Raptor Pilot Duties (And ECOs!)

[Roger Davis]

Raptor Pilot Duties

Ugh! Raptor pilots! Who wants to just be a bus driver, amirite? Well, there is actually so much more to Raptors than just playing taxi and ferrying people around the Fleet while the Vipers have all the fun in combat. Sure, Raptors are a bit bigger and more sluggish than the normal Vipers but they are so much more versatile, essential in support of Vipers in combat, and can also pack a heavy wallop of their own.

Don't believe me? Well keep on reading then. A lot of this will be overlap with the Viper guide since the pilot life is very similar between the two. So if you get deja vu on a section then skip down a bit and look for original material.

1. The Basics
2. Pilots v. ECOs
3. Ship Life
4. The Raptor
5. CAP Duties
6. Other Standard Duties

[Roger Davis]

The Basics
What is a Raptor? Raptors are multipurpose craft, much more versatile than the Viper which are really only good at one thing: combat. The Raptor excels at reconnaissance, search and rescue, transport (combat and non-combat, traditional landings and forced entry through boarding actions), and combat support roles. The Raptor can also be outfitted to be an absolute beast of a weapons platform.

As a Raptor Pilot or ECO, you'll be crewing one of these fine vessels and performing all of the above mentioned roles. The stereotypical Raptor crew isn't all too different from their Viper counter parts. Maybe they're not as hot headed or aggressive, but they still have that drive and love for flight and of course the skill and smarts to actually make it as a pilot or ECO. Of course they're also officers of the Colonial Fleet with all that entails with regards to respect as well as responsibility.

The road to the Raptor is much the same as a Viper. First you need to earn your commission through some form of schooling. From there you go on to flight school (again, 6-12 months) to learn how to fly and to pass all your tests and actually qualify to "earn your wings". Some Raptor pilots are cross-trained for the Viper, but it's typically the other way around. However, most Raptor pilots and ECOs are cross-trained for each other's positions and will at the very least some some basic knowledge of their partner's job (the ECO able to be a copilot and the pilot being able to perform at least basic ECO duties).

Raptor crew ranks range from O-1 to O-5. Assuming you're on a Battlestar like the Hyperion and not some smaller vessel, the fresh officers are Ensigns, the “middle” officers are the Lieutenant JGs, the senior officers are Lieutenants, some (but not all) squadron leaders will be Captains, and the CAG/Dep. CAG (if a Raptor pilot) might be a Major. Typically (but not always) the pilot with be of equal or greater rank than their ECO. Also, it's pretty difficult for an ECO to make squadron leader without first switching to be a pilot.

[Roger Davis]

Pilots v. ECOs
Two crew members in one ship? Oh my God! We're all doomed! WHO'S FLYING THIS THING!?

Well, the cop out answer is that both pilot and ECO will have a basic understanding of each other's jobs. Thus it doesn't really matter who does what so long as someone does it. There are two reasons for this:

The Full Answer
The pilot's job is pretty straightforward. The pilot flies the damn Raptor and generally makes all the decisions (i.e. no backseat driving). In combat situations, when the ECO is not riding shotgun, the pilot is also in charge of the Raptor's weapon systems. Pretty simple, huh? Almost like you're a Viper pilot who is driving a station wagon instead of a sports car.

The ECO's main job is, get ready for it, Electronic Countermeasures. What the hell does that mean? Basically it means fraking with the enemy. The ECO can do the basic stuff like launch various decoy drones, try to directly hack enemy missiles, etc., all the stuff a Viper can do but the Raptor can do it much better since it has more hardware to perform the task and a dedicated crew member to do it instead of a multitasking pilot. However, the ECO can also set his goals a little higher. Instead of just watching his ass, he can also work to shield those Vipers who aren't so good at electronic countermeasures. He might also get rally ambitious and try to directly hack the systems of enemy fighters.

The ECO is also in charge of the Raptor's DRADIS and other scanners. Yes, again, a Viper has all this stuff too, but the Raptor's set up is so much more powerful. It's like going from a youtube video in 240p to 1080p. Enemy contacts? Radiation alert for enemy nukes? Water sources buried under that asteroid? Colonial resistance fighters sending out a signal? You can bet the Raptor ECO is going to pick up that signal first.

The ECO is also in a way a smarter version of the DRADIS. Individual Viper and Raptor DRADISes will put up contacts and can even identify them but that's it. You'll end up with a sea of red blips and all of them say "Cylon Raider". ECOs thus can serve and organizational and command and control type role by giving more detailed IDs (e.g. numbering or even naming contacts so they are easier to tell apart) and even creating target lists for individual ships or squadrons (i.e. the HUDs of those Vipers will indicate their assigned targets and pick them out of the greater mass of enemies).

The Raptor ECO also can turn his equipment toward traditional communications. Thus he can both jam enemy transmissions as well as boost friendly wireless messages.

If the ECO ever gets tired of fighting the battle as a nerd at a computer keyboard, he has two options. He can go up front and now become the weapons officer of the Raptor. From there he can take over the guns, missiles, and rocket pods currently equipped and unleash hell. If the Raptor is equipped with a tail gun, he can alternatively head aft and man that and take out anyone on their tail who thinks a slow Raptor is easy pickings.

[Roger Davis]

Ship Life
Living Arrangements
Raptor crews live EXACTLY like Viper pilots do. They are bunked in groups of ten with squadrons (of 20 pilots and 20 ECOs) clustered in four adjacent rooms. Their rooms are nearby to the flight pod where their Raptors are parked so they too have as short a route as possible to their action stations, just like Viper pilots.

Raptor crews can use all the amenities on the ship from the gym to the library (NERD!), the laundry to the mess. Since all Raptor pilots are officers that means they get to all those added privileges as well including the Officer's Mess and officer lounges. Aren't we fancy?

Watches
Raptor crews work on watches too: four hours on, eight off, four on, eight off. Your off time is generally yours to spend as you like (aside from those few optional mandatory occurrences like group PT, meetings, etc. In the rest of the time you need to sleep, eat, and have so basic recreation and entertainment.

While on duty, Raptor crews will be only one of two places. They will either be: in their Raptor in the Black or in the Pilot Ready Rooms nearby. When on watch, all crew members whether actually in a Raptor or not, will be wearing their flight suits and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

[Roger Davis]

The Raptor
The Raptor is the workhorse of the Colonial Fleet. It is without a doubt the most versatile platform in service, capable of amazing feats when in the hands of a skilled crew. The Raptor is possibly more prevalent than even the Viper across various Colonial installations though in total there are more Vipers in service than the more scattered Raptors.

Raptor History
Like the Viper, the Raptor dates back to the First Cylon War Era. Unlike the Viper, the Raptor hasn't changed all too much in the past fifty years. From the outside at least, the ship looks virtually unchanged. Despite the jests about the Raptor being a bus, as aerodynamic as a vending machine, and about as slow and easy to shoot as one too, the design has withstood the test of time and proven again and again its versatility. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

A look inside the Raptor reveals the few modifications that have been made over time. In general, the entire vessel has continued to update with more modern and top-of-the-line computers with more powerful and efficient EC suites. But the most notable change is that modern Raptors all have individual FTL jump drives standard. What did we ever do without them?

Ship Capabilities
The Raptor is 8.6m x 2.9m x 5.6m of versatility (i.e almost the exact dimensions of a Viper except slightly shorter and way more boxy rather than dart-like). The ship is propelled primarily by two aft sublight engines but like the Viper it maneuvers with the aid of numerous RCS thrusters distributed across the body of the craft. Also like the Viper, the Raptor can also fly in atmosphere, but the Raptor actually has more issues with this type of flight. Not only does the Raptor have the same issues of the atmospheric flight requiring more fuel to stay a loft and is also harder on the engines to keep power output high enough, the Raptor also has the disadvantage of having tiny study little wings wings which provide next to zero lift. Thus, in atmosphere, the Raptor also engages a reward facing turbine which propels air down and away from the vessel thus creating constant lift. However, if this system fails the Raptor will fall from the sky like a stone. Modern Raptors are also equipped with a FTL drive further increasing their versatility.

The Raptor has the capability to be armed to the teeth. A fully loaded combat Raptor has two fixed forward facing six-barreled 20mm cannons as well as two cannons in a rear tailgun turret underneath the engines. The Raptor can be equipped with two large rocket pods over-top the fuselage holding 240 rockets each. The Raptor also has four hard points under the wings where either quad missile racks, large nuclear weapons, extra fuel pods, supply canisters, or other equipment may be attached.

The Raptor also has a full array of countermeasures with over a dozen drones that can be equipped as simple decoys, flare decoys, or electronic decoys. The Raptor also can deploy communication drones/buoys for noncombat purposes.

Each Raptor also has a full console dedicated purely to electronic countermeasures and manned by a dedicated crew member, the ECO. From here the Raptor can jam or boost transmissions, hack and deceive enemy missiles and systems, identify enemies, distribute target lists, and perform a number of different types of scans. The capabilities of the Raptor are only outdone by the large CIC of the Battlestar itself and the dozens of personnel working there.

The Raptor of course also serves as transport both for simple non-combat as well as combat missions. Personnel and supplies can be transported on a peaceful and rather smooth ride between points or marines and war material can be dropped right into a hot landing zone. The Raptor is even equipped to secure itself to enemy vessels and allow those inside to cut through an enemy hull, create a soft seal, and board that vessel directly from the bottom of the Raptor into the enemy ship. When fully loaded, a Raptor can carry up to ten passengers.

The ejection system of a Raptor is a little more involved and slower than the quick Viper ejection. The entire forward canopy first needs to separate and then both pilot and copilot seats eject. That means an ECO needs to get to the copilot chair if he intends to eject. It also means that passengers are SOL. If the ejection procedure is not functioning or you are one of those poor SOBs left onboard when the pilot punched out to save himself, you can blow the port-side hatch off and bail out through there. Of course such an escape doesn't include a seat with basic supplies, SAR transponder, and built in parachute if needed.

Like the Viper, the Raptor has retractable landing gear which can create a magnetic seal when landing in space. It is also utilized to attach to less traditional landing zones like the side of an enemy ship when attempting to board.


Getting In and Out
Vipers and Raptors DO NOT take off the same way. Landing is pretty similar, but you don't see Raptors rocketing out of launch tubes.

Hanger Deck Takeoff
Whereas this is the second, fallback choice for Viper takeoff, it is the only real option for Raptors. The Raptor is lifted up to the hanger deck via elevator. From there it disengages its maglock, engages engines, and flies off (or merely repositions off the elevator and parks itself someplace else on the hanger deck in order to wait for other Raptors and launch as one group). It's as simple as that. It's a little slow, but it's fairly simple.

Landing
Landing is basically the same thing but in reverse. You come in and try to land directly on an elevator. You engage maglock and are lowered into the deck. Boom, easy! If there are multiple Raptors all coming in at once (or Vipers complicating things too) then you'll land somewhere that is open and wait to maneuver over to the elevator as it clears (again, the same thing as a group take-off but in reverse).


Launch Protocols
Even though they don't use the launch tubes, the Raptors need permission to launch as well. However, typically Raptors speak directly to the LSO in the control tower rather than some launch tube tech from the deck. It's also much briefer since there is no catapult involved. Below is a basic guideline of the conversation that goes on:
Raptor Pilot reports in. “Hyperion, Raptor 3.”
Raptor pilot does a last minute check and reports he is good to launch. “Instruments green. Fuel pressure green.”
Launch technician reports in. “Raptor 3, Hyperion.”
Launch technician confirms that the Raptor itself appears to be in working order. “Thrust positive and steady.”
Launch technician gives clearance to launch. “You are clear for launch.”
Raptor disengages maglock and takes off.

[Roger Davis]

Combat Air Patrols
From the Viper Guide:

In short, a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) is exactly what it sounds like. A CAP involves a Viper flying a patrol in a state of combat readiness. Viper pilots will be spending the majority of their time (certainly in peace but even during war time) flying CAPs as opposed to flying something other than a patrol (e.g. merely rebasing to a different ship or launching directly into combat).

A full-strength Battlestar (unlike understrength Galactica from the series) flies numerous CAPs at once and not all CAPs are the same. CAPs can range from a single Viper to potentially a full squadron (though typically only two to four). It might have a Raptor or two in direct support or a specific Raptor CAP nearby. Certain CAPs might carry nuclear warheads or other atypical equipment. Finally, CAPs can be assigned various objectives:

• FORCAP - A Force CAP is the most common and regular type of CAP flown. It is essentially a patrol that flies escort for the larger warship (and the greater fleet). Fighters on CAP may patrol among the ships or form a picket along the perimeter.
  
• HAVCAP - A High Asset Value CAP is a more focused CAP that is intended to specifically protect just one ship or for larger vessels perhaps just a portion of that one ship (e.g. the bridge, the engines, the entrance to the hanger, etc.). A Raptor or shuttle carrying a VIP might be given a CAP to protect its short trip. In the re-imaged series the President's ship, Colonial One, had a constant CAP escorting it.
  
• BARCAP - A Barrier CAP is a patrol that flies between what one wishes to protect and the location from which one expects an attack. For example, if the Fleet were nearing an unexplored asteroid, a BARCAP might be sent forward to provide a protective screen to guard against the threat of a Cylon force hiding on the other side of the asteroid.
  
• Strike/CAP - A Strike CAP in a special patrol that is tasked with protecting a specific target like a HAVCAP but is also authorized to engage targets of opportunity.
  
• SARCAP - A Search and Rescue CAP is a patrol that will either personally search or protect those that are performing SAR.
  
• TARCAP -A Target CAP is a patrol that instead of guarding a specific ship is tasked with guarding a specific piece of land or space. They are to engage any hostiles that enter their target area. To use a sports analogy, it’s basically like playing zone defense.

Now what the frak does that mean for a Raptor? It means that you go on CAPs and if there is combat then you get right in there behind the Vipers. Raptors will either fly in the same CAP as Vipers in order to support them or might fly in CAPs of their own alongside CAPs of Vipers (the difference between having a Raptor following right on a Viper's ass and having a pair of Raptors off to the Viper CAP's right maybe a kilometer). Either way, the Raptors are out there looking for threats and ready to engage if necessary. You're not just looking for lost pilots or hidden caches of water.

[Roger Davis]

Other Standard Duties
Milk Runs, Bus Drivers, and Recon
Raptors do fly CAPs but they don't sit around on alert like Vipers do. Instead, they often get tasked with performing basic non-combat missions ranging from transporting supplies, passengers, or even just messages to performing long range recon. A Raptor Crew will merely be pulled from the standby pool and assigned the task.

Standby
With no alert Raptors, all on duty Raptor crews that are not on CAP are all on standby either hanging around the deck or doing something more constructive in the pilot ready rooms. These crews serve as a pool for the above mentioned missions that might come up. Crews are also expected to be in their full flight suits and like their Viper counterparts, ready to rush to their birds and launch the moment the signal is given. Raptors don't launch via tube nor are they a part of the alert fighters, but they will be launched into battle along with follow-up waves of Vipers.

Action Stations
When the ship goes to Condition One and all crew are ordered to Action Stations, it doesn’t matter what your schedule is or what specific duty you might have been assigned to at that moment. All Raptor crews immediately drop what they’re doing, suit up (if not already dressed), and get to the deck and their Raptor as quickly as possible (potentially with a stop for a quick briefing in the ready rooms along the way if the situation is not too urgent). Rather than 1/6 of the Raptor crews being on call, now all 100 Raptor jocks are at their stations and ready for combat even if it’s 0300 Hours and you were having a great dream.

Emergency Duties
During an emergency situation (i.e. one in which the Raptor is actually on the ship and not out in the Black), Raptor crews have a few additional duties including damage control and CQC. More information can be found here.

In the event that a pilot is shot down and ends up on foot in an enemy occupied area, the pilot is expected to evade capture. Pilots each carry a sidearm and their Raptor (if intact) might hold heavier weaponry in external compartments with their basic combat kit. If possible find your way to friendly lines. If not possible then lay low and fight the enemy as best as you can. As much as the military might want everyone to fight like devils, this is to be understood as fighting, resisting, and refusing to surrender within reason (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape). There is a difference between trying to survive against the enemy and going on a suicide mission. If there is a significant chance that a lone pilot can fight and survive long enough to be extracted then go for it. If not then it might be best to surrender and fight another day. We just don’t want you going down and immediately digging through your crashed Raptor to find your white flag.