FTL Drive

FTL is an abbreviation for Faster-Than-Light. The term generally refers to a means of interstellar propulsion utilized by the Cylons, Colonials, and later by the Interstellar Coalition. A common shorthand term for FTL travel is "jumping", as this space-folding drive involves making instantaneous "jumps" across vast distances in space.

Overvi​ew
The FTL-drive makes interstellar travel possible for both the ancient Kobolians, their descendants the Colonials and later the Cylons when they split from the Colonial's control.

Implementation​
However, not all ships, from small to large, are outfitted with these drives. FTL-drives are not commonplace on many civilian ships because of the costs involved in using and maintaining the drive and the amount of fuel available. For some civilian ships that travel comparatively short distances between some destinations, FTL may simply be impractical or unnecessary.

Range
The technology behind FTL-systems is such that, providing the relevant data is known, ships can jump with a high degree of accuracy depending on the traveled distance, allowing vessels to rendezvous in space and even "park" in a synchronous orbit directly above a given point on a planet's surface. The farther a ship travels, approaching its red line-range (maximum safely calculable jump range), means the accuracy will decrease. Jumps over small distances (several hundred AU's) can even enable vessels to arrive in crowded areas, such as the middle of an asteroid field or other ships, without the risk of collision and damage.

Before the foundation of the Coalition and the hybridization of the Colonial and Cylon FTL-drives, the range that Colonial capital ships (who carry the largest FTL-drives) was generally 30 light-years per jump to reach its red line. Cylon FTL-drives could do upwards of 600 light-years, however accuracy decreased dangerously after 400 light-years even with established coordinates. Following the development of a Coalition FTL-drive, jump distances with incredible accuracy were achievable up to 1000 light-years.

Usage
FTL-drives can be used not only in space but within an atmosphere. During the Cylon War, Colonial tactics used often to evade Cylon detection. While Raptors primarily perform these kind of jumps to deliver troops behind enemy battlelines or orbital fleets, battlestars could perform these daring intra-atmosphere jumps at approximately 100,000 feet altitude to evade immediate Cylon detection.

Spatial Distortion​
An area of spatial distortion is also produced when a ship jumps, the cause of the fold of space, repelling anything of nominal mass away from the point of dematerialization. Given the increasing size of the vessel being dematerialized, the spatial distortion can increase in power. A mid-sized fighter-size generated spatial distortion.

Limitations
While FTL is an instant and low energy means to travel immense distances, it does have limitations.


 * FTL-systems are prone to breakdown after repetitive use over an extended period of time, due in part to the spatial stress over repeated jumps.


 * FTL computers are prone to glitching, often jumping ships to the wrong coordinates.


 * Navigators must be careful to plan FTL jump paths in order to keep a safe distance from planets or other large objects. Ships are capable to FTL jumps to any point in the universe, whether into planetary orbit or the heart of a star. If a ship attempts to materialize inside a solid object, the arriving object will be destroyed.


 * "Spooling up" a FTL-drive takes at several minutes when the drive has been offline. Because of this, when ships enter dangerous situations, they keep their FTL drives "spun up". Drives cannot be kept spun up indefinitely, as system crashes or serious damage to the drive will occur. A "cooldown" time is required after a jump for new jump calculations, so a ship that has jumped into a new location cannot jump to another location for a brief period of time.


 * Capital ships must reduce their overall jump footprint before dematerializing, some vessels retract carrier bays, sensor arrays and engines before a jump, prolonging jump prep time. Should the ship jump with extending beyond its jump footprint, serious structural damage can occur.


 * FTL computers can be affected by highly-charged sub-atomic particles, corrupting their calculations and possibly causing a jump beyond the red line.


 * The FTL-drive can puts significant strain on a ship's structure. Ships can develope substantial cracks in their hull adjacent to the FTL drive after repeated and prolonged usage without repairs. This can result in catostrophic damage.


 * FTL jumps can induce nausea or discomfort in some people, known as Jump Sickness.

Colonial
Colonial ships have two FTL drives, and smaller or civilian ships have a single drive, which is fed by tylium fuel.

The effectiveness of FTL is limited to brief, short-distance jumps. Smaller vessels require a sequence of short consecutive FTL "hops" to reach the same destination as a Colonial capital ship with a full-sized FTL-drive. Generally Colonial vessels could only achieve 30 light-years per jump to reach its red line.

FTL drives on Colonial ships must be "spun up" in preparation for a jump, contain components such as the "spinner" and "spin-sync generator" and display a rotational electromagnetic operation. Colonial FTL drives are an assortment of long, thick shafts spin as part of the FTL-drive mechanism.

The range that Colonial capital ships (who carry the largest FTL-drives) can jump is generally 30 light-years per jump or the red line.

Cylon​
Cylon FTL systems can be manufactured to be much more compact than their Colonial equivalent, thus allowing the Cylon Raider to be outfitted with an FTL-drive. Cylon FTL-drive systems are far more efficient than their Colonial equivalent.

This superiority is not from FTL-drives themselves, but from the superior Cylon navigation system, resulting in more accurate jump calculations. Cylon FTL-drives are three times more efficient than their Colonial counterparts. Cylon FTL-drives could do upwards of 600 light-years, however accuracy decreased dangerously after 400 light-years.

The Cylons are also be capable of faster-than-light communication. Their advance understanding of Superstring Theory and M-Theory, allows them to maintain a subatomic fracture in constant FTL de-materialization. The "ending" fracture is held abroad the Cylon Hub, which redirected to similar fractures, allow all Cylon capital ships and bases to communicate in real-time.

Coalition (Cylon-Colonial Hybrid FTL​)
Following the eruption of the Xindi Conflict and the induction of the Twelve Colonies and Cylon Imperium, Coalition engineers began to hybridize the system. In conjunction with scientists from the Vissian Association and People's Republic of Coridan, along with ship wrights in the Conglomeration unto Axanar, Second Hiigaran Empire and United Planets of Tellar, a more compact and advanced FTL-drive was implemented.

The Coalition FTL-drive was capable of distances up to 1000 light-years without the requirement of tylium fuel. The decrease in size and removal of tylium fuel allowed vessels to the size of small shuttles to mount FTL-drives. It also allowed for Warp-drive, Hyperdrive capable engines to be installed as well.

FTL became common for travel that was meant to be between two points of common knowledge or to avoid detection, meaning that as a form of propulsion for exploration was impractical.