Advanced Recon Force trooper

Advanced Recon Force troopers, also referred to as ARF troopers or as AT-RT Drivers, were clone troopers who wore lighter armor for stealth and speed and often rode All Terrain Reconnaissance Transports into battle, wielding RPC-2 Rocket Launchers and DC-15A blaster rifles. ARF troopers who served as scouts were dubbed Advanced Recon Force Scout Troopers. ARF troopers wore Phase I ARF armor and, eventually, another model of armor. Phase II ARF armor also would come to exist and was worn by clone scout troopers.
==Description==
Like most clone troopers, ARF troopers were 1.83 meters or 6 feet tall. They were the cavalry of the Republic army riding AT-RTs on scouting missions and into battle. Clones with exceptional agility are given ARF training and they regard themselves a separate breed of trooper. They saw piloting an AT-RT as the equivalent of riding a living mount, rather than driving a vehicle. ARF troopers were skilled in reconnaissance, cavalry operations, armed and unarmed combat, and military tactics.Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!
==History==
In the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems and following the kidnapping of Jabba the Hutt's infant, Rotta, two ARF troopers followed several of Jabba's bounty hunters to a B'omarr Order Monastery on Teth. The ARF trooper commander informed Jedi General Mace Windu of this. They awaited the arrival of Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and informed him that at least two battalions of battle droids were guarding the monastery against an attack. Several ARF troopers were stationed at Tipoca City's Military Complex.
During the Ryloth campaign, several ARF troopers served under General Mace Windu and Clone Commander Ponds in Lightning Squadron. The ARF troopers and their AT-RTs were able to take out several detachments of Emir Wat Tambor's occupation forces en route to Lessu City. Windu then took two ARF troopers, Stak and Razor to find the Resistance fighters under General Cham Syndulla. Windu and the two ARF troopers were able find them and were taken to their hideout. Windu then had Commander Ponds and General Syndulla prepare their men for their assault on Lessu. After Windu, Stak, and Razor were able to take control of the plasma bridge, Commander Ponds' ARF troopers took their AT-RTs into Lessu alongside Syndulla's blurrg riders.
Several ARF troopers of the 212th Recon Division fought under General Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Second Battle of Geonosis. During Separatist General Grievous' attack on Tipoca City, Clone ARC Commander Blitz was accompanied by three ARF troopers, and ordered one to use a rocket launcher to destroy the last of the Trident-assault ships. Many of these troopers belonged to Rancor Battalion, and had distinctive red markings on their clone trooper armor, while ARF troopers who served in the 501st Legion had blue markings.
Several ARF troopers under Commander Trauma, General Halsey, and his Padawan Knox, were stationed at the Temple of Eedit on Devaron. The temple then came under attack by battle droids. Trauma and his ARF troopers were able to hold off the droids, but when they came under attack by Count Dooku's new apprentice, Savage Opress, their forces were wiped out. At the Battle of Umbara, many ARF troopers rode All Terrain Reconnaissance Transports as part of the forces led by Jedi General Pong Krell. ARF troopers later served the Galactic Empire, the successor state of the Republic.
==Behind the scenes==
The Databank established that ARF troopers and AT-RT Drivers are the same class of clone trooper by referring to AT-RT Drivers in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith as ARF troopers. Star Wars: Card Trader treated AT-RT Drivers and ARF troopers as separate classes of clones, claiming that the former were more intelligent and, at least in terms of survival skills, better trained. However, Card Trader also referred to AT-RT Drivers with the "Advanced Recon Force" designation.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
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*Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
*Star Wars: Rogue One: AT-ACT Deluxe Book and 3D Wood Model
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*Star Wars: On the Front Lines
*Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles 
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*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!
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*Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
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==Notes and references==
Advanced Recon Force trooper
Category:Imperial military specializations