The Imperial Spec Ops armor was a full-body armor similar in appearance than regular stormtrooper armors. However, it was far more resistant and existed in two different colors: full black or white with black markings. The armor was also equipped with a shoulder pauldron which color was customizable by the owner. The armor offered protection against kinetic damage as well as from energy-based weapons like blasters.
This armor was originally developed for Special Operations officers but it was eventually provided to any Imperial soldier who had reached the rank of lieutenant colonel by proving superior fighting skills on the battlefield. The trooper HX-138 wore parts of this armor dyed black during the Blackwing virus outbreak on Dathomir.
The Imperial Spec Ops armor appeared in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts, prior to its closure on December 15, 2011. It was added to the game with the release of the "Chapter 3," on September 27, 2006.