CSAR Raptor (D5)

The CSAR Raptor is a specialized variant of the basic Raptor optimized for the Combat Search and Rescue Role. The CSAR mission came about as a result of the high losses sustained by the Colonial Forces during the First Cylon War. If a Cylon was destroyed then it could be replaced within a day but if a human was lost it would take anywhere upto eighteen years to fully replace. Saving lives became of the highest priority.

Mission Specific Systems
Scabbed onto the angled nose just below the bulbous cockpit is the specialized DRADIS 'pimple'. This is a more advanced version of the standard Raptor's DRADIS array and it could detect a human shaped figure from low to medium orbit. Mounted just below that is a camera turret that was equipped with a plethora of visual sensors ranging from normal digital imagining to infra-red and ultra-violet. These sensors were powerful enough to distinguish between a human or Cylon even if they were in the dense vegetation of the Demeter Jungle on Scorpia. They could even tell if the person they were focusing on was alive or dead. The CSAR Raptor also features a more comprehensive self defence suite and could be armed.

A Breed Unto Themselves
Aircrew of a CSAR Raptor had to be of a certain kind. They would have to be selfless and put the lives of the wounded before their own. They also had to be uncommonly brave due to the heavy fire they would encounter on a rescue mission. Many CSAR pilots soon began to feel immortal after they had completed so many missions thus encouraging them to take more and more risks. Others, however, broke under the strain.

Two of the most highly regarded CSAR pilots were Archibald 'Firefly' Bowman (Pilot) and Vincent 'Govie' Zeresi (ECO) who served aboard the Battlestar Columbia up until it was destroyed during Operation:Raptor Talon.

After The War
The Colonial Fleet retained dedicated CSAR variants of the Raptor right up until 'The Fall'. They were more advanced than the Cylon War-era examples and included stretched versions for increased range and capacity.

The Battlestar Cerberus had a dedicated CSAR Raptor detachment onboard in the years leading upto 'The Fall' and one of these vessels was used in the dramtic rescue or Artimus Bowman and Neveah Ratliff when they were taken hostage by Lt. Michael Dayton.