The Short Distance Personnel Transport, nicknamed the Shotput by the troops, is a single use vehicle deigned to move a squad of four mercenaries up to 500 meters across the battlefield. Once a mercenaries are trained in Shotput use they can call in the platform and it is deployed, rather like a dropsuit, into the battlefield.

To use the Shotput up to four troops attach to it and then the owner targets a spot within 500 meters and activates it. A single use thruster in the base of the transport fires, blasting it and the troopers on it in a ballistic arc ending at the target location. With more training, the mercenary piloting the device becomes more accurate in choosing a landing site, reducing the risk of a crash or landing in the wrong location.

A Shotput is most accurate when loaded with four troopers. With fewer, the imbalance of it's loading makes it harder to control. Single mercenaries can use it, but even with a lot of training they are taking a big risk of crashing or ending up someplace other than they have targeted.

So....... it's a cannon that fires people?

I don't like it. Gives less of a reason to have Dropships.