MT / 191 drop - ship The MT / 191 drop - ship was a shuttle , troop transport , and dropship manufactured by Meller & Dax . Characteristics . Meller & Dax ' s MT / 191 drop - ship was a troop transport and shuttle designed to drop company - sized army formations from orbit into combat zones . Measuring 52 . 5 meters , the drop - ship was crewed by a single pilot and carried one hundred and sixty soldiers . MT / 191s had a cargo capacity of two hundred metric tons , and consumables to last a single day . The MT / 191 drop - ship was designed to rapidly drop from orbit to the surface of a planet in a controlled powerdive . Before launching , the drop - ship was covered in VACX , an ablative coating designed to burn off during atmospheric re - entry . As the drop - ship plummeted to the surface , the ablative coating protected the drop - ship from the high - friction temperature of re - entry , protecting the ship before it landed in a controlled fashion . MT / 191s were also able to approach and land on the surface of a planet in a normal manner . The MT / 191 could reach speeds of 1 , 200 kilometers an hour during a rapid drop , and speeds of 650 kilometers an hour during the return flight . The MT / 191 employed a single light laser cannon for defense , located directly above the cockpit . The cannon was generally retracted into the body of the drop - ship , and could only fire when extended . The laser cannon could not be extended during an atmospheric drop . The weapon was not intended for combat , and was only to be used as a deterrent as the ship traveled through combat zones . Underpowered , it was only intended for use as an anti - personnel and anti - vehicle weapon during landing operations . History . An older design , the MT / 191 was primarily used by the Galactic Empire to drop Imperial Army and Imperial Navy companies into combat . Stormtroopers employed their own assault shuttles , and did not use the MT / 191 . When not being used in a combat capacity , the MT / 191 was used to transfer personnel and cargo through the fleet . Standard Imperial doctrine called for MT / 191s to land in sufficient numbers at landing sites that had been pre - arranged and pre - bombed . TIE / LN starfighter s were ticketed for escort duty during landing operations . 1 , 860 MT / 191s were assigned to the first Death Star , and they were assigned to Torpedo Spheres as well . The Special Unit squadron of the Scimitar assault wing employed two flight s of the MT / 191 drop - ship . Primarily used to ferry ground troops to the surface during combined assault operations . When not in combat , the drop - ships were employed as cargo vessels and shuttles . They were classified as combat craft in the wing ' s organizational chart , and not as utility craft . The Alliance to Restore the Republic captured several MT / 191s during the Galactic Civil War , and employed them as troop transport and shuttles for Alliance Special Forces . However , the Alliance found obtaining sufficient VACX to coat the ships to be difficult , and instead resorted to applying " home - brew " formulas . While a mix of air - foam / silica te ceramic gave the best results , other mixtures had been known to fuse , melt , burn - off , or ignite while in transit .