(Battlestar Galactica 2004, Caprica and Blood & Chrome)
The Raptor was a multipurpose spacecraft used by the Colonial Fleet. In service from the 1950s at earliest, the Raptor was heavily used by the Colonial Fleet, capable of performing a variety of actions. Raptors in the Cylon War were restricted to sublight speeds,[1] though miniaturised drives were present in all models by the Fall of the Twelve Colonies in 2000, which allowed a limited FTL capability.[2] The standard crew size for a Raptor is two, with a Pilot and Electronic Countermeasure Officer, though space allows for dedicated co-pilot.
Roles
Within the Colonial Fleet, three craft in particular became the standard models for their particular roles, with Vipers serving as space-superiority fighters, Shuttles as transport ships, and finally Raptors as a combat support vessel.
During combat, Raptors typically accompany a Viper squadron to provide targeting information and electronic countermeasures such as interfering with the guidance systems of enemy missiles. Munitions pods can also be attached to the body, allowing it to fire missiles during operations. The Raptor can depressurise its cockpit if rescue of stranded pilots is required.
As a scout, Raptors can operate independently using short and medium-range scans to detect radio, heat, or other signatures from spacecraft, scanning planet surfaces for certain molecules such as water. With FTL capability, the Raptor can also perform missions light years away form the mother ship.
A further purpose of the Raptor is as a transport, both for general transport of crew from ship-to-ship or ship-to-surface, but also for transport of Marines. Such missions, known as Search-and-Rescue (SAR), are vital in disaster response.
Technical specifications
The Raptor weighs approximately 50 tons. It can carry at least ten adults in addition to its two-person crew, though excessive occupants prevent it from reaching orbit if launching from the surface.[3] The crew of a Raptor operate using their flight suits and helmets in order to ensure their protection in case of any hull breach causing depressurisation of its cabin.
It cannot takeoff from a battlestar's launch tube like the Vipers because of its large size; it is launched from the flight pod instead.
Raptors can fly in both atmosphere and space, but in order to maintain lift in an atmosphere its engines must be constantly running which consumes more fuel. At low speeds, Raptors may experience poor handling.
Gallery
Sources
- ↑ Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome.
- ↑ Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries, Night 2.
- ↑ Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries, Night 1.