Troop Pod

Troop Pods are auxiliary (non-combat) Special Ship Components that can be equipped instead of one weapon bank, in custom designed warships.

Troop Pods allow a warship to also function similar to a Transport, deploying invasion troops. The Troop Pod is a one-use disposable component. The build cost is 75 shields and 50 space.

Only one of these components can be equipped per ship. Once the troops have been deployed from the ship, the Troop Pod is permanently removed from the ship. Typically this leaves a sub-optimal ship (since it now has 50 unused space and one unused weapon bank) which will need to be Scrapped or Refit.

All empires start with this component.

Troop Pods can be a more efficient means of supplying troops for offensive or defensive operations than using Transports. A minimal troopship can be built for 320 shields (or less with Miniatuarization after Technology Advances). Once the troops have been landed, the troopship can be Refit back to a loaded troopship for only 160 shields, compared to 200 shields for a transport, a savings of 20+% (or a throughput  increase of +25% - +30%). This can be repeated indefinitely.

It does require return trips and perhaps a "pipeline" rather than just simple one-way trips, and more initial outlay. But the troopship has the advantage that it can usually retreat from a losing space combat, unlike a Transport. It can even help win the space combat by providing an extra target to draw enemy fire.

And, if lightly armed (just with a single Torpedo or Laser and no Targeting), it can also opportunistically destroy enemy Outposts and non-warships that it encounters.