Fighter

Fighters are classed as vessel massing 500t or less. While they are designed as normal ships they are built via the industry screen, not in shipyards. Built fighters operate and serviced on motherships, and can be organized into squadrons for ease of use.

Fighters are often equipped with Box Launchers to maximize their hitting power.

Designing a fighter

Fighters are considered Fast Attack Craft and do not require a bridge, they can also use special "fighter only" components. Currently the only component that can be set as such is Beam Fire Control, which gains a bonus to tracking speed of beam weaponry.

Due to the size limitation, Fighters are typically designed as fast, short-range craft that don't spend a of time outside their hangars. As such they require minimal deployment time and maintenance supplies. Fighter engines are optimized for extremely high speed with low fuel efficiency. Succinctly, any engine can be used on a fighter provided the fighter's overall tonnage does not exceed 10 (HS). To keep fighter weights down, you should invest in smaller Crew Quarters, Engineering Sections and [Fuel Storage]].

You might also think about omitting Engineering Spaces, as fighters usually don't spend a of time outside their hangars. But remember that maintenance facilities do not service fighters - they need hangar space, and they cannot be refitted.

Building a fighter

Fighters are fabricated by Fighter Factories, a type of installation. From the Industry screen (F2) there is a pull-down menu called Construction Options. Select Fighters.

A list of all your fighter designs will appear. Select one, and just like ordinary construction, place a number and a percentage. Unlike ordinary construction, you also have to give define a task group for the new production. It is important that you do this, as any fighters made without a task group designation will be lost.

Fighter Squadrons

Fighters operate from motherships. These might be huge Carrier leviathans, small cruisers or even Planetary Defence Centres. The common denominator is the presence of boat bays, hangar decks or both. These provide a capability to house fighters.

Once fighters are produced, the next step is the Fighter Squadrons Window (F7) and select the 'Reorganize Squadron's' tab. Your new fighter will appear here. Click on the 'New' button at the bottom left. This will create a new squadron. Then simply click on the fighter under 'no assignment', and click on the left arrow to move it to the squadron.

Now the squadron has a fighter, but the squadron itself needs a home.

Open up the motherships' dropdown and select a home for the squadron, click on the squadron and then on the assign button. The fighter, and its squadron have been assigned a base.

All that is left is to 'Recover' the squadron to place them safely in their hanger or boat bay. It is advisable to keep them in a hanger or boat bay as the maintenance clock is off while they are stored.