The Aquila Lander is a small transport shuttle used by the Imperial Navy to transport important personnel to and from Imperial starships in orbit and to the surface of planets. The Aquila Lander can be seen on almost every single Imperial Navy starship alongside its complement of fighters and bombers in the launch bays. The Aquila Lander is not a combat craft and it is only armed with a single nose-mounted Heavy Bolter for defensive purposes. However, it possesses excellent armour and can withstand enough punishment to ensure its passengers reach their destination safely.
The Aquila Lander is used as a transport shuttle for important Imperial personnel including dignitaries, officials, Inquisitors, military commanders, and Planetary Governors. The Aquila has one crewman, a pilot, in an armoured cockpit at the front of the spacecraft. Twin, independently maneuverable jet engines are set beside the cockpit and built within the fuselage, which allows the vehicle to also hover over its landing point. The shuttle has a command throne for the official to sit in, possesses advanced communications equipment including a hololithic transceiver, and also an observation dome in the dorsal section just above and behind the cockpit. Sometimes Aquila Landers are decorated with Purity Seals. The shuttle is fully capable of both atmospheric flight and travel through the void of space. The craft is used mostly to take Imperial VIPs and their retinues to other Imperial starships or to and from a planet’s surface. The Aquila Lander does not possess Warp capability and thus is not suited for interstellar travel. The Aquila Lander is highly maneuverable in both space and in atmosphere, and this is its best defence against any attackers. In case of assault by an enemy, the shuttle is heavily armoured and can withstand several direct hits from the weapons of most strike aircraft. During landing the entire crew compartment lowers to the ground for easier access.