Raptor

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The Raptor is a vehicle utilized by the Colonial military. A versatile craft, it is designed to perform multiple roles, but the Raptor most commonly takes part in reconnaissance and scouting operations.

Raptor
Race	Colonial
Type	Military
FTL	Yes (short range)
Propulsion
Crew	2 (Pilot and ECO)
Capacity	Approximately 5-10 passengers
CO	{{{co}}}
XO	{{{xo}}}
Role	Reconnaissance and surveillance, electronic countermeasures support, transport
Weapons	Missiles and bombs (special missions only); normally unarmed; decoys
Armaments	{{{arm}}}
Status	{{{status}}}
Other Images	More images...
Dimensions
Length	28 feet (8.6m)
Width	{{{width}}}
Height	9.5 feet (2.9m)
Weight	50 tons [1]
Wingspan	18.34 feet (5.6m)
Other	{{{otherdi}}}

Contents 1 Overview 2 Atmospheric Operations 3 FTL Operations 4 Life Support 5 Propulsion 6 Armament 6.1 Offensive 6.2 Defensive 7 Layout 8 Notes 8.1 Making the Raptor fly 9 Related Images 10 See Also 11 References

Overview

The Raptor is usually operated by a crew of two (one pilot and one ECO), has synthetic gravity on board, and is controlled by means of a fly-by-wire system (Rapture). It is capable of atmospheric flight and is also equipped with a short-range FTL engine, allowing it to make short faster-than-light hops. Due to its size and shape, a Raptor is not launched from a battlestar's launch tube, rather, it deploys from the forward end of a flight pod. The vehicle has been a mainstay of the Colonial fleet for over 40 years, having entered service sometime prior to the twelfth year of the first Cylon War (Razor Flashbacks, Episode 3). Its versatility and reliability in various roles has likely prevented it from being phased out by newer Colonial craft.

As a scout, Raptors can:

• Undertake short and medium-range scans to detect electromagnetic, heat or other signatures from other vessels
• Scan planetary surfaces for signs of life, energy output, or to locate and assess mineral deposits ("Water", "The Hand of God")
• Scout ahead of its parent warship in other planetary or celestial systems for any signs of hostile intent or stellar conditions prior to the parent ship's arrival (Miniseries)
• Undertake search & rescue operations after an engagement with Cylon forces.

When scouting, Raptors can operate independently, or in concert with other Raptors and Vipers (The Hand of God).

As an ECM platform, the Raptor contains a full suite of electronic countermeasure and monitoring tools, enabling it to:

• Jam wireless or relay transmissions (by wireless or optically) from other spacecraft (Miniseries, "33")
• Scramble control signals used by guided weapons (Miniseries)
• Undertake IFF operations for Viper squadrons (Miniseries)

In addition to reconnaissance and scouting, the Raptor can also undertake the following roles:

• Airborne warning & control and electronic countermeasures platform supporting Viper operations (Miniseries, "33")
• Marine assault craft ("Bastille Day", "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II", "Pegasus")
• Ambulance / evac vehicle (Miniseries)
• General purpose transport ("Flesh and Bone", "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down", "Home, Part II")
• Combat Search and Rescue ("Fragged", "Resurrection Ship, Part II")
• Secure communication with other vessels (33)

In the transport role, a Raptor is capable of carrying around eight to ten adults in addition to the two-person crew. In the assault role, it can carry a squad of some eight equipped Marines (Bastille Day).

Atmospheric Operations

The Raptor is designed for atmospheric as well as space-based operations. However, a critical element for atmospheric operations is that to remain airborne requires fuel: once in an atmosphere, the engines must be run constantly to maintain lift and to hover. Depending on the composition of the atmosphere itself, this can place severe strain on the Raptor's engines (You Can't Go Home Again).

Due to their overall configuration and bulk, Raptors may also suffer from poor handling at low speeds, and rely heavily on directed thrust to remain airborne.

FTL Operations

A Raptor seems to be able to make at least ten, and probably at least 20 FTL jumps before refueling as seen in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". However, these Raptors had been carrying more than a typical amount of fuel for that mission.

Life Support

The main flight deck / cabin of a Raptor is fully pressurized. However, crews operate in flight suits and helmets to help protect them against any hull breach (Miniseries). The cabin can also be depressurized and used in space rescue operations. Re-pressurization takes 10 seconds ("You Can't Go Home Again", "A Day in the Life"). The forward pilot and co-pilot seats can eject in an emergency as the forward canopy is blown away prior to the ejection (Dirty Hands).

Propulsion

• 2x sublight engines mounted aft
• 1x small-scale FTL system
• RCS points

Armament

Offensive

Raptors are normally unarmed as they make for a poor general-purpose fighter. The craft have an internal weapons bay capable of holding both offensive and defensive weapons. They are also capable of carrying heavy external armaments on four wing hardpoints, two wingtip hardpoints, and two fuselage hardpoints on the sides of the Raptor's body. Known weapons carried include:

• nuclear missiles
• bombs/munitions pods
• quad racks of missiles
• multiple-tube rocket batteries mounted on the fuselage points
• external cannons

Defensive

The Raptor's contours provide it a reduced DRADIS signature to avoid detection. In addition, the craft carry an assortment of pods to aid in communications or defense as well as electronic countermeasures such as a jigger.^[2]

• Up to 6 decoy drones
• Up to 4 communication drones
• Up to 4 sets of flares
• Up to 4 chaff pods

Layout

The Raptor is an angular vehicle built for function, not aesthetics. The forward section consists of a flight cabin with side-by-side seats for the pilot and ECO, with a large bubble canopy providing wide fields of view both forward and side. The flight cabin opens into the main compartment where a workstation containing early warning, electronic countermeasures, and other equipment is manned by the ECO when not co-piloting the craft.

Access to the Raptor's main compartment is primarily through a large port-side hydraulic door, and a floor-mounted hatchway provides access through the deck. A pressurized docking skirt can also be extended from the underside, enabling the Raptor to dock to the hulls of other vessels. In assault missions, marines can use this skirt to breech a hull and board a hostile vessel (Bastille Day).

Aft of the pressurized area are the FTL drive and main sublight engines. Port and starboard stub wings provide additional lift during atmospheric flight, and winglets reduce drag and provide step access to the wings and hull. RCS thrusters are placed throughout the craft for landing, maneuvering and stabilization (Miniseries).

Notes

• "Raptor" is a Latin word meaning bird of prey.
• Commonly seen Raptor pilots include Lt. Sharon "Athena" Agathon and Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson (who also serves as an ECO).
• Boomer blames a malfunctioning gimbal for a rough landing in the Miniseries.
• The design of the Raptor originally began as this sketch. "Sketches like this are great for selling a concept," explains production designer Richard Hudolin. "The Raptor is derived from an Apache helicopter and we wanted to give it a retro feel, a nuts-and-bolts look, to give the impression that in its time it was the best of the best, but now its time is almost over."
• The design of the Raptor was based on the US Army's Apache helicopter. Ronald D. Moore thinks of it "as analogous to the Navy's EA-6 Prowler (a variant of the A-6 Intruder popularized in Flight of the Intruder)."^[3]
• The joystick seen inside of the Raptor appears to be a Logitech Attack 3.

Making the Raptor fly

Richard Hudolin explains: "The Raptor is made out of foam on a steel frame. We built it so that we could have people safely in there as a 100ft crane picks it up and swings it around. The actors were a little bit surprised: 'Oh, my God, it goes up that high!'"

It's custom-built and then it's painted. We have painters who are literally standing by on the day to add to it before the camera rolls [the wires are removed digitally later in post production]."

"The actors are rehearsing and we have people aging [the Raptor], adding the gunshot hits. One day we had to paint it up as if it had crashed and been on fire - the next day it had to be made pristine again." ^[4]

Related Images

Zoic CGI model.

Zoic CGI model.

Zoic CGI model.

Zoic CGI model.

See Also

• List of Raptors

References