This article is written to familiarize players and directors with the general use and deployment of fighter craft in the 2300 AD universe. The intent is to help better define these powerful small craft so that they may find their way into existing campaigns; hopefully spurring new ideas for new adventures.
Fighter is a general term used to describe a class of small air or space combat craft specifically designed to fight other air or space craft. In this article we refer specifically to the small space capable craft used by the many space fleets of colonial space. The designs and capabilities of these craft vary greatly according to their mission.
The use of fighters in space and their relation to starships is much different than for the traditional aircraft and sea vessels of past centuries. Historically, fighter aircraft have been tens of times faster than any other form of combat vehicle, giving them a great deal of flexibility and control over a specific battle. The modern space fighter, on the other hand, is commonly faster than the average starship, but its speed is commonly not more than 1.5 to 2 times that of most warships. In fact, some large vessels, most notably the American Kennedy-class cruiser and the recently constructed German Komet-class frigate are capable of out-running the majority of fighter designs. The question then arises as to the role of modern space fighter.
Probably the greatest benefit that these small combat craft possess is that they provide a fleet with a highly flexible arm that requires a minimum of manpower and possesses the capacity to absorb a high degree of damage and still fight effectively. Flexibility comes from the fact that for the price of a single warship, several fighters can commonly be purchased. The larger number of fighters mean that fleet commanders can assign fighters in numbers that can better match the requirments of that particular mission. So, a mission which requires a minimal military presence can be served by one or two fighters instead of a more costly warship.
This is not always the case, however. Some of the most modern fighters in operation today use the latest in high-tech components that provide maximum capability, but at a very high cost. The French Martel and the German Wespe are good examples of such craft, each costing over 30 million Lv each. Added to this is the fact that some military startships are relatively inexpensive. The French designed Aconit, for instance, is a very popular warship costing about two-thirds of what a single Martel-class fighter costs. This has made it difficult for proponents of fighters to convince government authorities to take interest in these small craft.
However, initial purchase cost is only a small part of a fighters total cost. Other costs include fuel, maintenance, training, as well as personal upkeep. All of which are considerably lower for a fighter than for a starship.
As for the effectiveness of fighters in combat, while individually less rugged than warships, as a group they are better at sustaining damage. The biggest reason is that it is possible for a single critical hit to completely disable a single warship. If this happens to a fighter, the remaining fighters are unaffected and can therefore continue the battle. Additionally, fighters are small targets and are harder to hit than full-sized warships, thus adding to the overall survivability of a fighter combat group.
The factors that provide a fighter's biggest assets, however, also give it one major weakness. Because of its limited size and crew, a damaged fighter can not generally be repaired except at properly equipped facilities. While well-publicized exceptions do exist, as a general rule a fighter that takes damage must return to base for repairs. Unfortunately, depending on the amount or type of damage, that is not always possible; the loss of any system required for the operation leaves the pilot with little to do but sit and wait for help to arrive and to hope that the enemy doesn't decide to come pick him off in the meantime.
The strengths and weaknesses of the space capable fighter have served to carve a special niche for it in the scope of space military strategy. The majority of fighters in the 24th century are planet-based. Such fighters are streamlined small craft housed in planet-side hangers and serviced by ground crews. These fighters perform a primarily defensive mission, generally incapable of leaving their star system, and able to operate in space for not more than 12 to 16 hours at a time. The French military is best known for its use of fighters in this role, though all major space navies use planet-based fighters.
Another common means of deployment is the space-based fighter. These fighters may or may not be streamlined, relying primarily on the facilities of a space station in orbit around a planet or moon. Such deployment is considerably more fragile than planet basing as man-made orbital structures are much more easily damaged or destroyed than their planetary counterparts. However, space-based facilities can also be placed in hard to find or less obvious locations such as in orbit around gas giants and within asteroid belts. Such facilities are common on the French Arm as a precaution to Kafer attack.
As for the general deployment of space-based fighters, these are usually found only in the core systems and in highly populated systems equipped with orbital defense complexes. The primary exception to this is on the American Arm where American and Australian militaries use space-based fighters to counter piracy problems along key trade routes. The fuel and maintenance savings associated with using fighters that don't need to traverse the interface to and from planetary facilities make this form of deployment very attractive in systems that are relatively safe, but require a great deal of patrol activity.
Carrier-basing of fighters has only recently been used seriously, but remains only a minor form of deployment. The main reason is lack of need. Additionally, carriers themselves require a degree of protection that few nations are willing or able to afford. Additionally, the deployment of a vessel with as much firepower as a carrier is often viewed as an aggressive move. For this reason, such vessels including carriers as well as battleships are generally kept within the boundaries of the core systems. At present, Britain and France possess the only active fighter carriers, though the Kafer War has prompted construction of carriers by both Germany and America.
Shipboard-basing is the last form of deployment described here. This specifically refers to the basing of space fighters aboard starships whose primary mission is not that of carrying fighters. Such vessels are generally large capital ships equipped with shipboard facilities to house and service a small number of fighters. These fighters are generally carried to provide the main vessel with flexible, long-range striking power and to screen enemy fighters and warships, allowing the mothership to carry out its mission. Vessels large enough to carry more than one or two fighters generally remain within the core systems except during wartime.
Combat Patrol: A long duration mission that serves two basic purposes. The first is to have fighters deployed and on-hand in case of sudden, unexpected contact with enemy forces. The second purpose is to extend the detection range of the fleet though the use of the fighter's sensors.
Screen: A combat mission that involves one or more fighters attempting to hold off an enemy force from reaching the main body of the fleet or task group. This is usually to allow the main body to carry out its own mission unharassed.
Intercept: A mission similar to a screening mission, in that fighters are sent to engage a target and prevent it from reaching a destination. However, an intercept usually involves sufficient force to destroy or disable the target.
Strike: A well planned attack on a target, usually at a fixed location. There are two basic types of strikes:
Recon: A mission usually involving only a single craft, to a specific location to determine the status of enemy forces there. The craft involved may use stealth while gathering data or it may try to "rattle the cage" of the enemy forces to get them to respond and thus give away more data on their force composition. The latter is known as as a "Combat Recon" and usually involves more than one craft. Sensor drones or missiles are often used in conjunction with recon missions.
Planetary Support: This is a general term used to describe any mission in which an interface fighter enters a planet's atmosphere to engage air or ground targets. There are basically four types of planetary support missions.