AOTC Ground Battle Tech

[phongn]

I was watching my copy of the Episode 2 DVD (unfortunately Pan and Scan, but it was cheap) and I remember doing something of an analysis back when the trailer was out. This is somewhat unorganized, but does represent my thoughts. Screenshots to come later.

LAAT/c: This apparently has only a single pilot and is completely unarmed. It likely relies on other gunships and orbital fire support to get their AT-TEs down on the ground unmolested.

Clonetrooper Rifle: Very, very powerful. They have been observed to not only knock out Super Battle Droids, but they have been shown to blow apart Droidekas as well.

LAAT/i: Very well armed, but their ground-attack missiles showed an interesting ability: they retarget on the fly. For example, one of the Hailfire droids had been destroyed by a missile - and a pair of others that had been targetting it looped and and sought another target. Are the missiles datalinked together or to their launching platform?

SPHA-T: While they were able to carve up the Core Ships pretty well, it looked like most of them were going for internal shots through the leg aperatures. Perhaps they managed to score catastrophic kills on some of the repulsorlift systems?

Techno Union Ships: They seemed rather weak since the LAAT/i missiles could score damage by targetting the right points, whereas the Core Ships took those missiles with apparent impunity.

[Sea Skimmer]

LAAT/i: Very well armed, but their ground-attack missiles showed an interesting ability: they retarget on the fly. For example, one of the Hailfire droids had been destroyed by a missile - and a pair of others that had been targetting it looped and and sought another target. Are the missiles datalinked together or to their launching platform?

One of the holonet news articles indicated that some missiles computers are basically sentient. If they where using some form of ATR seeker then they should retarget if the initial target is blown apart and no longer resembles what they are seeking.

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Doesn't the /c have the 3 laser cannons?

[Darth Garden Gnome]

Other vehicles variants include:

LAAT/v
As described in SW Insider, this ship has a larger cargo hold to carry vehicles. Although obviously not ones as large as the AT-TE (otherwise defeating the purpose of the LAAT/c), it could instead hold large numbers of speeder bikes (of which the LAAT/i has only two), or smaller walkers like the AT-XT from the Clone Wars video game.

SPHA-C
Uses concussion missles instead of turbolaser cannons. Most likely useful for over the horizon strikes/targets behind terrain, or highly maneverable targets like aircraft.

SPHA-I
Uses an ion cannon. Probably of similar yield to the SPHA's turbolaser. Its use seems somewhat limited however; what good is a disabled ship after it slams into the ground?

SPHA-V
Wields an anti-vehicle laser. While apparently a smaller fixture than the turbolaser, it is probably a more agile gun, with its power suited towards destroying small targets, rather than starships.

AT-XT
All-Terrain Experimental Transport: from the Clone Wars video game. While it saw limited use during the Clone Wars, its posture was similar to that of the AT-ST. It aslo had similar weapons: two chin-mounted laser cannons, and two heavier cannons atop its head.

[Illuminatus Primus]

TX-130 Saber Figher Tank - the standard repulsor tank of the Republic forces. Equipped with twin laser cannons, and two guided thermal detonator missile bays. Also features anti-personnel blaster. Crew of two.

Ground Attack Tank - new heavy repulsor tank of Seperatist forces. Complements AAT. Equipped with two laser cannon and micro proton torpedo tubes.

Corporate Alliance Tanks - treaded laser-equipped Seperatist tanks that got cut from AOTC.

[Illuminatus Primus]

AT-XT
All-Terrain Experimental Transport: from the Clone Wars video game. While it saw limited use during the Clone Wars, its posture was similar to that of the AT-ST. It aslo had similar weapons: two chin-mounted laser cannons, and two heavier cannons atop its head.

Those are proton shell mortors, I believe.

[K. A. Pital]

phongn
Very, very powerful.
Quite powerful, ranged a few km (2 or more, perhaps 3-4 km would be correct).

[Illuminatus Primus]

Upper-end I'd say the SPHA-T had a couple 100 km range at least.

[Clone Sergeant]

LAAT/c: This apparently has only a single pilot and is completely unarmed. It likely relies on other gunships and orbital fire support to get their AT-TEs down on the ground unmolested.

Doesn't the /c have the 3 laser cannons?

Yes, the LAAT/c has the same three laser cannons the infantry version has. Watch the scene where an AT-TE is dropped of more closely.

[Knife]

I was watching my copy of the Episode 2 DVD (unfortunately Pan and Scan, but it was cheap) and I remember doing something of an analysis back when the trailer was out. This is somewhat unorganized, but does represent my thoughts. Screenshots to come later.

DVD on your CD ROM?

LAAT/c: This apparently has only a single pilot and is completely unarmed. It likely relies on other gunships and orbital fire support to get their AT-TEs down on the ground unmolested.

Possible, modern utility aircraft are seldom armed or if so, not well armed.

Clonetrooper Rifle: Very, very powerful. They have been observed to not only knock out Super Battle Droids, but they have been shown to blow apart Droidekas as well.

Considering the size of the thing in comparison to other weapons and firearms of the movies and of the era, they seem fairly in line with known weapons. The clonetrooper rifles seem huge compared to even the weapons on the droids and droidecka's. If firepower is a result of size (power source or gaschamber size) then a larger weapon would give the edge to the rapid deploying forces of the clones.

LAAT/i: Very well armed, but their ground-attack missiles showed an interesting ability: they retarget on the fly. For example, one of the Hailfire droids had been destroyed by a missile - and a pair of others that had been targetting it looped and and sought another target. Are the missiles datalinked together or to their launching platform?

Considering the shown ability of Jango's missles on Slave One, this shouldn't be too suprising.

SPHA-T: While they were able to carve up the Core Ships pretty well, it looked like most of them were going for internal shots through the leg aperatures. Perhaps they managed to score catastrophic kills on some of the repulsorlift systems?

The possibility of hull armor on the Core ships could explain the problem with all of that.

Techno Union Ships: They seemed rather weak since the LAAT/i missiles could score damage by targetting the right points, whereas the Core Ships took those missiles with apparent impunity.

Again a tech answere, but they did not appear to be active. Could they have not been manned or perhaps not powered up enough to have active shielding?

[K. A. Pital]

Illuminatus Primus
I was talking about the range of the clonetrooper rifle, not of the SPHA-T

[Lord of the Farce]

SPHA-I
Uses an ion cannon. Probably of similar yield to the SPHA's turbolaser. Its use seems somewhat limited however; what good is a disabled ship after it slams into the ground?

Possible use is to disrupt enemy defenses and heavy units from long range, and then being able to salvage the disabled equipment for repair and redeployment. Or maybe if you want to capture an enemy fortress and then reuse it later...

[Illuminatus Primus]

Illuminatus Primus
I was talking about the range of the clonetrooper rifle, not of the SPHA-T

Clonetrooper rifles have 10 km range (w/ tripod, of course) according to the ICS.

[K. A. Pital]

Illuminatus Primus
That's pretty good. In the movie we haven't seen them used with tripods, but still they came with 4 km I think. For a handheld weapon it's not too bad.

Who knows what's the range of the sniper desintegrator from Jedi Knight II JO?

[Illuminatus Primus]

Game mechanics are real iffy for analysis.