST can also employ the sharp claws on each foot to slice through barricades and other obstacles. Unfortunately the scout walker has several limitations, the vehicle's gyro balance system is highly susceptible to damage, and its thin legs have difficulty navigating steep terrain. Thus enemy troops have found methods of toppling the AT-ST by using hidden trenches and other traps aimed at the legs.


All-Terrain Personal Transport (AT-PT)
Manufacturer: Rothana Heavy Engineering
Vehicle Class: Light Mechanized Infantry Walker
Length: 2.9 Meter tall
Speed: 60 kilometer per hour over even terrain.
Crew: 1 (pilot)
Troop Capacity: One Stormtrooper
Weapons:
-1 Nose Mounted Twin Blaster Cannon
-1 Chin Mounted Concussion Grenade Launcher
Shields/Armor: Light Armor. Virtually impenetrable to small arms fire, but venerable to heavy armaments.

The All-Terrain Personal Transport (AT-PT) was an experimental single-person walker design, which was originally designed by the Old Republic. It was meant to turn a single soldier into an armed force that could take on and defeat an entire squad of troops. Ultimately, the AT-PT project was cancelled. The majority of the Old Republic's AT-PTs were on the Katana Dreadnaught Fleet; after it was lost the momentum to furthering the AT-PT project was lost as well. Imperial Engineers later used many of its concepts when they were designing the AT-AT and the AT-ST. The AT-PT was intended to be a major component of the Old Republic's ground forces, also they planned to assign platoons of soldiers to AT-PTs, which would give a single platoon the firepower of nearly a company of ground troops; AT-PT platoons were to be equivalent to a light mechanized infantry units, but at a substantially lower cost. Also, with the speed and their extended commlink ranges, the platoon could patrol a far larger area than other comparable ground forces could.

The AT-PT can do impressively well against conventional ground forces. The Project designers developed the walker to be used for open ground, shallow water, jungle, mountain terrain and urban areas. The independently adjusting Leg Suspension System allows this vehicle to scramble over inclines and obstacles that would normally block repulsorlift and treaded vehicles. The Drive Legs can be extended upward for high-speed movement or to give the Pilot a much superior observation position, or the opposite can be done, where the walker is put into a "half crouch" position for superior balance compared to the larger AT-ST. Small side hatches allow access into the AT-PT. The command pod is equipped with a primitive sensor system for navigation and also the pod houses the Main Drive Unit.


Mountain Terrain Assault Transport (MT-AT)
Manufacturer: Originally designed on the planet Carida under orders of the planets civilian ruler.
Vehicle Class: Medium Mechanized Mountain Assault Walker
Length: 8.6 Meters
Speed:   130 kilometers per hour over even terrain.
Crew: 2 (pilot and gunner)
Troop Capacity: 12 Stormtroopers.
Weapons:
-8 twin blaster cannons (leg joints)
-2 laser cannons (chin)
Shields/Armor: Light Armor. Virtually impenetrable to small arms fire, but venerable to heavy armaments.

The Mountain Terrain Armored Transport (MT-AT) was developed on the planet Carida under the orders of the planet's de facto civilian ruler, Ambassador Furgan. The project was started about a year before the reappearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn. About six months into the project, an Imperial Star Destroyer visited the Carida system under the guise of a military exercise. With a false IFF code, they were able to stay in system long enough for a team of commandoes and intelligence operatives, sent by the leader of their Imperial faction to get into the main design bureau and steal the plans for the MT-AT.

The MT-AT is intended for operations requiring the traversal of seriously rugged mountainous terrains. It is much more dexterous and agile than regular walker classes, and its eight clawed legs enable it to find a very secure foothold. The greater number of limbs makes the MT-AT more trip-proof than the AT-AT, and provides better weight distribution for movement across unstable land. Its chief advantage is the ability to access ordinarily impenetrable positions, but not necessarily to act as a domineering juggernaut.

This is the only known walker design to mount weapons anywhere other than the main hull and head. Each of the legs has a swiveling blaster cannon on the elbow joint. Aiming these continually moving guns can prove to be a considerable problem, unless the gunner is aided by the semi-automated systems that drive the vehicle. (The gunner is one of only two crewmen who handle the complex machine.) The larger chin-mounted laser cannons are intended for defense against flying foes.

As the current version of the MT-AT is only capable of carrying a squad of Stormtroopers or supplies, work has begun on designing a larger version of the walker. This larger MT-AT, dubbed the Mountain Terrain Heavy Armored Transport (MT-HAT) is still some time away from being even a prototype, however it is believed that when completed the MT-HAT will be able to fulfill the role of the AT-AT in terrain that would normally be completely inaccessible to troops and vehicles. The new walker will have to be deployed by landing barge in the same manner as the AT-AT. This is because that while current MT-AT’s are deployed in an impact resistant cocoon, engineers have been unable, at present, to scale up the technology for something as large as the projected size of the MT-HAT.


All-Terrain Anti-Aircraft (AT-AA)
Manufacturer: Kuat Drive Yards
Vehicle Class: Medium Mechanized Anti-Aircraft Walker
Length: 5 Meters
Speed: 60 kilometer per hour over even terrain
Crew: 2 (pilot and gunner)
Troop Capacity: N/A
Weapons:
-Dorsal Flak Pod
Shields/Armor: Medium Durasteel alloy armored hull.

The All-Terrain Anti-Aircraft (AT-AA) was designed to counter the widespread use of heavy blaster equipped speeders and other sub orbital attack craft by the Rebel Alliance. Introduced just prior to the Crisis on Sarapin, this unit is a battle proven tool and one of the only ground based mobile Anti Air platforms in use by Imperial Forces. The AT-AA chassis provides a very stable platform for its Flak Pod due to its widely spaced legs and solid body core, making it almost as effective as a fixed AA position.

This squat, sturdy unit is capable of keeping pace with the slower armored units of the Imperial Army, like the AT-PT and AT-AT, but it is quickly outdistanced by the faster AT-ST and MT-AT. Though not a major concern when operating in a large armored column, without the protection of other armored units the AT-AA is very venerable to enemy attacks. Unfortunately the Flak Pod cannot be used to attack ground targets and the AT-AA is not equipped with any other weapons.