Blackbird

The Blackbird is a prototype Colonial fighter craft constructed by Galen Tyrol, his deck crews, and other members of Galactica. This craft was meant to supplement the Viper, given the issues in maintaining the remaining craft aboard the battlestar.

It is designed to use the Viper launch tubes, and therefore shares the same general shape. It is built more for speed than for maneuverability. If it is armed, it likely fires the same ammunition as typical Vipers, though this has not yet been demonstrated.

It does not use metal for its skin since this metal was reserved for Viper repairs. Instead, on Karl Agathon's suggestion, the Blackbird uses a carbon composite material, which aside from an external covering makes it invisible from DRADIS scanning. Carbon composites are the same material used in the nose and leading edges of the wings of NASA's Space Shuttle Orbiter. Carbon composites are somewhat fragile, so impacts (even one from a champagne bottle, which Laura Roslin jokingly attempted to do as she christened the ship) may cause the material to splinter or break.

The Blackbird is powered by obsolete DDG-62 engines that were in storage on another ship. One must speculate that since a typical Viper's engines are vulnerable to heat-seeking missiles (Mini-Series), these must be as well. This would would compromise its stealth features during powered flight. (This is less of a disadvantage in space than in atmospheric flight; a spacecraft's inertia is not affected by gravity, friction, and other factors an atmospheric-bound craft would be, and thus can fly indefinitely without firing its engines.)

The first prototype was dubbed "Laura", in honor of President Laura Roslin (Flight of the Phoenix).