Sentinel - class landing craft / Legends The Sentinel " - class landing craft , also known as the Sentinel " - class shuttle , was a transport used primarily by the Galactic Empire to carry troops , small vehicles , and supplies . Characteristics . With its folding wing configuration and matching cockpit module , the " Sentinel " - class landing craft was based on the " Lambda " - class shuttle , both shuttles having seen design origins in the " Theta " - class shuttle . However , unlike its predecessor and its counterpart , the landing craft ' s exterior was encased in armor plating 25 % heavier than the armor of a " Lambda " - class . The landing craft was also equipped with four deflector shield projectors . Despite its large size and heavy weight , the " Sentinel " - class was fast and agile due to its Cygnus HD7 engine array . The Sentinel relied on a crew consisting of a pilot , a co - pilot / sensor officer , as well as three gunners , the minimum crew required was just one person . The head gunner handled the eight fire - linked laser cannons , while the remaining gunners manned the ion cannon , the repeating blasters and the fire - linked missile launchers . The vehicle ' s sensor suite , which was located in the cockpit , allowed navigation in nearly all conditions and featured infrared imaging , motion detectors , and life - form indicators . The vessel ' s computer also featured an automatic mapping function and a rudimentary autopilot that could pilot the vessel towards an Imperial garrison , starship , or homing beacon during emergencies , and included powerful communication arrays which enabled contact with all Imperial starships and garrisons within a given system . The interior of the shuttle could be customized for each mission , removing or adding seating . In its standard configuration , a " Sentinel " - class could carry 54 stormtroopers ( approximately six squads ) , 12 E - web heavy repeating blaster s , and 6 74 - Z speeder bikes . When its seats were removed and it was converted to carrying supplies , it could transport 36 74 - Z speeder bikes , or 12 compact assault vehicles such as AT - STs or AT - PTs . Its total cargo capacity was 180 metric tons . " Sentinels " could also carry TIE Maulers and SPMA - Ts into battle . For insertion into a planet , a " Sentinel " carried a Class 1 . 0 hyperdrive . " Sentinels " were also used to deploy Marine landing forces onto enemy starships . The landing craft ' s weapons load consisted of 8 laser cannons , 2 concussion missile launchers , 1 retractable turret - mounted ion cannon , and 2 rotating repeating blasters ( retractable , used when landing ) . Three gunners were responsible for manning these weapons , which were all linked to the shuttle ' s precise targeting computers . Since the " Sentinel " - class was heavily armed , it also served as a combat support vehicle . " Sentinel " - class landing craft were deployed from Imperial Airbase s . History . After the Clone Wars , the Galactic Empire made a change from starships like the " Acclamator " - class assault ship that were able to land on planets in order to unload troops , to space - bound Star Destroyers , the sheer size of which required them to remain in orbit above the planet . That change brought about the need for a dedicated , armored , and maneuverable landing craft to safely transport troops directly into battlefields . The Cygnus - Sienar shuttle family fulfilled most of the Empire ' s needs for light transports , introducing the " Sentinel " - class landing craft some time before the Battle of Yavin , and it eventually became the main troop transport in the Imperial Navy . The primary use of the " Sentinel " - class was to transport troops between Star Destroyers / Cruisers / Star Dreadnoughts and the surface of a planet , but they could also serve as air support , short - range scouts , light cargo vessels , and even starfighter support . The vehicle was also used in conjunction with larger Y - 85 Titan dropships or AT - AT barges for joint infantry and armor assaults , as well as making an excellent atmospheric transport , with many Imperial garrisons keeping at least one Sentinel on - hand for this purpose . Landing craft carried ground forces into numerous battlefronts early in the Galactic Civil War . A modified version carried special containers for extra cargo , used to deploy vehicles as big as AT - STs . A number of " Sentinel " - class landing craft were used on the desert world of Tatooine , where they deployed sandtroopers and their dewback mounts to search for the missing Death Star plans in 0 BBY . In 0 BBY , shortly before the Battle of Yavin , a Jedi and some Rebel prisoners tried to escape the Death Star in a " Sentinel " but the 501st Legion blew the " Sentinel " up before they managed to take off . They then killed the Jedi leader and the breakout was over . Imperial officer Brenn Tantor , before his defection to the Rebel Alliance , used the Battlefield Holographic Control Interface to order " Sentinels " to deploy reinforcements from orbit to numerous battlefronts . " Sentinels " also carried reinforcements to Darth Vader in the Evacuation of Yavin . These shuttles could carry a modified recon speeder bike that featured an encrypted communications link to the " Sentinel " . More than six months after the Battle of Yavin , a " Sentinel " deployed a strike force to destroy the Rebel starship " Nonnah . " A landing craft also carried a force to attack Red Squadron on Lubang Minor , but was destroyed by a veteran clone trooper . The Rebel Alliance had at least one " Sentinel " , and used it in a raid on the Kessel prison . In 3 ABY , " Sentinels " carried snowtroopers to the surface for the Battle of Hoth . A short time later , the Empire deployed seven landing craft to carry its occupation force to Bespin . Rebel prisoners from the battle later took a " Sentinel " to escape the Maw after they were freed by Rogue Squadron . Production continued after the Battle of Endor , selling them to Imperial groups and private companies , by 6 ABY the shuttle had became quite common . Because of their versatility along with heavy arms and armor , the " Sentinel " - class saw great popularity inside and outside the Galactic Empire , being used by various other groups including the Rebel Alliance , the New Republic , Galactic Federation of Free Alliances , mercenary groups , and continued serving the Imperial Remnant long after the death of Emperor Palpatine during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY . The New Republic developed its own unique replacement for the " Sentinel " - class , the " Bantha " - class assault shuttle , which featured much heavier armor than its Imperial counterpart . At least one " Sentinel " , called the " Neuer " was still in use by the Fel Empire as late as 139 ABY . Behind the scenes . Several sources list the " Sentinel " - class as being 20 meters long ( i . e . " The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels " ) , the same length as the " Lambda " - class shuttle . Based on the vessel ' s similarity to the " Lambda " - class and other craft in the same family ( especially the " Kappa " - class shuttle ) , a more realistic length would fall somewhere between 29 and 45 meters . The space combat simulator " " depicts the " Sentinel " - class at a length of 38 meters , and a side - by - side comparison in the " " terrain editor scales the " Sentinel " - class at approximately 31 . 6 meters . However , the scales from both " Empire at War " games are known to be notoriously incorrect , especially the distortion between starfighters and capital ships . It is currently unknown which is the official canon length . The " Sentinel " - class landing craft is one of few C - canon elements to be used in the films ; it first appeared in the , and appeared in the special edition of " " . " Sentinels " serve as the Imperial landing craft in all three " Star Wars " RTS video game s : " , " " , " and " . "