The Ultra-Light Assault Vehicle, also known as the ULAV, was a type of compact repulsorcraft utilized by the rebellion headed by Senator Mon Mothma against the forces of the Galactic Empire around 2 BBY. Functioning in a support role for slower-moving troops, ULAVs were armed with a pair of laser cannons in the front, a blaster cannon mounted on the rear, and a concussion missile launcher.
These Ultra-Light Assault Vehicles (ULAVs) were small and rapid repulsorcraft. Featuring a symmetrical design and incorporating a repulsorlift, these assault vehicles possessed a tan-colored hull, air intakes located on each side of the nose, and tinted, wedge-shaped windscreens. Some Ultra-Light Assault Vehicles included fins positioned on opposing sides of their frame.
Each ULAV, acting as an assault vehicle, was equipped with two forward-facing laser cannons, a rotating blaster cannon at the rear, and a concussion missile launcher. A single gunner operated the blaster cannon, while a single pilot controlled the aircraft.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Senator Mon Mothma spearheaded a rebellion against the Empire. This rebellion made use of Ultra-Light Assault Vehicles to provide support to slower rebel soldiers during combat. Sometime between 3 BBY and 2 BBY, General Pitt Onoran, drawing upon insights from Lieutenant Taidu Sefla, dispatched a report to Mothma. This report included Ultra-Light Assault Vehicles among the rebellion's available ground-based assets. By [4 ABY](/article/4_aby], archivist Hendri Underholt compiled Onoran's assessment into The Rebel Files, a collection of non-electronic documents.
Decades later, in [34 ABY](/article/34_aby], after The Rebel Files were unearthed during an excavation on the planet Durkteel, Resistance Major Caluan Ematt added annotations to the document. Ematt remarked that the Resistance was "alarmingly under equipped" in terms of ground forces, and expressed his desire to have a repulsor vehicle pool at the Resistance base on D'Qar containing any of the vehicles listed, including the Ultra-Light Assault Vehicle.
Within current Star Wars canon, Ultra-Light Assault Vehicles initially appeared in the tower defense game titled Star Wars: Galactic Defense. This game was released in 2014 and subsequently shut down in 2016. In Star Wars Legends, the first mention of ULAVs occurred in the 1990 roleplaying book The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, penned by Paul Murphy. The initial Legends appearance of ULAVs themselves was in the 1998 novel X-Wing: Wraith Squadron.
In Galactic Defense, ULAVs functioned as enemy units in the "Dark Side" missions, specifically in original trilogy-themed levels that recreated the Battles of Hoth and Endor. In these scenarios, players utilized defense towers and Imperial units, such as riot troopers, to defend against waves of rebel forces. Successfully destroying a ULAV rewarded the player with "Scrap," a point value used for upgrading or purchasing towers. While the descriptions and lore within Galactic Defense were considered canon, the gameplay itself was not. As a result, the presence of ULAVs on Hoth and the moon Endor is deemed non-canon.