Clone trooper pilot

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"We're on your tail, General Kenobi. Set S-foils to attack position."

―"Odd Ball" Davijaan^[src]

A Phase I clone pilot inside a LAAT/i during the Battle of Geonosis.

Clone trooper pilots were special clone troopers bred in the Kamino cloning centers for the purpose of piloting craft of the Grand Army of the Republic and the early Galactic Empire.

They first appeared at the Battle of Geonosis, where they flew LAAT/i and LAAT/c gunships. They also operated CR20 and CR25 troop carriers. In addition, they flew starfighters such as the V-19 Torrent, ARC-170, and Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing.

[edit] History

ARC-170s from Clone Fight Squad Seven during the Battle of Coruscant.

Clone trooper pilots first participated in the Battle of Geonosis by piloting the Republic gunships. During the course of the Clone Wars they also flew the ARC-170's and V-wing fighters that engaged Separatist forces in the depths of space or the skies of scattered worlds. During the Battle of Coruscant, Squad Seven, led by Clone Commander Odd Ball, was instrumental in holding off enemy forces and allowing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker infiltrate General Grievous' fleeing flagship, the Invisible Hand, which subsequently led to the rescue of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Clone pilots would also occansionally participate in boarding parties, in orbital battles. Clone pilots carry a blaster pistol, Thermal detonators and time-bombs to wreak havoc aboard enemy capital ships.

[edit] Equipment

"Want to borrow my armor? It's nice and white."

―Sicko, a clone trooper pilot to Fi^[src]

These specialized troopers were normally equipped with a DN bolt caster, a DC-15 blaster and a supply dispenser containing five packs of medicine, bacta, and ammunition. However, in space they discarded their bacta and ammo and bolt casters for timebombs.

A clone pilot in his ARC-170 starfighter wearing the more common Phase II armor version.

[edit] Armor

When Phase I armor was in use, ground and starfighter pilots wore armor that featured yellow markings and specialized helmets. The pilots who flew capital ships wore a special type of this armor, as seen in the Battle of Mon Calamari during the Clone Wars.

Two sets of Phase II pilot armor were in use as of 19 BBY. The first set, which used a helmet that was not fully enclosed, was the more common set, as it was used by the majority of pilots. The second set, which had a fully-enclosed helmet and armor that looked similar to that of an AT-AT pilot, was mainly used in the V-wing starfighter, which carried no life-support system.

[edit] Vehicles

Clone pilots used and had:

and a few other vehicles.

[edit] Training

Clone trooper pilots were randomly picked from the normal clone ranks to be pilots and technicians. They could drive, fly, and pilot most things in the Republic's arsenal of vehicles, although many were trained to specialize in one particular craft.