A Republic example. The designation air cruiser referred to a class of artillery platform, capable of long-range operations in the atmosphere, and employed by a variety of powers throughout the galaxy. During the timeframe of the Clone Wars, both the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems made use of this type of heavy weaponry. Earlier, the Gungans, the people of Naboo, the Trade Federation, and the Wookiees of Kashyyyk had also deployed them. Later still, during the Galactic Civil War, both the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic put these vehicles into service.
Air cruisers represented a type of very large atmospheric, and sometimes even spaceborne, fighting repulsorcraft. These military vehicles were heavily armored, slow, and unwieldy. They featured a single, large, siege-type weapon similar in function to a turbolaser, which could inflict significant damage to targets within its blast radius.
Despite their slow rate of fire, a group of air cruisers could devastate an enemy encampment, troop formation, or military base relatively quickly. However, they were extremely susceptible to attacks from starfighters and other kinds of armed airspeeders. Furthermore, even with their standard shielding, air cruisers could be brought down by air defense turrets or soldiers using surface-to-air missiles if they flew too close. As a result, they were often accompanied by smaller, faster vehicles capable of neutralizing potential aerial threats. The Gungans' air cruisers were actually aquanna, a species of large, flying ray-like creatures native to the wilderness of Naboo, with weapon platforms mounted on their backs.