Inspired by Salem's comment that "I'm a sucker for the end-to-tail flips the Vipers can do. Those have to be the most maneuverable fighters I have ever seen," I present to you the following nerd-off question:
Who would win?
The Viper Mk. II | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Race | Colonial | |
| Type | Military | |
| FTL | No | |
| Propulsion | 1 x Voram VM2-D15 upper turbothrust engine, 2x Voram VM3-D22 turbothrust engines, 2x reverse thrust motors: RCS points | |
| Crew | 1 pilot | |
| Capacity | ||
| Role | Space superiority fighter | |
| Weapons | 2 Kinetic Energy Weapon, missiles | |
| Armaments | 2 x MEC-A6 30mm Thraxon forward-firing kinetic energy weapons (KEW) mounted in the wing roots with 800 round magazine, Dorsal storage bay for 8 x HD-70 Lightning Javelin missiles (optional 50 megaton nuclear warhead)[1], Weapon hardpoints for mounting missiles / munitions pods, etc. under the wings | |
| Status | Obsolete / In current Colonial service | |
| Other Images | More images... | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | (8.4082m)[2] | |
| Height | (2.7247m)[2][3] | |
| Wingspan | (4.7168m)[2] | |
The SA-23 Mitchell-Hyundyne Starfury
| SA-23 Mitchell-Hyundyne Starfury | ||
|---|---|---|
| Status: | Active | |
| Afilliation: | EarthForce | |
| Class: | Aurora | |
| Length: | 9.56m | |
| Mass: | 48mt | |
| Crew: | 1 | |
| Engines: | 4 Copeland ion engines 4 vaporized solid propellant engines | |
| Weapons: | 4 40mm pulse cannons 2 30mm pulse cannons (rear) | |
| Defenses: | 4.2cm re-inforced hull 1 grappling claw 1 cutting laser | |
| Power: | 3 fusion batteries | |
(Data and images shamelessly swiped from The Battlestar Wiki and The Babylon Project.)
Vote in the poll, argue your point in the comments section... basically, fight each other for my amusement.
EDIT: The votes are in, and the Viper wins, 8 votes to 6. It was a close one!
EDIT: The votes are in, and the Viper wins, 8 votes to 6. It was a close one!
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This is way too tough. My heart says Viper, and I'm right-brained, so that's where my vote goes.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd rooting for the Starfury.
ReplyDeleteMainly because the Starfury is just so insanely agile.
It has its pilot mounted in the ideal position (the gravitational center of the aircraft) and each engine is mounted where it can use the maximum amount of thrust to turn the ship around.
If you wanted a roughly even geekfight I think you would have to compare the Viper with the Hammerheads from Space: Above and Beyond
...which, perhaps adding to Palettes rage, is another Sci-fi show which has been cancelled by Fox after it displayed "unsatisfactory rating", mostly due to the non-existant marketing and it's airing times being constantly shifted around.
I'm just waiting for Fox to merge with Sony Online Entertainment to form "The Entertainment Megacorp that kills everything you hold dear and replace it with mindnumbingly boring claptrap"
If you picked the Starfury, Bunny, then why are there no votes for it and two for the Viper?
ReplyDeleteI vote for the starfury, it could do those tail flips too and it could do them horizontally not just vertically. Demonicbunny is right, the best comparison for the vipers would be the hammerheads from Space. The starfury totally outclasses the viper.
ReplyDeleteHi, this is an interesting matchup here. I think I'd like to compare side-by side on each over various things such as engine power, manueverability, weaponry, and durability.
ReplyDeleteSo to start Engines:
Viper (V) 3 aligned near center of body.
Starfury (F) 4 engines set on pylons at the edges of the ship.
Speed is probably not all that different, and both seem to have an "afterburner" f sorts for that little 'oomph' if needed. The Viper seems to have an advantage as it's engines work in atmosphere whereas I do not believe the Fury's do. 1/2 Point to Viper.
Manuverabilty - as stated by a previous poster and re-stated here, the StarFury has it engines on pylons away from the center of the fighter. Variable thrust control makes for extreme manuverability, although here I did not ever see any kind of wraparound pilot seat or safety harness in the StarFury, so some manuevers may be difficult to pull off.
The Viper's engines are close in line with the body of the fighter, a much more traditional arrangement. This does limit maneuverability unless the ship has attitude jets like the space shuttle, which would enhance manueverability. Since I'm not sure, I'll assume the Viper does not.
1 point to the StarFury
Weaponry
Fst and manueverable are great, but if you can't get the other guy, he'll get you. Weaponry for Viper consists of missiles and bullets, err kinetic weapons. Teh missiles can track which makes them extremely valuable in a fight, but they are limited in manuverability so they can be dodged. Bullets in space work great IF they can hit, and the extreme three dimensional fighting severely limits their usefulness in my opinion. ( Feel free to disagree ) Nuclear warheads in the missiles mean you don't have to get too close at all to get a kill.
The StarFury's pulse cannons seem better made to the rigors of space combat considering some of the extreme ranges that fights can take place at. Weapons that have velocity equal to the speed of light are a big advantage in combat. Lead of a target is much simpler. However, it is still a direct fire weapon and in a dogfight, that can be a detriment.
Although I REALLY like the StarFury, 1 point to the Viper for it's excellent weapon loadout.
Durability.
Both fighters have been shown in their respective shows that they can take a hit, but damage to one of the engines in the StarFury really throws control out the window. with its' three engines close together, the Viper can take a hit to one and still be effective, I cannot say the same thing about the StarFury.
1 Point to the Viper
Totals -
StarFury 1 point.
Viper 2-1/2 points.
I have to go with the Viper. The deal maker is the versatility of its weapons and it's ability to keep fighting if damaged, especially in from an engine hit.
That being said, the StarFury would probably kill the Viper in a straight up dogfight. But if the Viper has a chance, the missile would be flying long before the dogfight started.
I don't know if you've factored in the Starfurys capability to shoot down incoming projectiles (as demonstrated numerous times when engaging non-beam opponents).
ReplyDeleteIf a Starfury is accurate enough to shoot down blasts from a Centauri pulsecannon (as in the episode where a Centauri cruiser lays siege to B5) or the Epsilon 3 Missile defenses (the episode where they're trying to land on the planet) I don't think that HD-70 Lightning javelin missile will fare much better (from what I've seen they even lack the evasive capability built into even such old things as the Exocet missile).
My vote has to go to the Starfury, not because I like it better, but because in a head-to-head battle, the Starfury would probably win.
ReplyDeleteHowever, for fighting Cylons, there's nothing better than an antiquated gunship. Those Starfury's would be EMP'd before they left the hanger bay. Give me a Viper any day. Just as capable, but also able to stand up against a far superiour technologically opponent.
Oh, and considering you looked up all the stats on these two impressive fighters, I'd hardly call this phoning it in.
ReplyDelete