The Viper probe droid, often called the Imperial probe droid, was a probe droid model. Arakyd Industries manufactured these droids for use by the Galactic Empire, and later, the New Republic. They were designed for long-range space exploration and reconnaissance missions. This droid possessed five manipulator arms, along with a blaster and a communicator. Features also included a self-destruct mechanism, repulsorlift engines, and a sensor array. The 11-3K variant saw action on Vandor. During the Galactic Civil War, Death Squadron initiated Project Swarm, an operation that involved launching 100,000 Viper droids across the galaxy via hyperdrive pods. The aim of this project was to locate the Rebellion's base. Ultimately, a probe deployed to the planet Hoth discovered the base, triggering the subsequent evacuation and battle. These droids communicated through Omnisignal unicode. Even after the Fall of the Empire, Gideon's Imperial remnant continued to utilize these probe droids.
These Viper probe droids fulfilled various roles, such as searching planets for pirates and criminals, and performing sensor scans of areas of interest to the Empire. The droids utilized their sensors to investigate wreckage and create terrain maps. Equipped with powerful transceivers, they could transmit their findings to Imperial-class Star Destroyers and intelligence outposts for deeper analysis. Furthermore, Viper probe droids demonstrated proficiency in infiltration operations.