Out of all the Empire’s ground combat vehicles, the All Terrain Armoured Transport (AT-AT) was the most feared. The Alliance had nothing to match the behemoths that stood over fifteen metres tall, which struck fear in any army that faced them.
The walkers were designed mainly as troop transports. The Empire wanted a transport that did not use repulsorlifts, seeing that these could easily be stopped by gravity fluctuations, or any other special conditions that might arise. AT-ATs stand on four legs, and can cover almost any terrain on any world. The technology for these vast war machines was in part taken from older vehicles. The Old Republic’s All Terrain Personal Transport (AT-PT) was a great influence on the AT-AT, but was vastly scaled up.
For the Empire, the AT-AT was a wonder of design. Never had they expected something so formidable; not only was it a troop transport, it was also an excellent weapons platform and a great psychological weapon.
The walkers have very thick armour, which is impervious to all but the strongest of heavy artillery weapons. With this in mind, the Empire normally sent the AT-ATs in first went commencing a ground assault. The war machines would smash the enemy apart and then drop their troops off. This would leave the path clear for the smaller vehicles to finish off the enemy.
The command centre for the walker is within the movable head of the transport. This contains all the staff necessary to the running of the AT-AT, including the commander, pilot, and gunner. From this head, all the weapons are controlled. The gunner is able to use a holographic projection to gain a 360 degree view of the battlefield. On the head itself are the main weapons of the AT-AT. These are two heavy laser cannons, which are mounted on its chin. On each side of the head, two medium blasters are found, which cam be fired and rotated independently, allowing multiple targets to be aimed at. The head gives the cannons a good firing arc for such a large machine. It can move ninety degrees left or right, rotating as it does so; it can also move thirty degrees up or down, making sure that enemy ground troops can be taken care of.
The main section of the AT-AT is used to house troops and other equipment. Within its carapace five speeder bikes and up to forty troops can be stored. Because the walkers stand so tall, they must kneel down to unload troops. This process involves the AT-ATs dropping to within three metres of the ground, and extending a sliding ramp. Instead of housing troops, the walkers can instead carry two All Terrain Scout Transports (AT-STs).
The two drive motor’s of the AT-AT are located beneath the main body. These propel the four legs, allowing the walkers to achieve speeds of up to sixty kilometres per hour, but only on flat terrain. Their immense size is deceptive, and the AT-ATs, although huge, can be upon the enemy before they know it. The Rebels have realised this countless times, and have paid the price for their underestimation of the Empire’s combat transports.
Although AT-ATs are made up of components from several corporations, the Empire have them assembled under strict military supervision. The main AT-AT factories are the Kuat Drive Yards, on Kuat. Other known factories are located on Carida and Belderone.
