When Imperial AT-AT walkers assualted the Rebels on the ice planet of Hoth, the Alliances defense rested on a dozen highly modified airspeeders, nicknamed "snowspeeders," and the brave pilots and gunners who maned them. While the Rebel pilots stood no chance against the walkers, Rouge Squadron's snowspeeders delayed the Imperial long enough to allow the Alliance's leaders to escape.
    Snowspeeders are heavily modified T-47's. Designed for low atmospheric duty, they are powered by a pair of repulsorlift drive units (on either side of the canopy) and high-powered afterburners. The drive unit's circruitry is left exposed (located beneath the laser cannon power converters) to allow Rebel technicians easy access for repair and maintenace. Mechanical braking flaps located above each repulsor engine assist in maneuvers. Snowspeeders can reach speeds in excess of a thousand kilometers per hour, with an effective combat speed of about six hundered kilometers per hour. They lack shields but are small, compact, and fast: they are hard to target and rely on this maneuverability for survival.
    For combat duty, snowspeeders are fitted with heavy armor plating and twin laser cannos (one on each is a standard tool on most T-47's and normally is used for retrieving and hauling repulsor-assisted cargo barges.
    A snowspeeder seats a pilot and a gunner, who sit back-to-back. Computerized targeting systems allow the gunner to target the forward laser cannons, although the pilot can choose to handle them.
    The Alliance's technicians faced difficulties adapting the vehicles to the cold of Hoth. Additional repulsor-coil heaters had to be added to prevent the motors from freezing, and deicing nozzels had to be mounted beneath the mechanical braking and turning flaps.
    The Rebel Alliance used these speeders in many terrains, although specific modifications for extreme environments were necessary. Today speeders may be nicknamed, among other things, "sandspeeders," "skyspeeders," or, "swampspeeders," depending on where they are deployed. Aside from straight combat duty, the Alliance uses speeders for patrol and reconnaissance duties and cargo handling.