BACK

Launch Tube Officer (Shooter) - For a Mercury Class Battlestar there are 4 LTO or "Shooters" since there are 4 launching areas for this class of Battlestar. Each Shooter has a crew of 40 enlisted crew under each of them for smooth manning of each tube during flight operations. The LTO is directly responsible to the Air Boss, via the handler, for the safe and efficient operation of launch equipment, and for the crew’s performance during launches. He has the ultimate responsibility for the safety in launching of all Vipers from the Launch Tube catapults.

The Mjolnirs’ catapults thrust a 13.779 ton aircraft 300 feet, from zero to 165 miles per hour in two seconds. On each Vipers's nose gear is a T-bar which locks into the catapult's shuttle which pulls the fighter down the catapult thru the launch tube. The deck crew can load and launch one viper per launch tube every 37 seconds.