Viper (TOS)

This article discusses the Viper fighter seen in the Original Series. For information on the Vipers used in the Re-imagined Series, see Viper (RDM).

Starhound Viper (credit: Universal / ABC)

The Colonial Starhound Viper was the primary space superiority fighter / attack craft deployed by the Colonials. Capable of atmospheric flight, it was a single-seat craft mounting two laser-torpedo guns as standard, as well as having hardpoints for mounting missiles.

The Viper was originally introduced into Colonial service during the 1,000 yahren war with the Cylons, and was a far superior craft to the Cylon Raider.

Propulsion was said to be provided by a hybrid tylium / fusion reactor powering three ion engines with a "turbo-boost" facility for very rapid acceleration. For atmospheric flight, the engines are additionally supplied with atmospheric gases as combustibles to conserve on-board fuel supplies. The viper cockpit is fully pressurised, and in the event of catastrophic system damage, the entire module can detach and eject away from the damaged Viper.

Dimensions

• Length: (approx) 8.7m
• Wingspan: (approx) 3.8m

Propulsion

• 3x ion engines mounted aft

Armaments

• 2 x forward-firing laser-torpedo guns
• 4 x two-hundred kiloton Solonite missiles
• 2 x thirty megaton Solonite bombs

Crew

• Pilot

Layout

The Viper is a long, sleek vehicle that can be spilt into two parts, fore and aft.

• Fore section: comprises the nose back to the cockpit. This contains the targeting dish and sensor array, the forward landing gear; the main avionics and sensor packages, plus the cockpit module
• Stern section: comprises the main engines, reactor systems, turbo-boost injection systems, fuel tanks, wings and vertical stabiliser. The wings themselves contain the laser-torpedo guns and their power packs. Harpoints beneath the wings allow missiles, munitions pods and other items to be rack-mounted.

Notes

• In Galactica 1980, some Vipers were outfitted with stealth technologies that rendered the Viper craft invisible to the eye (Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I).
• Also in 1980, a two-seater version of the Viper was seen throughout the series. However, despite its appearances in 1980, this variant may have been hinted at as early on as "Saga of a Star World", when Adama and Apollo made a landing on Caprica after the destruction of the Colonies. However, this variant was never explictly seen during the classic series' run.