Presenting the Star Wars Republic Attack Dropship - No. We are not going to call it the Star Wars RAD.The Republic Attack Dropship is... a "Shock-and-Awe" troop delivery vehicle that gives the Republic Grand Army a vehicle versatile enough to deliver a point of heavily armed crack-troops (Dare I say suicidal troops); and transform to provide that point with the vital air support as well.
You can clearly see the Mandalorian influence in it's design as it is reminiscent of Jango Fett's Slave 1 freighter.
I have to admit that I was hesitant about the practicality of this vehicle at first. I mean what can this do that a more heavily armored and heavily armed Low Altitude Assault Transport/Carrier (LAAT/C) can't? Answer: It's not a lumbering forty ton rock in the sky.The Republic Attack Dropship is probably faster and has the sleeker width of a human being so it's definitely harder to hit; What it loses in terms of the number of troops it can deliver, it makes up in providing them with portable firepower; and, if you remember the craggy terrain of Geonosis and Utapau - and even the rain forests of Kashyyyk, then you can see the need for a smaller, lighter vehicle that can maneuver in tight spaces and deliver troops in areas that would be considered too tight for the LAAT/C.
