I feel like that is possibly the worst design for a troop transport.   
 
This is the one thing that I just can't suspend my disbelief on. I mean the Helgast use a pretty sensible troop transport, with doors and armor and all that. But the ISA ride to battle on flying carpets. I just don't see how that could have happened. No one thought that was a bad Idea back when some ISA scientist was designing weapons for the invasion of Helgan. 

See all the dudes that take more than a second to get off them in cutscenes? see what happens to them? they explode. 
 
All the doors and armour in the world wouldnt save you from anti aircraft fire - they arent meant for sustained conflict, just to get infantry down to the ground and into the fight asap. Leaping over a railing is quicker than fucking around with doors 
 
Thats how i see it anyway

I really need to see a picture of this. It sounds too dumb to be true.

" I really need to see a picture of this. It sounds too dumb to be true. "

You'd be better protected in the back of a pickup truck.... yeah... flying pickups...

All troop transport vehicles can be considered stupid for a lot of reasons. Hell look throughout history, do those Higgins Boats look good enough? Thank god we don't have to mass parachute troops, or land on beaches in large scale invasions anymore. 

@OmegaPirate:
You have the right idea. I also like the limit of 5-9(?) personnel, the losses are less harsh per a transport and shooting down three is harder than one large transport. It also looks like one of the very few things in the game that could have actually been designed by a military force, haha. 
 
@Donos:  
There is not a whole lot in a heli that is protecting you from "small arms" fire and If a RPG, Missle, or anti-aircraft hits one its out. Also the quick and speedy ones with evasion technologies are offensive gunships.  
 
The real story here is that it is fucking stupid to send waves of men at the direction of enemy fire. There is no real proper way about it, except to be quick which is what these flying carpets are good at. Before fire arms and explosive devices, a giant wood shield on wheels could protect you from arrows when advancing on say a castle. So what are these guys going to fly? Hovering future space cement bunkers? (wait yes!). A flying APC with agility and precession would be sillier than whats in Killzone (at least to me). Also think about extracting troops, these platforms are pretty good at that as well. 
 
Also think about the cinematic effect, I think the vistas and views of the battlefields and locations from those flying platforms have been brilliant. So something that makes a bit more sense would turn out to be a boring ride for the player.

I agree. The intruders never really made much sense to me. How do they not fall off?! Especially in that part of KZ2 where Sev jumps on it just as it takes off after the assault on the Cruiser and he's not even holding on to anything but he doesn't fall off.

There are many reasons it is retarded. 
1)  They are open, meaning people are gonna get shot on the way down.  Sure you can get out faster but whats the point if you are dead when that thing lands having been shot up by regular bullets from guys on the ground? 
2)  Look at the opening for Killzone 2, those things are not very smooth or accurate in setting down, meaning your ass can get crippled by just the landing. 
3)  They only have 4 guys on em?  That means you need a lot of em to transport people making it a nightmare 
4)  They dont seem to have a way to retrieve those things.  I guess they can if they win the battle and reclaim them thereafter.  Point being, hovercraft, as retarded as these may seem, must cost a lot of money and resources.  I am sure they can use the metal in these things for shrapnel instead. 
5)  They somehow keep Rico safe. 
 
In the end, they should just parachute guys in. 
While I am here, can someone explain to me why the Helghast troops need masks and these regular ass humans invading Helghan don't?

If they use flying tables, why don't they just use the jet-packs? I'm just wondering-haven't played KZ3 yet.

Gameplay over story/design. It allows for a more cinematic view.

I believe the in-fiction explanation is that these landers were originally cargo transports that were repurposed to meet the demands of war.  More likely this design was adapted as a higgins boat analogue in order to invoke WWII, as Guerrilla often does, with the added benefit of allowing for sweeping vistas to be displayed during cinematics.

" See all the dudes that take more than a second to get off them in cutscenes? see what happens to them? they explode.  All the doors and armour in the world wouldnt save you from anti aircraft fire - they arent meant for sustained conflict, just to get infantry down to the ground and into the fight asap. Leaping over a railing is quicker than fucking around with doors  Thats how i see it anyway "

" I believe the in-fiction explanation is that these landers were originally cargo transports that were repurposed to meet the demands of war.  More likely this design was adapted as a higgins boat analogue in order to invoke WWII, as Guerrilla often does, with the added benefit of allowing for sweeping vistas to be displayed during cinematics. "

"  While I am here, can someone explain to me why the Helghast troops need masks and these regular ass humans invading Helghan don't? "