A Cylon Raider is a Cylon fighter ship. They deploy from the Cylon Bay Ships, and are the equivalent of the Colonial Viper, although they are more technologically advanced.

The Cylon Raider has FTL jump capability that by far outstrips anything the Colonial ships can match. In several episodes, the ability of the Cylon Raider to jump farther than any colonial ship works to the advantage of the colony crewmen who have captured Raiders at very opportune times.

The Raider is an unmanned fighter ship that is completely autonomous. The ship is actually a fully developed Cylon being similar to the "Skin Jobs" or "The Twelve". The exterior is completely inorganic, but the internal structure of the ship is mainly biological. The brain is housed in the central area of the ship behind the two "wings" which also house the weapons systems. From the front, one can easily see the distinctive red light which oscillates in a way very similar to the Centurion-type Cylon. It has been determined, though, that the Raider has a more advanced intellect and a distinctive personality (not to mention organic parts) unlike its cousin the Centurion, thus making it more similar to a "Skin Job" than to the Centurion.

One notable Raider known by the colonists as Scar, reportedly single-handedly shot down a large number of Colonial Vessels. The Colonials eventually find out that "Scar" has actually been killed many times, but has been resurrected via a "Resurrection Ship" repeatedly. The Cylons recognize that resurrection of the same Cylon Raider personality over and over is much more efficient than training a new entity to do the same job.