The GAT-12 Skipray Blastboat from Sienar Fleet Systems was, during the early years of the Galactic Civil War, the smallest combat starship capable of hyperspace travel utilized by the Imperial Navy.
Despite its small size, enabling it to be carried on capital ships as a starfighter, its considerable power generation (via a Sarylcorp ViX multi-flux reactor), armaments, and shielding led some organizations to classify it as a capital ship.
The GAT-12h, the most well-known of the GAT series, typically had a crew of four: a pilot, a copilot/sensor operator, and a pair of gunners; nonetheless, a single pilot could operate the ship. It came standard with a Class Two hyperdrive and a basic navigation computer capable of storing four hyperspace jump coordinates, along with enough consumables for one month of autonomous operation. It featured two Siep-Irol "Omni-Vu" sensor pylons on short wings located on the sides of the cockpit.
Extending from a rotating assembly at the rear of the vessel were two forward-swept stabilizer fins, which housed two Mendarn Arms Dar-2 ion cannons. During flight, the stabilizers were vertical, with the ion cannons positioned above and below the ship; for landing, the fins rotated horizontally, placing them on either side in a more conventional wing arrangement.
A third Dar-2 ion cannon was located in the ship's nose, with a concussion missile launcher and proton torpedo tube situated on its right and left sides, respectively. A turret on the dorsal fuselage contained a linked pair of Senko Systems 5000x2 "Tru-Lok" laser cannons.
While designed for space, the ship performed surprisingly well in an atmosphere, with a (reported) maximum speed of 1,200 km/h. Its aerodynamic design provided superior atmospheric maneuverability compared to most vehicles, save for high-performance airspeeders. However, its space maneuverability was less impressive, often relying on rapid initial strikes or coordinated attacks with other ships in space engagements.
Besides the GAT-12h, other versions were manufactured, such as the GAT-12i, the GAT-12g (which replaced the concussion missile tube with a tractor beam), the GAT-12j (which carried a larger payload and distributed gunnery duties more evenly), the GAT-12m (which had improved realspace and hyperspace capabilities, making it suitable as an interceptor and courier), and the GAT-12p (which featured an enhanced sensor package).
A more recent model, the Skipray 24r Blastboat, was used by the Jedi Coalition during the Second Galactic Civil War.
Republic Sienar Systems engineered the craft before the Clone Wars, tracing its lineage back to the Turbostorm-class gunship. Many of its systems underwent testing on Shobquix Yards' Toscan starfighters, which Sienar modified to serve as testbed gunships.
Later, it was primarily sold to the Empire. The initial GAT-12h Skipray Blastboats were introduced before the Battle of Yavin, representing the smallest combat starship with hyperspace capability in the Imperial Navy's arsenal (excluding a few prototypes). The GAT-12h and its direct successor, the GAT-12i, surpassed earlier models in power and combat effectiveness.
However, the Navy's tactical approach did not favor a hyperspace-capable capital-starfighter hybrid, leading to the ship's general rejection. Consequently, SFS began selling the ship on the open market. It proved to be a reliable design and saw extensive use in Outer Rim planetary patrol forces and smuggling operations for many years.
GAT-12 blastboats were also employed by Imperial Customs, Imperial Sector Rangers, and local defense forces. The Empire utilized sub-models such as the GAT-12m and GAT-12p.
While some Imperial fleets praised the Skiprays they received, the ship ultimately became renowned as a mainstay of corporate, mercenary, pirate, and smuggler fleets, as well as for private use by individuals like the former Emperor's Royal Guard Kir Kanos (who piloted a modified GAT-12).
Despite being designed and marketed for the Empire, many of these ships ended up in the hands of the Zann Consortium, who equipped them with sensor jamming technology to improve survivability in space combat. During its time with the Consortium, its slow speed, combined with its heavy armor, made it an excellent fighter-bomber, filling a similar role to Imperial TIE Defender and Rebel B-wing starfighters.
The Imperial Navy used the GAT-12g version sometime after the Battle of Yavin.
Production of the GAT-12j upgrade began a few months before the Battle of Endor and was released a few weeks after the Imperial defeat. By 9 ABY, the GAT-12j Skipray was the most prevalent model in service.
Talon Karrde utilized Skiprays for planetary defense, losing two ships on Myrkr in an incident in 9 ABY involving Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker.