Droid starfighter
Droid starfighters were a type of unmanned fighter craft employed by the Trade Federation and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Of Xi Charrian manufacture, they were armed with two energy torpedo launchers and two blaster cannons and could transform, reconfiguring themselves to walk on four legs. These fighter craft used unconventional drive systems featuring solid fuel slugs, which gave them excellent acceleration but low range. Droid starfighters could be deployed in vast numbers, a single Lucrehulk-class battleship being able to carry 1,500 droid starfighters into battle.
Performance
Since they don't require a life support system, droid starfighters can devote more of their mass and volume to power systems, propulsion, defenses, and weapons. Unless the droid brain and the "walking" functions use as much space and mass as life support, a droid fighter can be more powerful than a manned fighter of the same size and technology base.
Nonetheless, droid starfighters do not usually outperform manned starfighters. This may be related to the claim that droids lack the capacity for "original thinking", meaning that organic pilots can usually outsmart droid opponents. Another possibility is that the designers of droid fighters prioritized cost savings over performance, hoping superior numbers would allow them to prevail in battle.
References
- [1]-Starwars.com on Droid Starfighters