Clone paratroopers, alternatively referred to as airborne clones, were specialized clone troopers trained specifically for missions involving aerial deployment within the Grand Army of the Republic. During the final days of the Clone Wars, the paratroopers belonging to the 212th Attack Battalion's 2nd Airborne Company acted as the primary assault force during the Battle of Utapau. Following a failed assassination attempt on Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi resulting from Order 66, Clone Commander Cody gave the order for a team of paratroopers to locate the body of their former general, who was presumed dead. However, the troopers were unsuccessful, as Kenobi survived and managed to escape the planet.
In the year 19 BBY, about three years after the start of the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic, along with the Jedi Order, initiated a military invasion of Utapau. The Jedi High Council selected Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to command this operation. Consequently, the 212th Attack Battalion was sent to the Separatist-controlled planet. Within the 212th's infantry forces was a contingent of clone paratroopers from the 2nd Airborne Company. The battle between Jedi General Kenobi's battalion and General Grievous' droid army began with a frontal assault by standard troopers, while the paratroopers descended via LAAT/i gunships directly into the thick of the fighting.
The conflict persisted even after Grievous' demise, with both regular troopers and paratroopers engaged in combat against battle droids for control over Pau City. When Kenobi attempted to lead the battalion in clearing the upper sections of the city of the remaining droid forces, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine issued Order 66 to the Grand Army of the Republic, which caused the clone soldiers to turn against their Jedi commanders. Following an attempt to assassinate Kenobi, the paratroopers were instructed by their commander, Cody, to find the body of the general as the clones initiated an occupation of Utapau. Their search yielded no proof of Kenobi's death, although one paratrooper at least believed the Jedi Master had died when he fell into the sinkhole of Pau City. However, the trooper was mistaken, as Kenobi survived the fall and used Grievous' starfighter, named Soulless One, to escape from Utapau.
At one point, a paratrooper from the 212th was involved in a battle in a sandy environment alongside a clone trooper from the 501st Legion, a clone trooper wearing Phase I clone trooper armor, and an AT-TE displaying the Imperial crest. After Order 66, when Phase I Purge Trooper armor was used by the Empire, the Purge Troopers who served under Darth Vader and the Inquisitorius to assist in combat against the Jedi wore helmets and armor that were similar to those worn by paratroopers.
Clone paratroopers utilized a modified version of the Phase II clone trooper armor, which included a kama and a distinctive "beehive" helmet. They were armed with both DC-15A blaster carbines and DC-15A blaster rifles.
Certain paratroopers were designated as snipers. These troops frequently collaborated with clone medics and Heavy Gunners.