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The AAL-1971/9.1 Troop Transport, also known as an Atmospheric Assault Lander (AAL) is an armored troop carrier operated by the Dark Angels designed to ferry up to sixty troopers from orbital vessels to planetary surfaces.
Specifications/Overview
Design
The Atmospheric Assault Lander is a combat-zone rapid-deployment transport designed to ferry sixty troopers into combat in less than thirty seconds. Measuring 48 meters in length, it features a disembarkation ramp at the front of the vessel, where troopers in a low-light troop compartment (to preserve troopers' night vision) can disembark as bright spotlights above the ramp brightens the landing zone, dazzling the enemy in the process. The transport contains no pilots and is instead computer operated. Located directly beside the searchlights are forward deflector augmenters and sensor arrays.
The lander has two pairs of robust landing gear underneath for hard landings and has one ramp actuator on either side of the front to stabilize the craft when the ramp is lowered. The lower sides of the craft include atmospheric ducting, heat exchanger fins, atmospheric processing, and life support systems, as well as the forward repulsor array used during landing. On the outside are two pairs of terrain sensors near the stern. The troop cabin is also large enough to accommodate a pair of BARC speeder bikes or Mongooses.
Weapons/Armament
The lander isn't designed to be an attack craft and has only one type of weapon: three Lascannons located on the underside of the craft. The powerful lascannon is a formidable laser weapon whose energetic beam of coherent energy is capable of penetrating most armored vehicles. These are used to clear out any enemy forces or debris before performing a landing.
Defenses
A deflector shield generator is located on top of the craft, with a main forward deflector projector located slightly in front of it. Inside the prow is a forward deflector augmenter and sensor array for extra protection further up the front of the vessel, located behind the spotlights. Each lander has a smooth, armored hull that uses voids of inert gas to dampen laser bolt impacts, with additional external armor used to protect the engines from incoming fire.
Troopers are deployed the moment the boarding ramp is lowered, with a first group of troopers rushing out to establish a perimeter. To do this, the soldiers often use FWMB-10 repeating blasters, which offer a good cover fire. Six squads, consisting of fifty-four soldiers, can disembark in standard six-abreast formation, and could begin combat operations in as little as thirty seconds, allowing the lander to evacuate the drop zone.
Propulsion
Each craft is powered by a reactor located in a sturdy reactor compartment in the rear, and featured six SJAS-210 sublight ion engines that are kept powered up during landings in the event rapid extraction is required. These engines require numerous reactant ducts and pumps and an acceleration compensator to function fully. Furthermore, to give greater control of the craft, electromagnetic thrust vectoring fins are stationed over the engines exhaust, and ion drive thrusters, an ion collision bar and ion acceleration chambers further improve the assault landers maneuverability. Additionally, several power cells are located underneath the engines, sheltered under the frame of the vessel.