Type-57 Spirit Troop Carrier

The is the successor to the Type-25 Spirit, and the Republic's preferred dropship for close quarters assaults.

Description
When comparing the Spirit and the Phantom on paper, its not immediately clear why the Republic continues to use it. The Phantom has every advantage over it, with increased speed, agility, range, complement, armament, and flexibility. However, the Spirit has one advantage. Its heavy duty armour. Equipped with heavy plating that can make a tank blush, it can survive tremendous punishment. Tales of it's survivability are common, with Spirits coming down amidst torrents of ground fire, simply ignoring it. Even in the event the enemy has something powerful enough to damage it, its multiple redundancies allow it to continue flying. The Spirit is used to attack the most well defended positions, disengorging troops and armour before withdrawing.

The Spirit is designed quiet unlike any known dropship. Instead of a pilot up front, and the passenger cabin behind them, it is in the shape of a tuning fork, with the pilot and gunner sat in the rear cabin, and the passengers sat in one of the two forks. Between the forks is a gravity field, allowing it to carry a tank or a number of smaller vehicles. The passengers sit in the rather claustrophobic troop bays, nestled into thier alcoves. For their protection, the troop bays are fitted with dampening fields, reducing shock and impacts felt by the passengers. When it comes time to deploy, the outer carapace unfolds, allowing them to jump or walk free of the ship.

Despite it's age, the Republic continues to use the old beast, upgrading it with new sensors and electronic countermeasures, to bring it in line with the Phantom. Its still a common sight where the fighting is thickest, bringing down Republic troops to where they are needed. Similarly, the Remnant and the Storm use unaltered versions.