Blackbird

The Blackbird is a prototype Colonial stealth fighter craft constructed by Chief Petty Officer 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. Chief Tyrol had originally intended just to build a standard Viper but ended up building a ship that was of more value to Galactica than another Viper.

Design and Technology

The Blackbird 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 makes it largely invisible to DRADIS scanning.

Along with the usual RCS mechanisms for directional control, the Blackbird is powered by obsolete DDG-62 engines (designed by Peter Laird, a civilian aeronautical engineer) that came from the flight deck of a Colonial fleet ship named Baah Pakal. 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 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 Blackbird is Jump-capable, but is not equipped with a Colonial transponder, either for stealth purposes or supply shortages.

Laura and Her Flight History

The first prototype is dubbed "Laura" in honor of President Laura Roslin. Kara Thrace pilots the maiden test flight, wherein she handily eludes her escort, Lee Adama.

The following individuals aid CPO Galen Tyrol in Laura's construction:

Anastasia Dualla improves communication systems.
Anthony Figurski
Cally
Jammer
Seelix
Karl Agathon suggests the use of carbon composite materials for the Blackbird's skin.
Saul Tigh offers the DDG-62 engines.
Lee Adama

Colonel Tigh originally denounces the project as frivolous, but later provides assistance in procuring the DDG-62 engines. Others among Tyrol's own deck crew also at first consider the project a waste of time, as noted through their initial reactions to Tyrol's proposal. However, Commander William Adama believes that the endeavor offers hope and purpose, and therefore permits it to continue despite the crisis with the Cylon logic bomb that has infected the Galactica's systems (Flight of the Phoenix).

Laura quickly proves her worth when Kara Thrace, by tacit request of Lee Adama, absconds with the Blackbird, claiming she is running a test flight for Admiral Cain. In reality, Starbuck has undertaken a reconnaissance mission to investigate a mysterious Cylon ship being escorted by two Basestars and many other support ships and fighters. Pegasus CAG Cole Taylor knows of the Blackbird but dismissed Thrace from the project and chose to use Raptors for his mission.

Starbuck is able to approach the Cylon fleet and the unknown ship completely undetected by the Cylons. She takes picture after picture while flying into and through the superstructure of the vessel, Jumping away just as the 'Bird clears the vessel's bow. The lack of a Colonial transponder causes the Battlestars Pegasus and Galactica to turn their Vipers on Thrace as she approaches the Fleet, both Battlestars' DRADIS systems marking her as a Raider by mistake. The Blackbird is in visual range of the Fleet long before DRADIS detects her approach. The Blackbird was likely detected only because of Starbuck transmitting a response message to Apollo aboard a Raptor, another testament to her stealth prowess.

Moments later, Admiral Cain receives detailed pictures of the unknown vessel, and Gaius Baltar eventually details the name and purpose of the Resurrection Ship (Resurrection Ship, Part I).

Laura is later piloted by then-Lieutenant Lee Adama in the battle to disable the Resurrection Ship's FTL drive, preventing her escape so that Vipers can destroy it. While Adama is successful, a collision with a disabled Raptor seriously damages the Blackbird, requiring him to eject. While Adama is later rescued, there is no word on the fate of this remarkable stealth fighter (Resurrection Ship, Part II).

Notes

Since the Blackbird was designed for stealth, not manuverability, it was logical that an FTL drive was added for advanced reconnaissance. The unused FTL drive came perhaps from a destroyed Raptor that crash-landed on Kobol from "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I."
The Blackbird's ungainly handling characteristics are quite evident during Starbuck's first test flight, as she spends the first several seconds out of the launch tube attempting to gain control over the craft. (Flight of The Phoenix)
Carbon composites are a family of materials used in lightweight or high-temperature-resistant construction, of which a type is 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. It was damage to this material that caused the destruction of Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-107.
Executive Producer David Eick stated in his video blog that the Blackbird is "not a Viper", so it is not classed as a modified Viper model ("Viper Mark VIII", etc), but is an entirely distinct craft.
The fighter's nickname creates a curious comparison with her namesake, Laura Roslin. The frail, but influential President Roslin and her rapid, secretive actions in her quest for Earth's location (including diverting Lt. Thrace from her original mission to destroy the Kobol basestar) as well as her savvy political work in "Colonial Day", are humorously similar in perspective to the abilities of "Laura", a structually weak, but highly agile and initially underestimated stealth fighter. Like President Roslin (the only known surviving official of the pre-holocaust Colonial government), the Blackbird is a unique commodity.