Imperial Boarding Pod

The Imperial Boarding Pod was a craft used by the Galactic Empire to land combined Infantry and armor boarding parties aboard enemy vessels.

Characteristics
This boarding craft bore the shape of an octagonal prism and was capable of transporting both infantry and assault vehicles such as the AT-ST and the AT-MP aboard enemy ships. The ship would latch onto the hangar door, blocking any ships from exiting the hangar, lower its own door and deactivate the hangar force field. The troops and vehicles could then disembark through a ramp. The pod was a short range craft, so it had to be launched directly from a Star Destroyer or other capital ship.

The craft was capable of carrying several squads of infantrymen such as stormtroopers as well a combat vehicles such as the AT-ST. Since the pod was unarmed, it was vulnerable while flying towards its target.