Bomb squad stormtroopers, commonly called bombtroopers, were an elite class of Imperial stormtroopers trained in the activation and deactivation of explosive charges.
The bombtroopers were trained to disarm explosive devices varying from anti-tank mines to primitive spring traps. The bombtroopers were also considered superior to bomb-disposal droids due to their training, which was sufficient to recover an explosive device intact, which allowed for Imperial Intelligence to study it after recovery.
Captain Hugo Treece dispatched a group of bombtroopers, led by Sergeant Vollot, to Bespin's Cloud City, shortly after the Battle of Hoth to scan for and disarm bombs set there by revolting Ugnaughts after the Empire took over the city. A talking bomb invented by the Ugnaughts tricked the bombtroopers into killing themselves when it had them arm the explosive rather than disarm it.
Bombtroopers wore specially modified heavy fire-resistant armor for flame precautions. The armor was likewise strong enough to withstand controlled explosions and high-velocity shrapnel. For further aid, a long hood covered the faceplate, and they all wore safety helmets. Their helmets included sensors for detecting chemical signatures of explosives, as well as a full muffling mode that is automatically enabled at the first sign of a detonation to protect the wearer from eye or ear damage. They carried their tools in large round cases.
Overall, their armor strongly resembled that of the Cold assault stormtroopers, although with a few notable differences. One of these differences is that the helmets are replaced with domed hats with a protrusion on each side, and the other was their having striped sleeves on their arms and near the torso.
The bombtrooper was created by David Michelinie, Walter Simonson, and Tom Palmer. Certain elements of the armor's design, most notably the helmets, were taken from unused concept sketches for the snowtrooper armor in The Empire Strikes Back.
- Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide