Raptor Mark IIIb

The Raptor Mark IIIb was a modern Raptor, a multipurpose spacecraft used by the Colonial Fleet. A workhorse of the fleet, it was capable of performing a wide variety of roles, and like other modern Raptors it carried a small FTL drive for short jumps. Within the Colonial Fleet, it filled the support roles that the Viper fighters could not. (Battlestar Galactica (miniseries))

Role within the fleet#

Within the Colonial Fleet, the Raptor was the workhorse support craft that flew alongside the Viper fighters. It was heavily used and prized for its versatility, switching between a broad range of missions as circumstances demanded. (Battlestar Galactica (miniseries); Battlestar Galactica, "33")

Design#

In the miniseries Sharon Valerii talks of landing "50 tons of Raptor" on a moving hangar deck. It could carry around eight to ten adults in addition to its two-person crew. Its crew flew in flight suits and helmets in case a hull breach depressurised the cabin. The Raptor could fly in both atmosphere and space, but staying airborne within an atmosphere required its engines to run constantly, which burned fuel and could strain them. (Battlestar Galactica (miniseries); Battlestar Galactica, "Bastille Day"; Battlestar Galactica, "You Can't Go Home Again")

Crew and complement#

The standard crew of a Raptor was two, a pilot and an electronic countermeasures officer, who sat side by side in the cockpit and manned the ECM station behind it when not flying. The cabin could be deliberately depressurised when a mission called for it, such as pulling a crewman in from space, and repressurised in seconds afterwards. (Battlestar Galactica (miniseries); Battlestar Galactica, "You Can't Go Home Again"; Battlestar Galactica, "A Day in the Life")

Combat support and countermeasures#

During combat, Raptors typically flew with a Viper squadron as early warning and electronic countermeasures platforms, able to jam enemy transmissions and scramble the control signals of guided weapons. Weapon pods could be attached to the craft's hardpoints when a mission called for firepower. In this role the Raptor extended the reach and survivability of the fighters it supported. (Battlestar Galactica (miniseries); Battlestar Galactica, "33"; Battlestar Galactica, "Exodus, Part 2")

Reconnaissance and transport#

As a scout, the Raptor could operate independently or alongside other craft, scanning for the signatures of other ships and searching planetary surfaces for resources such as water. Its FTL drive let it scout ahead of its mother ship. The Raptor also served as a transport, both for moving crew between ships or to a surface and for carrying Marines, who could board another ship through a docking skirt on its underside. (Battlestar Galactica, "Water"; Battlestar Galactica, "Bastille Day"; Battlestar Galactica, "The Hand of God")