The development period was rushed, in part due to the arms race in the Colonies immediately preceding the Cylon War, and the first production run entered service with known issues. While being 'back heavy', short-range and slow turning, the twin-engined Viper Spaceplane had impressive acceleration and was relatively unsophisticated, having been forced to make-do with 'off the shelf' and 'proven' components to beat other designs into service.