[Vehicle - NRSC] OR-LT Omnirole Repulsorlift Light Transport

During the Core Conflicts, the New Republic Ground Forces discovered a major shortfall in their combat capability, stemming from the lack of a suitable transport vehicle. Following the Galactic Civil War, the New Republic military inherited much of the Alliance's ground vehicles, most of which were converted civilian vehicles, older Republic walkers with ad-hoc upgrades, or captured Imperial vehicles impressed into Alliance service. Not only was the plethora of vehicles a maintenance headache, but presented a logistical nightmare for transport. While larger vehicles, such as the Crusader line of repulsorlift-equipped combat vehicles provided a massive upgrade in terms of capability, they were still incompatible with much of the New Republic Navy's transport fleet, which still largely consisted of the small militarised GR75 transports, and civilian-derived cruisers, most of which were based of Mon Calamari cargo vessels.

While the New Republic begun to introduce dedicated logistical vessels and more advanced MC90 warships, military planners still required a short-term solution to the lack of appropriate ground vehicles. With Imperial Remnants and other terrorist groups continually waging brutal offensives against Republic planets the ability to quickly mobilise and deploy mechanised forces across the Galaxy quickly became a priority, To address this problem, the  Omnirole Repulsorlift Light Transport -alternatively labelled the OR-LT - was hastily developed.

In order to promote interoperability, streamline maintenance and speed up production, one platform was designed to perform a variety of roles. Featuring a frontal repulsor array similar to earlier Imperial hovertank designs, and a set of four light thrusters for forward movement, most of the vehicle's mechanical and electrical components were arranged in a flattened configuration below the floor. The large, unobstructed interior allowed complex and oversize payloads, and the vehicle could be employed as a transport, command vehicle, personnel carrier, utility vehicle, ambulance or fire-support platform. In its standard loadout, each vehicle carried a light-blaster mounted at the front, and had the capacity for a driver and six troops.

As intended, the vehicle was easily transportable by older New Republic ships, due to its light weight and small size. However, these trade-offs, which delivered a cheap and manoeuvrable vehicle, sacrificed protection and durability. The thin side armour was easily penetrated by cannon fire or nearby blasts from concussion missiles, while there was no overhead protection, meaning the vehicle was easy prey for Imperial fighters. In order to remedy this, some vehicles were retrofitted with add-on armour protection around critical components, and mounted heavy anti-starfighter cannons to protect convoys from low-flying starfighters.

Below: a OR-LT with add on armour and a Baktoid Armour Workshops AA5-anti-starfighter cannon (left) and a standard OR-LT (right)

What was not as easily fixed were the vehicles reliability issues. The flattened underfloor mechanical components, which gave the vehicle its practical layout, were prone to defects and breakages. Nevertheless, the simple design meant production could be outsourced to many different factories, with assembly lines on Nubia, Bilbringi, Corellia and Shumogi. Furthermore, the cheap price of the vehicle, coupled with its versatility and ease of use, saw it enter service with the New Republic Ground Forces and Republic Planetary Defence Forces in massive numbers, and it soon become a valued asset of the war effort.

Below: an ambulance version of the OR-LT

Specifications:

Capacity: 1 driver, 6x troops (personnel carrier loadout); 1 driver, 1 gunner, two passengers (fire support vehicle); 1 driver, 1 medic, 1 medical droid, 2x casualties (ambulance) or 1.6 tonnes of cargo or 1x AT-RT or 2x speeder bikes (outsized load)

Speed: 150km/h (flat surface)

Range: 2300 kms

Dimensions: 6.5m (l) x 2m (w) x 1.7m (h)

Weight: 1 tonne

Cost: 12 500 credits

Powerplant: 2x SoroSuub 45FH Repulsorlift engines, 4x Corellian Engineering Corp 98J Microthrusters

Armament (standard): 1x Baktoid Armopur Workshops DF76 light anti-personnel blaster