The Bantha-class troop carrier assault shuttle, alternatively named an Assault Carrier, represented a type of shuttle that was collaboratively engineered by Mon Calamari and Sullustan designers for the use of the New Republic.
The Bantha-class assault shuttle was a sizable vessel, primarily designed to execute planetary assault missions and commando raids. A significant amount of firepower was provided by a pair of Golan Arms quad turbolasers. Moreover, it was equipped with substantial armor plating and shielding. Its inclusion of a hyperdrive enabled the shuttle to undertake extended missions autonomously, without requiring support from a capital ship.
Operation of the Bantha-class shuttle was conducted from an elevated command module located on the port side of the ship's dorsal section. Troops were housed in a lower compartment that featured three expansive hatches at the front. During swift attacks, commandos would frequently leap from these hatches to reach ground level. The vessel also had two extended booms that protruded forward from the main body. When grounded, the shuttle maintained its balance with a single, large landing strut.
In the initial period of the New Republic's existence during the Galactic Civil War, the Bantha-class was conceived as a direct answer to the Sentinel-class landing craft. It surpassed its Imperial equivalent in both size and the strength of its armor, and it also carried a more potent arsenal.
The Bantha-class assault shuttle made its debut during the assault on Oradin during the Battle of Brentaal IV, and also played a key part in the evacuation of Ciutric.