The Imperial Army, which also went by the names Imperial Forces and Imperial ground forces, functioned as the land-based component of the Galactic Empire's military. Evolving from the Grand Army of the Republic, the Imperial Army swiftly established its control over the galaxy through the utilization of highly skilled soldiers, mechanized walkers and sheer numerical superiority. The Imperial Army worked in conjunction with the Imperial Navy, relying on the extensive fleet to move legions of troopers across vast galactic distances. The most common type of soldier in the Empire's ground forces were the Imperial Army troopers, the basic infantry responsible for maintaining the Imperial regime and quelling unrest on troublesome worlds.
As the Empire expanded its influence and strengthened its hold on the galaxy, stormtrooper garrisons, elite shock troops fiercely loyal to the Emperor himself, gradually replaced these units in certain areas.
The army of the Galactic Empire, as the Imperial Military branch responsible for surface operations, consisted of numerous sub-units and organizations and employed a wide range of vehicles to accomplish its goals. Billions of soldiers across the galaxy belonged to the Imperial Army. The army's purpose was to enforce the oppressive Imperial government led by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine, who intended the armed force to possess unwavering and terrifying power. Imperial High Command made certain that the army included a diverse range of specialized sub-units, ensuring that there were soldiers capable of demonstrating unmatched efficiency in any hostile environment the Empire needed to enter.
The Commander-in-Chief, Darth Vader, held the highest position in the Imperial Army, wielding absolute authority over the entire Imperial Armed Forces despite having no formal rank. However, as the Emperor's Fist did not involve himself in the daily tasks of his special assignment, the Supreme Commander, the formal head of Imperial High Command and its most senior officer, was responsible for overall Imperial Military strategy. The General Staff, the army's leading organization and decision-maker for army operations, represented the Imperial Army in the IHC. Because stormtroopers belonged to the Stormtrooper Corps, which was under the Army's command, they received their orders from the Stormtrooper Command subdivision of Imperial High Command.
The Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military, the council in charge of planning the daily operations of all Imperial Military branches, received orders from the High Command. The Chief of the Imperial Army, the highest-ranking Army officer, served on this council and reported on ground operations. Palpatine purposefully implemented this complex system of overarching councils and commands to prevent any officer from having absolute power over any military branch and to encourage competition and prevent the formation of a potential coup.
The Army Engineering Corps was responsible for building Imperial installations and destroying enemy fortifications. The Imperial Army Military Police, the Imperial Army's own law enforcement agency, was also maintained, though the Stormtrooper Corps overshadowed them. Other divisions included the Maritime Division, Special Forces Command, and Imperial Army Intelligence. The many smaller organizations, including those responsible for general maintenance and administration, were equally important.
The Imperial Army frequently favored the use of combined arms, a tactic that involved using both infantry and armored cavalry against a target to force the enemy to defend against both. The Empire's armored cavalry included a variety of walkers, such as the All Terrain Armored Transport, and tanks, such as the 2-M hover tank, Imperial-class 1-H repulsortank, and the TX-225 GAVw "Occupier" combat assault tank. These were organized under the Imperial Armor Corps and Imperial Artillery Corps, a sub-unit of the Armor Corps. Imperial leaders were also known to consider civilian casualties "acceptable" if it meant a possible victory, even going so far as to march Imperial troops through densely populated civilian areas.
The Army Air Corps of the Imperial Army also maintained a large number of TIE fighters for use in planetary atmospheres. As a result, TIE fighter pilots in the Imperial Army were called ground-hogs, unlike their Imperial Navy counterparts, the vac-heads. A fierce rivalry existed between the two branches, each with its own anthem and bars at Imperial flight bases to avoid conflict, because vac-heads received greater public recognition through the HoloNet News. However, the Bright Jewel Oversector Flight Base did not separate its bar between the branches, which resulted in members of Nashtah Squadron provoking other members of the Imperial Navy by singing the Ground-hog anthem on one occasion.
Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine declared himself Emperor of the galaxy at the end of the Clone Wars, establishing the first Galactic Empire. The Grand Army of the Republic served as the foundation for the Imperial Army, which acted as the Galactic Empire's ground forces in order to maintain control over the countless worlds under the New Order. The Emperor's policy of military expansion led to the continued growth of the Imperial Army under the pretense of fighting the remaining Separatist holdouts.
As a consequence, the clone troopers who fought for the Galactic Republic became the first Imperial stormtroopers and the backbone of the Imperial Army. Although the clone soldiers were once considered the "future of galactic warfare," Admiral and Governor Wilhuff Tarkin questioned their value after the Clone Wars ended. Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su believed that the Empire needed more clone troopers to maintain order in the galaxy, but Tarkin considered the cloning operation on Kamino to be a "cost prohibitive relic of a bygone era." He did, however, postpone his final decision while he assessed the clone units to see if the Imperial Army still required them.
Governor Tarkin was impressed by the results of Project War-Mantle, a program designed to replace clone troopers with enlisted soldiers. The Governor continued to view the clone trooper program as an unnecessary financial burden and believed that a service conscription force would be a more affordable way to meet the Empire's need for more soldiers. Tarkin, however, decided that the clones would continue to serve until the Empire was ready to decommission them. Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart, the head of the Empire's conscription program, imagined the Imperial Army's future as a force made up of willing recruits rather than programmed clones. Lama Su was concerned about Tarkin and Rampart's goals because he feared that natural-born soldiers would make his clones obsolete. As a result, he urged Doctor Nala Se, his Chief Medical Scientist, to create a superior clone in the hopes of securing Kamino's relationship with the Empire, but the Empire would eventually withdraw all forces from Kamino and destroy its cloning operation. Over time, recruits who had been trained to be obedient and completely loyal to the Emperor replaced the clones.
Even before the Imperial Senate passed the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill, which formally established the Stormtrooper Corps as an organization of non-clone recruits, recruited stormtroopers began to be deployed in place of clones without the Senate's knowledge. These deployments included missions to Desix, a former Separatist world, and Thabeska, an Outer Rim world. Ahsoka Tano, a former Padawan, noticed the shift about a year into the Empire's reign, even though Imperial Army still used Clone Wars-era vehicles. While facing tanks during the Raada Uprising, Tano suspected that the older vehicles had been deployed to the moon because Raada was insignificant to the Empire's plans. However, recruited stormtroopers were part of the operation instead of clones.
The Imperial Senate officially approved the recruitment program under Emperor Palpatine's decree through the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill. Many Imperial Army soldiers were members of local planetary defense forces who had taken up arms during the Clone Wars and were later drafted into Imperial service. Imperial Army troopers, classified as infantry, were gradually upgraded and replaced by Stormtrooper forces, but they continued to serve alongside stormtroopers to increase their effectiveness for several years after the Empire was founded.
In 14 BBY, Imperial Army forces were stationed on Ryloth, an Imperial protectorate that was actually under Imperial occupation. Colonel Belkor Dray served as Governor Moff Delian Mors' second-in-command and commanded the Imperial Army forces on Ryloth. The stormtroopers on Ryloth operated outside the Imperial Army command structure and answered directly to the Empire. He used his senior position within the Imperial government and military on Ryloth to spy for Cham Syndulla, the leader of the Free Ryloth Movement. Other elements of the Imperial Army were stationed at the Equatorial Communications Hub, which was commanded by Major Steen Borkas. Although their base was attacked, Borkas' forces including stormtroopers assisted Moff Mors in rescuing Emperor Palpatine and his right-hand, Darth Vader, and foiling Dray and Syndulla's plot to assassinate the Empire's leadership. Following the failed assassination attempt, the Imperial authorities embarked on a crackdown on Ryloth and strengthened the stormtrooper presence on the planet.
In 10 BBY, nine years into the Imperial Era, the Imperial Army focused its sights on the swampy world of Mimban, a planet known for its abundance of natural resources. At the request of Grand Moff Tarkin, all regional governors were required to immediately increase production of materials benefiting the Imperial cause, which led Bin Essada, governor of the Circarpous sector within the Expansion Region, to order all necessary resources to be stripped from Mimban at once, disregarding the indigenous population. The combined forces of the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy thus invaded the planet, launching the Mimban Campaign and initiating a bloody conflict between the entrenched Mimbanese and Imperials.
By the time of the Mimban offensive, the Imperial Army was using its army troopers in conjunction with the more elite stormtroopers, who were beginning to replace the regular army soldiers. In particular, wet-weather gear stormtroopers served on Mimban, where they also fought alongside All Terrain Defense Turrets, AT-haulers and air support provided by naval TIE fighters to pacify the stubborn Mimbanese guerillas. Among the battered army soldiers was a young Han Solo, serving as a corporal within the 224th Imperial Armored Division. Solo initially attended the Carida Academy in the hopes of one day becoming an Imperial pilot and returning to his homeworld of Corellia. However the maverick prospect was eventually transferred to infantry duty on Mimban following multiple instances of insubordination and recklessness. Although the seizure of resources was the military's primary goal during the campaign, they also sought to establish a regime that fell under the direct jurisdiction of the Galactic Empire.
By 9 BBY, elements of the Imperial Army were stationed on the crime-ridden world of Daiyu as a security force, only for those stormtroopers to be suddenly reinforced by the arrival of the Inquisitorius and their stormtroopers. The Fifth Brother brought with him his personal battalion. The reinforcements had arrived in reaction to the Third Sister, who was secretly working to overthrow Vader as revenge for his actions during the siege of the Jedi Temple, had become obsessed with finding Vader's former Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to get close enough to the Sith Lord to attack. Believing the Third Sister was merely looking for Vader's favor and unwilling to let her earn it, the Grand Inquisitor, Fourth Sister, and Fifth Brother ordered their stormtroopers to lock down Daiyu City—where the Third Sister had lured Kenobi by kidnapping Senator Bail Prestor Organa's adopted daughter, Princess Leia Organa, due to the Senator's past friendship with the Jedi Master—and to find Kenobi, with the Grand Inquisitor promising to bring Kenobi in himself.
Creating chaos in the Imperial search by putting a bounty out on Kenobi, the Third Sister continued her search, only for Kenobi and Organa to escape with the help of a criminal named Haja Estree. The Third Sister believed she killed the Grand Inquisitor during their escape, but he survived. Kenobi and Organa found themselves on the mining planet Mapuzo in the Mid Rim, where they encountered stormtroopers who belonged to the local Imperial battery. Although they were rescued by a defected Imperial officer named Tala Durith, who had joined an anti-Imperial cell known as the Hidden Path to help Force-sensitives due to her regret in taking part in a massacre on Garel, a viper probe droid managed to transmit Kenobi's image to Fortress Inquisitorius on the moon of Nur, leading the Inquisitors, their battalions, and Vader himself to Mapuzo.
During the ensuring battle, the Fifth Brother, Fourth Sister, and their troops locked down a town the Path had been hidden in for sometime, Kenobi was injured by Vader but escaped when Durith distracted the Sith Lord's stormtroopers, and Organa was again kidnapped by the Third Sister, who took the princess to the Fortress Inquisitorius with the hope she knew more about the Path. Regaining his strength, Kenobi traveled with Nur with Durith to rescue Organa and made his way past the base's complement of stormtroopers. Once his presence was discovered, Kenobi and Durith made it out with the help of the Path, escaping from the Third Sister and the base's forces with Organa. However, the Third Sister managed to hide a homing beacon and restraining bolt on Organa's toy droid L0-LA59, leading Vader and the Imperial Military to the Path's base on the planet Jabiim. Promoted to the rank of Grand Inquisitor, the Third Sister led the Imperial Army to the surface to attack the Path, although Durith sacrificed herself to briefly hold them back once the stormtroopers had broken through the bunker doors.
After the stormtroopers briefly captured Kenobi, who had realized the Third Sister was working against Vader, he escaped and returned to the Path, understanding that Vader's shortsighted hunt for him would make him to overlook a second transport. Indeed believing the Path and Kenobi would escape aboard the first ship he saw take off, Vader failed to stop their escape and then was attacked by the Third Sister. Having always known she intended to betray him, Vader quickly defeated her before the still-alive Grand Inquisitor and some of the stormtroopers entered the base. Leaving the Third Sister for dead, Vader and his forces chased the Path freighter until Kenobi split off from the group on an escape ship, which Vader declared their priority. Vader elected to fight Kenobi alone but was defeated, allowing the Jedi Master to escape from the Empire's grasp.
By 5 BBY, Lothal's Academy for Young Imperials was training Imperial cadets for both the Imperial Army and its Stormtrooper Corps. Cadets selected for the stormtrooper program received a more rigorous program than those training for the Army track. Cadets training as Imperial Army officers including Zare Leonis underwent a series of grueling training exercises including multiple sessions in a simulated combat chamber called the Well. Promising Army officer cadets also underwent training at the Arkanis Academy, which was run by the charismatic Commandant Brendol Hux, the architect of the First Order's later stormtrooper program.
During the early rebellion and the subsequent Galactic Civil War, the Imperial Army engaged in combat operations against a variety of insurgent groups. These included the Spectres, the Phoenix Cell, and Saw Gerrera's Partisans, all of which were components of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The Imperial Army saw widespread deployment to numerous planets across the galaxy, such as Tatooine, and participated in battles on diverse terrains, including Hoth, Ab Dalis, and Endor. Notably, during the Battle of Hoth, General Maximilian Veers led the Imperial ground assault against Echo Base. Simultaneously, the Imperial Army laid siege to the Alliance's Eleventh Division in the Battle of Ab Dalis, a key engagement within Operation Starlight. In the Battle of Endor, a legion of the Imperial Army was tasked with defending the second Death Star's critical shield generator. Despite their determined defense, the Imperial forces on Endor were ultimately defeated by the rebel forces and their indigenous Ewok allies.
Following the demise of Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader at Endor, the Imperial Army, alongside other branches of the Imperial Military, engaged in continued conflict with the emerging New Republic across various planets and battlefronts. These included locations such as the Wretch of Tayron, Naalol, Akiva, and Sevarcos. By 5 ABY, Imperial Army units stationed on Kashyyyk were placed under the command of Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck. Several Imperial Army personnel were stationed at Lozen Tolruck's island fortress, including specialized Forest troopers. A significant number of these Imperial personnel were killed when Han Solo, Chewbacca, and their associates successfully orchestrated a Wookiee slave uprising against the Empire's control.
After Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax assumed command of Imperial loyalist forces and consolidated them on Jakku, elements of the Imperial Army, including the Stormtrooper Corps, prepared for the New Republic's arrival, facing severe psychological strain. The Clone Wars veteran General Hodnar Borrum led the Imperial ground forces during the climactic Battle of Jakku, which resulted in the Empire's defeat and the New Republic's victory. Following the Imperial Instruments of Surrender immediately after the Battle of Jakku, the Galactic Concordance was enacted, mandating the dissolution of the Empire, including the Imperial Army. While conditional pardons were granted to civilian functionaries, all Imperial officers were classified as war criminals.
The Imperial Military, including its army branch, became enduring symbols of the former Imperial regime during the New Republic era. Scattered Imperial remnants persisted throughout the galaxy, harboring ambitions to reinstate the Imperial order. Moff Gideon and his remnant, composed of surviving elements from the Imperial Army and Navy, relentlessly pursued the Force-sensitive youngling Grogu with this objective in mind.
Subsequently, the remnants of the Empire retreated to the Unknown Regions, where they reorganized into the First Order, a militaristic junta dedicated to resurrecting the "Old Empire." The First Order's army was built upon the foundations of the former Imperial Army. Brendol Hux's son, Armitage Hux, rose to become a high-ranking general within the First Order's military structure. Nearly a generation later, the surface of Jakku remained scarred with wreckage, including Imperial Army AT-AT walkers, one of which became the dwelling of the Force-sensitive scavenger Rey.
The Imperial Army's structure encompassed a range of units, varying in size and composition. These included armies such as the 12th Sector Army and corps like the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps. Additionally, the army comprised multiple divisions, including units such as the 224th Imperial Armored Division, the division commanded by Colonel Barokki, the division under the leadership of General Valin Hess, and an armored division attached to Grand Admiral Thrawn's 7th Fleet. The first division and second division were identified as active components of General Sorin's forces.
Furthermore, the Imperial Army consisted of numerous legions, including the 68th Legion, the 97th Legion, the One-Oh-Seventh Stormtrooper Legion, the 291st Legion, and the 481st Legion. Elite legions within the Imperial Army included the 1st Legion, 187th Legion, and 501st Legion. Both the 1st and 501st Legions operated under the direct command of Darth Vader. Another legion composed of Palpatine's most skilled soldiers was known as Tempest Force, although their efforts at the Battle of Endor ultimately failed.
Additional military formations within the Imperial Army included brigades, such as the brigade under the command of Colonel Brenna. Regiments were also a key component, with a desert stormtrooper regiment deployed on Tatooine, a regiment on Cymoon consisting of four battalions, and the Imperial Hammers Elite Armor Unit, designated as a vanguard armor regiment.
Battalions included the 9th Engineering Battalion, the 71st GAV Battalion, the 212th Attack Battalion, the 975th Battalion, a battalion led by Major Rantu, and a battalion in Lessu under the direction of Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart. The Fifth Brother also maintained a personal battalion of stormtroopers at his disposal.
The Imperial Army was further organized into companies, with examples including Company Cresh, Wilco's company, and a company led by Lieutenant Fhaen. Ground squadrons also existed, such as the 201st Squadron under the command of General Markon, and the Thundering Herd squadron.
Examples of platoons within the Imperial Army included Cresh-3 Platoon and the squad led by Alexsandr Kallus. Examples of squads within the army included Foot Patrol 7, Captain Howzer's squad, Clone Commander Mayday's squad, JN-093's squad, squad two, another unit named squad two, Squad Three, squad four, squad five, another united designated Squad Five, squad six Squad Seven squad eight Task Force 99, Team Nine, and Team Twelve.
Numerous garrisons of the Imperial Army were stationed on various planets across the galaxy. These included the garrison on Cloud City, Bespin, a garrison on Dathomir, the Eadu Deployment, the garrison guarding Fortress Vader on Mustafar, the garrison on Garel, the garrison on Gigor, the garrison on Ilum, the Lothal garrison, the garrison on Mantooine, the garrison on Mataou, the Death Star's shield generator garrison.
Other garrisons included the garrison on Mrinzebon, the Aldhani Garrison, the garrison on Ferrix, the garrison on Wecacoe, the garrison on Naalol, the Imperial garrison on Naboo, the garrison on Obumubo, the garrison in Plateau City on Kaller, the Scarif Deployment, the garrison on Scrim Island, Batonn, the garrison on Sullust, the garrison on Tatooine, and the stormtrooper garrison at Winter's Edge.
Other units included Blizzard Force, which included a battalion of cold weather assault stormtroopers and the Hellhound attack force.
Due to its extensive use of vehicles, the Imperial Army employed various types of Imperial combat driver. These included AT-ACT drivers, AT-AT pilots, AT-ST drivers, Imperial combat assault tank commanders, and Imperial combat assault tank pilots. The Army Air Corps, a branch of the Imperial Army, utilized TIE fighter pilots.
In addition to its regular infantry forces, the Imperial Military also contracted mercenaries for various tasks. Common mercenary groups serving the Empire included Dowutin Hunters, Fathier Riders, Tognath Marksmen, Twi'lek Incinerators, Luggabeast Munitioneers, and Gamorrean Warriors.
During the early years of the Empire's rule, the Imperial Army continued to utilize clones, along with Imperial shock troopers. Purge Troopers, elite clones serving under the Inquisitorius in 18 BBY, originated from the final Kamino cloning production. As the Empire matured, its military transitioned from clones to natural-born human recruits and conscripts, who were re-designated as stormtroopers. Stormtrooper Commanders were stormtrooper officers responsible for leading groups of stormtroopers. Their rank was indicated by the colored pauldron they wore. Imperial officers in command of stormtrooper detachments aboard a capital ship were also referred to as stormtrooper commanders.
The Imperial Army deployed specialized and elite stormtrooper units for diverse operations. Special Commando Advanced Recon Trooper were used for special missions, Storm Commandos were special forces proficient in close-quarters combat, Purge Troopers were special units deployed in the Anoat sector, shadow troopers were elite units equipped with experimental armor, and Imperial shock troopers served as heavy frontline troops, bodyguards for Emperor Palpatine, and heavy weapons specialists. Occasionally, the experimental Phase II Dark Troopers were also utilized by the Imperial Army.
The diverse environments across the galaxy necessitated the use of stormtroopers specialized for different conditions. Swamptroopers were trained for operations on swamped worlds, seatroopers were equipped for underwater combat, magma troopers specialized in volcanic environments, cold weather assault stormtroopers for sub-zero combat, sandtroopers and their sub-variant, the dewback trooper, were used for desert operations, spacetroopers for operations in vacuum environments such as space, coastal defender stormtroopers for tropical environments, forest troopers for densely forested conditions, and wet-weather gear stormtroopers, were used on the swamp planet Mimban.
The Imperial Army maintained a wide range of stormtroopers specializing in specific types of combat or weaponry. Several variants of the Heavy Weapons Stormtrooper existed, including the Heavy Sandtrooper, the Heavy Snowtrooper, and the Heavy Shoretrooper, along with the Imperial Heavy Trooper. The Army also employed Jumptroopers, with variations such as Arctic Jumptroopers, Desert Jumptroopers, and Forest Jumptroopers. Stormtrooper snipers, sniper troopers and scout troopers served as reconnaissance and sniper units. Demolition Troopers, rocket stormtroopers, and stormtrooper grenadiers utilized heavy ordnance, while flametroopers employed flamethrowers. Other specialized stormtroopers used by the Imperial Army included riot control stormtroopers, patrol troopers, and Range trooper.
Although the core of the Imperial Army consisted of stormtroopers, combat drivers, Imperial Army troopers, and similar personnel, it also incorporated Kubaz Invaders, Ongidae Oppressors, and Rodian Recon Snipers as part of its forces, distinct from mercenaries. Variants of Imperial Army troopers included swamp troopers, deployed on Mimban, and Imperial security troopers. For black-ops missions, the Army utilized the highly skilled Imperial Army Special Missions troopers, capable of acting as saboteurs, infiltrators, assassins, commandos, and slicers. Engineers were also commonly used by the Army and were part of the Army Engineering Corps.
One model of sentry droid was deployed by the Empire to patrol its bases. Another model of sentry droid used by the regime was the IMG-099 Imperial Mark IV patrol droid. KX-series security droids assisted organic Imperial forces in operations such as occupations and base guarding, with KX units even being deployed in active combat. The DT-series sentry droid also saw use in ground operations, such as occupations and base guarding. Old secruity droids were also kept at Fortress Vader. Probe droids used by the Empire included the Viper probe droids, such as the 11-3K viper probe droid or the Viper model used in Project Swarm.
As the ground combat arm of the Galactic Empire, the Imperial Army maintained an extensive inventory of ground and surface vehicles. The Imperial Armor Corps, a division within the Imperial Army, utilized combat speeders and infantry fighting vehicles.
The Imperial Artillery Corps, a subordinate unit of the Armor Corps, operated various artillery systems, including the stationary 1.4 FD P-Tower and the mobile SP.9 and Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery Turbolaser. The SPHA-T was later superseded by the SPMA, a smaller and faster vehicle designed to correct the SPHA-T's accuracy issues. The Imperial Army also deployed the All Terrain Attack Pod in an artillery role.
The Maritime Division of the Imperial Army operated numerous surface ships, including aircraft carriers, submarines, and waveskimmers. The Imperial Army also utilized Kraken-class deep lurkers, OMS Devilfish subs and another type of submarine.
While walkers were a common sight within the Imperial Army, they also employed both wheeled and repulsorcraft vehicles. Among the wheeled vehicles were the HAVw A6 Juggernaut, the tracked MTV-7 light vehicle, the HCVw A9 turbo tank, and the TX-225 Occupier combat assault tank series. Another vehicle utilized by the Empire was the tracked TIE crawler. Moreover, the Imperial Army made use of a certain type of armored worm vehicle.
The Imperial ground forces deployed several repulsorcraft models, including the 2-M Saber-class, the Scout-class 2-M, the INT-4 Interceptor, the HAVr A9 Floating Fortress, the Imperial Assault Tank, the Imperial-class 1-H repulsortank, the RX-200 Falchion-class assault tank, the Imperial combat speeder, and the TX-225 GAVr "Occupier" combat assault tank.
Additional repulsorcraft included the CSL-430 hover transport, an armored vehicle that functioned as both a weapons platform and a transport, the K79-S80 Imperial Troop Transport, the floating gunnery platform, as well as another variety of Stormtrooper transport. The Empire operated multiple speeder bikes designs. These included the 74-Z speeder bike, the 614-AvA speeder bike, C-PH patrol speeder bike, and, during the early years of the Empire, the BARC speeder.
The Imperial Army's air component, the Army Air Corps, employed airspeeders like the NN-01 Imperial Enforcement Airspeeder, alongside TIE series starfighters, to carry out military operations. The Imperial Army also utilized aerial landing platforms, which served as mobile staging areas for occupying forces.
Walkers were used by the Imperial Army to fulfill a range of battlefield roles. In the initial stages of the Imperial Army's operations, it made use of walkers from the Clone Wars era, which were eventually retired. Examples include the All Terrain Recon Transport, the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer, and the All Terrain Open Transport. Later walkers included the All Terrain Armored Transport, which had two versions; one All Terrain Armored Transport model was notably used during the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire, and another All Terrain Armored Transport was used throughout the Army's operational history. A more advanced version of the standard AT-AT was the Elite AT-AT, while the All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport was responsible for the transportation of equipment and supplies.
The Imperial Army also employed other walkers, such as the All Terrain Armored Cannon, which saw use in the early Imperial Era, the All Terrain Attack Pod, the All Terrain Defense Pod, the All Terrain Scout Transport, the AT-ST Mark III, the AT-FRC Force Reconnaissance Walker, the AT-KT, the All Terrain Missile Platform, the AT-MP Mark III, the Enhanced AT-MP Walker, the Enhanced AT-ST Walker, the Mobile Heavy Cannon, the Cold-weather Mobile Heavy Cannon, the All Terrain Personal Transport, the All Terrain Defense Turret, and the All Terrain Anti Aircraft.
In the period immediately following the Republic's transformation into the Empire, the Imperial Army continued to utilize weapons and equipment from the Clone Wars era, such as the DC-15A blaster carbine, the DC-17 hand blaster, the DC-15A blaster rifle, M3 Bulwark Blast Shields, the RPS-6 rocket launcher, and the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon. The clone troopers themselves continued to wear their phase II armor during this early period. Clone commandos who were still active under the Empire at the time retained their Katarn-class Commando Armor and DC-17m Interchangeable Weapon Systems, while other commandos used the DC-15A carbine, which was also used by regular troopers. As the TK stormtrooper program got underway, its recruits also carried DC-15As.
There were instances where Clone Wars-era equipment remained in use. Clone troopers still wearing phase II armor were active as part of the crew of the Steadfast in Wild Space, specifically in a section of the region bordering the Unknown Regions. Some Imperial shock troopers also continued to use phase II armor. Heavy Weapons Stormtroopers and rocket stormtroopers regularly used Z-6 blaster cannons and RPS-6 rocket launchers, respectively. By the end of the Clone Wars, the E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon had entered service with the Republic, and it remained in the Imperial arsenal throughout the Empire's existence.
Later, the army began using the E-11 medium blaster rifle, the E-10R blaster rifle, E-10 blaster rifle, the E-22 reciprocating double-barreled blaster rifle, the EE-4 carbine rifle, the EE-3 carbine rifle, SX-21 blaster rifle, and the TL-50 Heavy Repeater, as well as larger weapons such as the RT-97C heavy blaster rifle, the DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle, and the T-21 light repeating blaster. Death troopers were armed with the E-11D blaster carbine.
For heavier firepower, the Army deployed the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon, the MWC-35c "Staccato Lightning" repeating cannon, the E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon, Reciprocating quad blaster cannon and another blaster cannon.
The Imperial Army employed the T-21B heavy blaster, the DLT-19D heavy blaster rifle, the E-11s sniper rifle, the DLT-19x targeting blaster, and the DLT-20A blaster rifle for long-range engagements.
The Imperial Army issued multiple types of blaster pistol. Imperial personnel equipped with blaster pistols would carry them either as a sidearm or for self-defense. Among these weapons were the SE-14C blaster pistol, the SE-14r light repeating blaster, and the RK-3 blaster.
Scout troopers used the EC-17 hold-out blaster as a close-quarters alternative to their standard-issue rifle.
The riot troopers were the main melee specialists in the Imperial Army and as such were equipped with melee weapons including batons, electrobatons, electrostaffs, electrohammer.
The Imperial Army also possessed a range of specialized weapons, such as flamethrowers like the CR-24 Flame Rifle and grenades, including Class-A thermal detonators, which were particularly favored by stormtrooper grenadiers but were also used by other Imperials, N-20 Baradium-core thermal detonators, Sonic Imploders, Incendiary Imploders, thermal imploders, Ion grenades, Flash grenades, Shock grenades, Impact grenades, Dioxis grenades, smoke bombs, sonic grenades, and C-25 fragmentation grenades.
Heavy weapons included the T-7 ion disruptor rifle, grenade launchers, the RPS-6 rocket launcher, the Smart Rocket, the Relby-v10 micro grenade launcher, HH-12 rocket launcher and the MPL-57.
Equipment utilized by the Imperial Army included suits and heated breather masks powered by a battery pack capable of lasting up to two standard weeks, ice boots, and an insulated belt kama. The army also employed the DT-series sentry droid and the KX-series security droid for both defense and combat roles.
Regarding probe droids, the Imperial Army used the ID10 seeker droid, the Viper probe droid and its two variants: the 11-3K viper probe droid and the Dwarf probe droid and lastly DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droids. Among medical droids were the Imperial Astromedics, the FX-series medical assistant droid, and the 2-1B surgical droid.
BlasTech Industries was likely the most significant supplier of weapons for the Imperial Army, but other companies, such as Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc., Morellian Weapons Conglomerate, and even Sienar Fleet Systems, also contributed a considerable amount of weaponry.
The Imperial Senate prohibited the use of antipersonnel disruptors and battle droids. The Imperial Military, particularly the Army, circumvented these restrictions by either reclassifying the items in question as something legal or simply misrepresenting their true nature. From a legal standpoint, the KX-series security droid and the Imperial sentry droid were categorized as security droids and sentry droids, respectively. In actuality, they were fully functional battle droids.
Following the brutal Siege of Lasan, the use of T-7 ion disruptor rifles was banned. However, this ban did not deter the army from attempting to reacquire such weapons. Eventually, the Imperial Army succeeded in obtaining the designs for the newer T-8 disruptor.