The LON-29 battle droid commander, a diminutive creation of Balmorran Arms, was among the smallest battle droids ever conceived by the company.
The original purpose of the LON-29 was to command SD-series battle droids manufactured on Balmorra. These SD-series droids were intended to absorb enemy attacks, allowing the LON-29 to analyze the battlefield and guide other droids to exploit vulnerabilities in enemy formations. Subsequently, its operational scope broadened to encompass the leadership of diverse battle droid units.
Briefly, it was promoted as a potential substitute for organic officers in combat situations. During the Sith–Imperial War, the Galactic Alliance deployed them to oversee small special forces teams, which resulted in catastrophic outcomes due to the droids' excessive readiness to expend the lives of their subordinate troops. Following this, the LON-29 units were relegated to solely commanding other droid forces. During the reign of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire, their use was limited to civilian applications, though corporations could still procure them routinely.
Darth Krayt employed a number of LON-29 battle droid commanders as training aids for his Sith apprentices.