A Treatise on Ship Launched Fighters
25 Sep 2020Velchanos
I will begin to proclaim that I have been at the helm of the mothership, as well as in the pilot seat of many a fighter, during scores of missions both for the benefit of others and myself, and I create this logbook and codex of personal experience so that others may take from what I have gathered and applied it to the best of their abilities, all coming from a biased mind within the confines of comfy spaceport.( I will be classifying each hull class of SLF as well as weapon formats, more so towards the tactics behind them than just a simple aesthetic review.)
-F63 Condor
Personally speaking, I enjoy the Condor for its simplicity and out-of-the-box usage for pilots who are new to flying deployable craft. It is both agile enough to feel different than an Eagle or Sidewinder, and expendable enough during thick battles that one would not feel disgruntled once the vessel was lost. Unique to the Condor are the Multicannon weapons for SLF's, which is a variant I would recommend for those who's main ships are laser focused. Overall, I would categorize this fighter as a general purpose and interceptor role.
-GU-97 Imperial Fighter
Since Imperial worlds do not have bumper cars at their carnivals, this is the next best thing available. Despite the tendency to spin chaotically after slamming into objects, the GU-97 has the best agility of all human fighters, as well as a great top speed for chasing down prey. With the lowest structural integrity of all manmade fighters, this vessel is best used by ace pilots to harass the enemy from the flanks and stay within the blind spots of larger targets. I recommend pilots bring these along for an escort and dynamic dogfighting role.
-Taipan
Being the heavyweight of the three human fighters, this craft boasts the highest shield and structural integrity of them all. While one variant carries the AX Multicannon, it unlike the Condor's multi's has a limited ammo supply. While it may be less agile than the others, I do find it easier to use fixed weaponry when equipped because of this, and the general time on target (ToT) benefits from reduced pitch and roll. Flying two Taipans in unison with the mothership gives a special presence in the HazRez or CZ that is strictly business when in the hands of skilled individuals. Ships on extended patrols and bounty hunts will appreciate the Taipan in at least one hangar.
-XG8 Javelin
So, someone or something decided to build a flying shotgun in space. Unfortunately like all of the guardian fighters, it is not a sturdy piece of equipment. Although all guardian SLF have decent shields, each one are considered paper thin and must be mindful of the direction of aggression during combat, least the pilot return to the helm too soon. For these I will not be speaking about Anti Xeno combat, and will be discussing the usage of these hybrids in a standard, human conflict perspective.
Once again regarding the Javelin, it is a nimble and swift (enough) craft equipped with a fixed shard cannon, or in other words, an energy shotgun. With limited ammo and slow reload times, this vessel is best used by someone familiar with it's operation before undergoing stressful endeavors, and it's usage is in my opinion, best applied against large, heavily shielded opponents.
A tactic that I recommend is to strafe the target in a bombing run, keeping in close contact until the entire salvo is used, then quickly retreat. While crew members might make good use of this ship, a knowledgeable Commander might be best suited for it's role in "big game hunting", or for short, intense periods of combat and not prolonged fights.
-XG9 Lance
Like before, this glass cannon relies on limited ammo and finicky heat management, although instead of a shotgun format, we have a guardian gauss weapon. While the other guardian SLF's have unique weapons, this ship is the bolt action rifle of fighters. A charged trigger pull sends one hot slug downrange in an instant, just like ship mounted railguns. Crew members can take advantage of this little craft because of their consistent aim and as an alternative to fixed beams on human fighters.
Outside of thargoid combat, this ship does well when flying support for the mothership, picking off targets small and large as a sentry rather than something that goes and picks the fights. Hang back and the enemy may not even bother with you. While it lacks the raw damage of the Javelin, it can provide the long(er) range option. For those who fly with only a crew member and no Commander assistance, I recommend this one.
-XG7 Trident
I was both dreading and anticipating this one. While we covered the shotgun and long rifle of all the guardian fighters, we have yet to cover the General Purpose Machine Gun variant. Love it or hate it, the Trident is the only hybrid ship with pure absolute damage application, it is also the only one to date without an ammo shortage, relying only on a recharge and heat management issue.
This was the first one I acquired, and while certainly biased, it is my personal belief that once fully understood, it is the best fighter for human combat across the board. The Plasma Autocannon requires the user to lead their targets as they disperse blobs of energy into the hull of enemies, each one dissipating into a colored gas as it meets a successful mark.
Early on, I was frustrated with combat while using this one against pirates, because the method of delivery was not the same as standard fighters. Instead, I learned that these ships are best used against slower ships, predominantly of medium and large classes, and that they are best applied in bombing runs. Crews do fair enough with them, but experienced Commanders can use them to quickly erode shields and armor with ease. Don't bother sending these to engage with Vipers or Eagles, they are best suited for assisting the mothership as a self aware 4A Plasma Accelerator. I've been bringing these along in Combat Zones as I type this out, and it consistently yields results.
Weapons
-Gimbal
I'll lump both gimballed weapons, the pulse and beam lasers, into one section because of their shared qualities. While the overall damage profile is less substantial with gimbals, newer pilots may find these favorable in combat over fixed weaponry due to easier time on target and sustainable blows to enemy ships. While gimbals also suffer from an opponent's chaff launcher, it is my personal belief that they help with the targeting of modules and sub components of hulls, enabling easier Thruster and FSD takedowns. Fighter hangars equipped with one gimballed ship, preferably beams, helps the lowest common denominator of pilots and those with various control schemes.
-Fixed Lasers
Those who are serious about applying damage consistently are the ones to carry fixed pulse and beam lasers fighters into conflicts. While the pulse will always do less damage than beams, it has more dogfighting and harassment applications than beams due to its weapon firing format. Beam laser fighters will have the luxury of dumping an entire surplus of energy into enemy shields, complimented by the heat sinks that prolong the output during a salvo. This is best applied to targets who are not in evasive maneuvers or at full throttle, and when the operator has an adequate window of time to drain their weapons charge.
These lasers can compliment any build, regardless of what the mothership has equipped. Two fixed beam Taipans can strip shields quickly as they gather "aggro" from the helm, and Imp. Fighters are nearly untouchable while still able to deliver amounts of pain when crew operated.
-Plasma Repeaters
Fixed Plasmas, despite the name, do not accurately describe their damage application. Thanks in part to the Canonn Research Group, "The Pilot’s Federation had stated that SLFs equipped with the Plasma Repeater do not deal absolute damage but instead have 50% thermal and 50% kinetic..."
Therefore, they do not fall under the "Absolute" damage category like ship mounted Plasma Accelerators and the Trident's autocannon, but instead apply a split, even amount of contemporary damage. While these projectile weapons, along with the Condor's multicannons, require pilots to lead their targets, they become easier to use against ships when the enemies are slower or within a range of ~800m. While single pilots may find themselves eager to consecutively dump rounds across the enemy's stern, overheating and weapon malfunction will become an issue.
One of my tactics is to get an adequate lane prepared for strafing, when the target is undergoing counter turns and evasive maneuvers, or when their speed is slowest, and plan ahead for the entire sixty (2x30) rounds in the magazine. If one fourth or less of the magazine is left, expend the remainder into a safe area away from friendlies and reload before engaging; this ensures maximum damage along with adequate usage of time.
A full wing of four Commanders, each with deployed Plasma Repeaters on their fighters, will turn the battlefield into a hornet's nest and virtually have a fifth wheel during missions and operations. Focusing fire onto a single target with lasers is enough, but there is something unique about a swarm of GU-97's with repeaters working to take down threats.
As an addendum, the F63 Condor's multicannons deserve a mention but not a completely separate portion, due to their similarities with repeaters. While weapon power usage is softer, and firing rate is slower, they share the same techniques as repeaters due to their nature and are simply an alternative.
-Wishful Thinking
While spending time in the CQC arenas, I tend to wonder how a pure cannon fighter could be applied outside of matchmaking options and "in the wilds" of space. Perhaps a single (similar to a ship's class 1) or twin/micro rapid firing cannon onboard a fighter could help supplement motherships. From applying heavy kinetic damage, (a contrast to fixed beams) or for simple module sniping, cannons on an SLF would be an interesting addition to see, although many view cannons as mediocre on full sized ships, and such a fighter could share the same fate, limited to only a subpar niche role.
Another fighter that we do not have is one that applies explosive damage, something only found in missiles and torpedoes. Would such a fighter be overpowering? I'd hope that someone like Faulcon DeLacy or Core Dynamics could create small, dumb-fire rockets for a deployable craft, limited only by ammo capacity and range.