There are times when a fighter must be employed in combat but its pilot must not be allowed to see out the cockpit. These events are generally few in nature, but do include when tackling Cylon Blind Mines or when travelling through the Nova Madagen. Both of these require that the pilot not be able to see out the cockpit or else there would be a very high risk of the pilot being blinded and risking death. In this case, pilots can get their cockpits sealed from outside environmental effects. While this does protect the pilot, they have no way of being able to judge what is happening. Thus shielded craft can also be controlled by their mother ship who will tie their guidance computers into the fighters more limited piloting computers. In this way, they fighter will still be able to operate, just not as effectively as normal.
A shielded fighter flight or shuttle is immune to all effects of a Blind Mine and suffers less severe effects from the Nova Madagen. Other terrain or weapons may also be reduced by a shielded fighter or shuttle.
Shielding a fighter or shuttle must be done before launch as it takes about half a centar to effectively enclose the fighter or shuttle. The effects of the shielding will last for the length of a scenario, again, taking about half an centar to remove.
While shielded, a fighter or shuttle ship is considered Uncontrolled (G2.2) but may fire weapons (with a +1 modifier to all rolls). In addition, the fighter or shuttle has a -1 to it is DFR.
A shielded flight or shuttle may be controlled by it is parent ship which will help the craft to more fully utilise its abilities. Only the mother ship of the fighter or shuttle may control that fighter or shuttle, control may not be transfered to other ships.
A controlled flight may almost function as normal until the controlling ship is destroyed. The fighter still suffers its loss in DFR, but is no longer treated as (G2.2) Uncontrolled, but (G2.234) and (G2.24) are still in effect.
Each controlled fighter flight or shuttle is treated as a drone for the mothership control purposes, thus limiting the amount of missiles it can fire while controlling fighters and shuttles.