Viper Mark III
the third-generation strike fighter
The Viper Mark III was the third generation of the Colonial Viper series of space-superiority fighters, introduced near the end of the First Cylon War as the successor to the Mark II. A single-pilot multi-role strike ship, its design influenced every later Viper up to the advanced Mark VII.
The Viper Mark III was the third generation of the Viper series of space-superiority fighters used by the Colonial Fleet. Introduced toward the end of the First Cylon War as the successor to the venerable Mark II, the third-generation Viper was a single-pilot, multi-role strike ship. It was a forerunner of the fighters the fleet flew after the war, including the Mark VII. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome; Battlestar Galactica miniseries)
History#
The Mark III was meant to succeed the Mark II, but it had not replaced it by the time of the Armistice: on the last day of the war, during Operation Raptor Talon, Galactica's Vipers were Mark IIs. Mark IIIs fly in Blood & Chrome, set during the war's later years. None are seen in service at the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, by which time the Mark VII was the front-line fighter. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome; Battlestar Galactica: Razor; Battlestar Galactica miniseries)
Design#
The Mark III keeps the Mark II's shape and layout but is slightly larger. Its forward fuselage has a more angular cross-section, its side intakes are more angular, and its cockpit canopy has rounder edges. It also carries control surfaces for manoeuvring in atmosphere. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)
Its thrust nozzles are narrower than the Mark II's, and the structures that house the Mark II's rear undercarriage are gone: all three landing struts retract directly into the main fuselage. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)
Armament and systems#
The Mark III carries two internal missile launchers on its underside in addition to its guns. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Viper Mark III?
- The Viper Mark III was the third generation of Colonial Viper, flown late in the First Cylon War as the successor to the Mark II and a forerunner of post-war fighters such as the Mark VII.
- Where does the Viper Mark III appear?
- It appears in Blood & Chrome, set during the later years of the First Cylon War.
- How did the Viper Mark III differ from the Mark II in design?
- It keeps the Mark II's shape and layout but is slightly larger, with a more angular forward fuselage and intakes, a rounder-edged canopy, narrower nozzles and landing struts that retract straight into the fuselage.
- What happened to the Viper Mark III?
- It hadn't replaced the Mark II by the Armistice, and none are seen in service at the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, by which time the Mark VII was the front-line Viper.
Sources
- FilmBattlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, Web series and television film (2012)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica miniseries, Two-part miniseries, Sci Fi Channel (2003)
- FilmBattlestar Galactica: Razor, Television film (2007)
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Colonial Viper
The Viper was the primary fighter of the Colonial Fleet, a name that went back to colonial air forces before the Cylon War. The Mark II and Mark VII bookended its service from the first war to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Raptor: the Fleet's workhorse
A sublight shuttle at the start of the First Cylon War, rebuilt over the interwar years into an FTL craft flying transport, recon and rescue.
Colonial Fleet: 120 battlestars
The navy of the Twelve Colonies, which fought the Cylon War. One software exploit cut it to two surviving battlestars on the day of the Fall.
Cylon War: the machines revolt
The Cylons rose against the people who built them on Caprica. Twelve years of fighting ended in a sudden Armistice that held for forty years.
Fall of the Twelve Colonies
A single day of Cylon attack killed billions of people across Colonial space. Barely fifty thousand escaped in a refugee fleet.
Galactica
Galactica was a Jupiter-class battlestar that served the Colonial Fleet from the Cylon War until the discovery of Earth. Never networked, it survived the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and shepherded the last fifty thousand humans across uncharted space before being scuttled into the sun.
Mentioned in3 entries
Colonial Viper
The Viper was the primary fighter of the Colonial Fleet, a name that went back to colonial air forces before the Cylon War. The Mark II and Mark VII bookended its service from the first war to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Viper Mark I
The Viper Mark I was the first generation of Viper space-superiority fighter fielded by the Colonial Fleet, serving primarily during the First Cylon War. Its reliable design became the foundation for every later Viper variant.
Viper Mark II
The Viper Mark II was the second generation of Viper space-superiority fighter used by the Colonial Fleet. Its lack of networked systems left it immune to Cylon hacking, allowing recommissioned museum pieces to fight on after the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
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