Viper Mk I

'''Viper Mk. I is a squadron type in '.

Background
Mk. I Vipers are tough and sturdy single-seat fighters. Complex reaction control systems and powerful sublight thrusters provide incredible maneuverability to this iconic Colonial ship.

Overview
The Mk. I Viper entered service shortly before the outbreak of the First Cylon War, being the mainstay fighter of the Colonial Fleet for roughly two years, until the commissioning of the Mk. II Viper made this craft obsolete.

These craft came with an armored hull which kept them in the fight for a longer duration. This, however made the craft very heavy, and causes a noticeable drop in maneuverability from her newer counterpart. The craft was fitted with two 2 KDM Kinetic Areo-Rifles, which at this time were Colonial Standard. Said weaponry allowed for the Mk. I Viper to take out early Cylon Prototype Raiders with ease. When faced with the newer Cylon Raider, this ships flaws start to become apparent, as the lack of speed and maneuverability that the craft possess will become a death trap for the pilot, though when deployed in mass, Mk. I Vipers can still hold their own against a numerically inferior opponent.

Strategy
The Mk. I Viper is a much cheaper alternative to the Mk. II Viper, often deployed in swarm tactics in an attempt to overwhelm a Cylon opponent. The craft notably preforms worse than the Mk. II Viper, especially when in direct combat with enemy ships, or when attempting to intercept munitions from enemy capital ships.

When using these squadrons in an offensive role, it's always better to have numerical superiority in squadrons, especially the late you get into the war. When Cylon Raiders replace the Prototype Raiders, the Mk. I Viper becomes notably obsolete in almost every role. There are a few ways to outplay a Cylon opponent, however. A popular tactic used by Colonial ships is to bait enemy raiders into a large group by use of their own Vipers, before using the Debris Munition to shred Cylon squadrons. This tactic does not come without risk, as any friendly squadron caught in the Debris Field will begin taking considerable damage as well, and if forced to remain in the field, can result in the death of the squadron.

Another popular tactic is to use the Mk. I Viper is to use these craft in an entirely defensive role, by having them defend a Colonial Capital ship by intercepting munitions from Cylon Ships. This tactic can work when Mk. I Vipers are deployed in large numbers, however the squadron suffers in this field when compared to the Mk. II Viper, as it's slow speed and maneuverability makes it entirely obsolete when intercepting munitions.

Overall, the Mk. I Viper is a downgrade from the better performing Mk. II Viper, and it's recommended to replace any Mk. I Squadrons with Mk. II Squadrons as soon as possible.

Don't be Tricked
At first glance the Mk. I Viper might seem better than the Mk. II Viper due to it having a large Hull Point pool, and having a slightly larger squadron size(Ten craft compared to eight in the Mk. II). This is a common misconception by many players that the Mk. I Viper is thus superior to the Mk. II. In reality, the Mk. II Viper outperforms the Mk. I in nearly every way. With how squadron battles work in the game, speed gives the player a huge advantage over their opponent. Another misconception comes from the amount of Hull Points in the squadron, as the Mk. I has 40, giving each craft 4 points each. While the Mk. II squadron has a Hull point pool of 34, giving each craft 4.25 Hull points, meaning that the Mk. II is more durable than the Mk. I.

Another thing to take note of is that a squadron of Mk. I Vipers can only do up to 3.0 damage between all craft, while the Mk. II can do 3.2. The Mk. II Viper is also much more accurate than the Mk. I Viper, meaning that overall the damage output favors the Mk. II when compared to the Mk. I.