The AAD-4 represented a series of assault droids produced by Arakyd Industries. These imposing, humanoid class four droids possessed enough strength to hoist a Vulptereen by the throat; they featured bronze armor and were outfitted with two black photoreceptors. In 22 BBY, not long before the Clone Wars began with the outbreak, Arakyd deployed sixty AAD-4 assault droids to Viper Tower, the central base of Viper Sensor Intelligence Systems. This deployment occurred during Arakyd's aggressive corporate acquisition of VSIS, and the droids rapidly neutralized security forces on the ground floor. A garrison stayed behind to facilitate the changeover.
Pablo Hidalgo and Paul Ens authored the HoloNet News article "HoloNet News Vol. 531 50," released on April 4, 2002, which initially introduced the AAD-4 assault droid, with illustrations by Joe Corroney. The droid's design took inspiration from initial droideka conceptual artwork created by Doug Chiang for the 1999 motion picture Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.