Lesson 6: Starfighters

Excerpts from "A Warship Captain's Guide to Starfighters" by Captain Dwin Xavier

Starfighters

Nearly every combat vessel in the Imperial navy is equipped with at least one squadron of starfighters for defense against other starfighters.  While the New Republic is slowly building its next generation of battlecruisers, it continues to rely heavily on starfighters.  While most line officers tend to downplay the importance of starfighters into a secondary role, they are valuable assets that when used properly can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and when not used properly can plunge the tide of battle into an abyss from which there can be no recovery.

Types of Starfighters

There are many different models of starfighters found throughout the galaxy, in the service of both the Galactic Empire and the New Republic.  They can also found in various independent organizations and may even find their way into criminal hands.  However, regardless of their model they can generally be divided into four classifications.

Superiority Starfighters

Superiority Starfighters are fast and nimble fighters that are better suited to engage other fighters.  They rely on speed and maneuverability to dodge hits rather than strong hull and shields to avoid damage.  They are usually armed with multiple laser cannons to obtain the high rates of fire necessary in dogfighting situations and may also be armed with missiles.

The TIE Interceptor is the main superiority starfighter in the Imperial Navy.  More agile and better armed than its predecessor the TIE/ln, they have replaced the older fighter almost completely as they are available in massive quantities.  Like almost all Sienar designs, it is equipped with maneuverable Twin Ion Engines from which it gets the TIE acronym.

The TIE Advanced, also known as the TIE Avenger, is a premium starfighter that is faster and more maneuverable than the TIE Interceptor and includes shield generators for increased survivability as well as concussion missile launcher for added lethality.  These fighters are available in limited quantities; currently only one squadron may be deployed per capital ship.

The TIE Defender is the top-of-the-line Imperial starfighter boasting supreme agility and sheer speed.  It has three ion engines instead of two, making it a Triple Ion Engine craft.  In addition to four laser cannons and concussion missiles it carries two ion cannons for disabling starfighters.  Both the TIE Defender and the TIE Avenger have optional mounts for tractor beams that can give them an edge in combat (adds +2D to Fire Control when used).  These fighters have elite pilots and their extremely limited numbers are distributed to warship squadrons directly by High Command.

The New Republic's primary space superiority fighters are the X-Wings.  These craft have speed and maneuverability comparable to the TIE Interceptor even though they are more heavily armed and armored.  Instead of concussion missiles they carry proton torpedoes and sometimes serve anti-capital ship secondary roles.

For lighter missions the New Republic uses the A-Wing, its fast and agile interceptor.  While the A-Wings performance is comparable to an X-Wing, it is equipped with a targeting computer jamming device that decreases its enemy's ability to hit.

Bombers

Bombers are generally tougher than superiority starfighters and are designed to attack capital ships and other large targets by delivering large quantities of solid ordnance (missiles, torpedoes, etc).  They generally have lower speeds and maneuverability; not by choice, but simply due to physics.

The mainstay bomber in the Imperial Navy is the Scimitar Assault Bomber.  It is fairly fast and maneuverable for a bomber and is protected by shields and heavy armor.  It is armed with 16 concussion missiles in individual launch tubes that are angled for air-to-ground strafing runs.  These starfighters are available in fairly large numbers due largely to the former Grand Admiral Thrawn's reliance on them.

The older, slower TIE Bombers are generally only used when the Scimitar's are not available or for defense behind the front lines.  They can also be used to deploy mines.

The New Republic continues to use the venerable Y-Wing as its basic bomber.  These craft are among the oldest starfighters still in active service in a major military.  They are tough and dependable and armed with ion cannons to disable starships in addition to the normal complement of laser cannons and torpedoes.

The B-wing/E2 is a powerful bomber armed with perhaps the heaviest weapons of any stock starfighter.  It is heavily armored and deadly to capital ships.  However, it has inferior maneuverability and speed.  These fighters are slowly replacing Y-Wings in the New Republic Navy.

Multipurpose

Multipurpose starfighters are those craft that can perform the role of superiority starfighter or bomber equally well.  Starfighters that aren't really that good at either job will also be grouped here.

The A-9 Vigilance is a very unique starfighter.  It has below average hull strength and is unshielded like previous Imperial TIE fighters.  It lacks hyperdrive and its weapons are average.  However, it is also faster than the TIE Interceptor and more maneuverable.  Because of the Imperial Navy's tradition of using Seinar designed starfighters, the Vigilance never became popular and is only produced in limited quantities.

Another oddity in the Imperial Navy is the I-7 Howlrunner.  These craft are slow with average laser cannons and maneuverability, but with a strong hull and minor shielding they are quite survivable.  They were designed with planetary operations in mind and as such are much faster in atmosphere than they are in space.  They are plagued by the same problems as the Vigilance in that warship captains never really took an interest in them.

The TIE/d, or TIE Droid as it is often known, is a substandard fighter with poor maneuverability and less than adequate offensive capabilities.  They are crewed by a droid brain that most captains would not trust to fly a cargo shuttle.  However, they are cheaply produced and all Imperial manufacturing ships are capable of making them by the squadron with very short notice.

Probably the best multipurpose starfighter in the Imperial arsenal is the Xg-1 Assault Gunboat, also known as the Starwing.  The assault gunboat is a very large craft, equipped with a hyperdrive, good shielding and a thick hull.  It mounts laser and ion cannons as well as concussion missiles and an optional tractor beam.  It is very maneuverable for its mass, even if it is a little slow.  Its unorthodox design is very similar to the Lambda-class shuttle, with wings that fold upward for landing and storage.  Even though most warship captain's initially shunned the strange craft, their ability to perform anti-capital ship strikes without fighter escort has managed to secure its niche in the Imperial Navy.

The New Republic also has a few strange craft in its multipurpose category.  The New Republic Defender starfighter was never designed to use in any offensive capacity, but it is produced in large numbers for the defense of strategic systems and space stations.  They lack hyperdrive and are slow with substandard protection, but they are highly maneuverable in the vacuum of space and sport longer ranged laser cannons than most models.

The E-Wing is a curious design and it is a second-rate starfighter in the mind of most Imperial Wing Commanders.  It is too expensive to be mass produced in the quantities the New Republic intended and to cheap to be competition for more capable New Republic designs.  It has capabilities comparable to the TIE Interceptor except it also mounts a proton torpedo launcher and stronger hull.

The LAF-250, or Laugh to most Imperial pilots, is another substandard design that recently came out of New Republic R&D.  It is believed that this craft was in competition with the New Republic Defender to be the new system defense starfighter and that the Defender simply bested it.  An improved version of the Laugh, the HLAF-500 or H-Laugh, was produced a short time after and has quickly proven itself to be a very capable and inexpensive starfighter.  It is similar to the A-Wing in most respects except that it also mounts two proton torpedo launchers and its laser cannons are shorter ranged.

Support Starfighters

Starfighters that serve a role other than direct combat are known as support starfighters.  They are usually recon or utility craft and even though they are considered non-combatants, they are still quite important.

To improve the accuracy of Imperial gunners, the navy often uses TIE/fc or Fire Control.  The TIE/fc scans the target with its sensors and transmit sensor telemetry back to a warship's fire director.  The warship can then fire on the target with a much better chance to hit.  Note that each fighter is only capable of coordinating with one gun.  These fighters should be guarded at all times.

The TIE/rc, or TIE Recon, is the primary short-ranged reconnaissance craft in the Imperial Navy.  If available, these starfighters are usually dropped off when a warship arrives in-system and they begin to scout the system with their long-ranged sensors.  They have better sensors than most combat starfighters, allowing them to stay out of any engagements that would spell disaster for them.

The Reconnaissance X-Wing is the newest recon fighter the New Republic has available.  It carries the best sensors available to a starfighter and it is still a very maneuverable and survivable craft.  It carries the same laser cannons as a standard X-Wing to protect itself against fighters and it is equipped with a self-destruct device if capture become imminent.  Its only drawback is its greatly reduced speed.

The Y-Wing Longprobe is an older design that is still used heavily for long-ranged armed reconnaissance.  It is equipped with the weapons load of a standard Y-Wing except that it does not carry the second crewman as a gunner.  The extra room was used to nearly double range of the sensor system.  It is capable of extended missions because its reduced crew decreases the consumption of fresh air, water and food.

Starfighter Capabilities at a Glance

Starfighter Tactics

The proper use of starfighters can be an extremely complex endeavor combining strategy, experience and instincts.  It is something that is learned over time, but there are some basic principles that will help any prevent complete disasters.  Keep in mind that the number of starfighter squadrons available depend on the class of ship that you command.  Often the Line Captain or ranking flag officer will issue specific orders to all starfighter squadrons; this done to coordinate the ships so that they do not have to rely on their own starfighter squadrons for support.

Always deploy everything.  Unless you have a specific reason not to, it is best to deploy all starfighter squadrons near the start of the engagement, preferably before the enemy is in range.  If your ship is destroyed with fighters still in its launch bay, those fighters are lost too.  Also remember that unless your ship has some specialized launch system, you can only deploy one starfighter squadron at a time, so get the best fighters out first.

Send your best superiority starfighters out to intercept the enemy bombers before they get within firing range of your ship.  The preferred craft are TIE Defenders and TIE Advanced.

Escort your bombers with superiority starfighters.  Bombers can be easily destroyed by superiority starfighters, so they must be protected by a minimum ratio of two bombers to one superiority starfighter.

If possible, use overwhelming numbers.  Overconfidence in the abilities of your starfighters or underestimation of the enemy's capabilities has led to the death of more than one Imperial officer.  Do not become the next one.  Outnumber the enemy by as much as possible.

Next paragraph taken from "The Art of Naval Combat: Thoughts on Contemporary Imperial Tactics" by Line Captain Caldar Quinn

While perhaps the rebel starfighters are designed for attacks on capital targets, our primary models – The TIE line model and Interceptor – Are better suited to DSP or Defensive Space Patrol. That is, a capital ship's starfighter complement being deployed as a defensive screen for that capital ship against enemy starfighters being used in an offensive role. Our starfighters, in this self-protective role, will hopefully neutralise the effectiveness of the enemy offensive fighters which the enemy may use against our capital ships. Endor stands as a monument to the value of DSP. At Endor, Piett had sent all of the fighters at his disposal in a profligate assault against the rebel fleet, merely using his dozens of Star Destroyers to box in the rebels. After annihilating many TIEs, the rebels then engaged the main Imperial fleet. They should have been obliterated. One of the reasons which led to Imperial defeat was our lack of TIE-cover. The Super-Star Destroyer Executor was destroyed by a starfighter. With adequate cover, this catastrophe could have been avoided. By keeping our capital ships and starfighters together, the catastrophe of Endor, could have been avoided.

Starfighter Squadron Organization

A starfighter squadron is composed of 12 starfighters.  It is broken down into three flights of four starfighters each.  Each flight contains two elements and an element consists of one lead starfighter and his wingman.  A wing is made up of six squadrons and is commanded by a Wing Commander.  The wing commander rarely flies with the squadrons even though the officer is typically a veteran pilot.  Often ships that do not carry a full wing of fighters will still refer to their Officer of Flight and Vehicle Operations (FVO) as the wing commander.

Strike Groups

Because a single starfighter is generally no threat to a capital-scale warship, starfighters typically engage warships in strike groups.  You may group a number of identical starfighter squadrons equal to your Command: Starfighters into a combined strike force.  They must move together and engage the same target with the same weapon system.  They will then make a high speed run to the target, hoping to penetrate the screening vessels, inflict as much damage as possible, and withdraw a safe distance to regroup and attack again.

Splitting your starfighters into smaller groups will reduce the effectiveness of an anti-starfighter screen, however it will also reduce the effectiveness of the starfighter group.  You may make an opposed Tactics check (Tactics: Starfighter v/s Tactics: Capital Ships) just before the strike groups begin their attack run.  See the table to determine effects.

If the fighters can are not driven off by the anti-starfighter screen then they may commence their attack.  The starfighters add their pilot skill and fire control dice together and apply any penalties (multiple action, damage from screen, etc.).  Then the scale modifier is added to the attack roll and the dice are rolled against the capital ships normal dodge.  One roll to hit for the entire group is all that is needed.  If the starfighters score a hit, roll damage using the combined action rules.  To calculate the damage of the attack, take the damage code of the weapon being fired and add 1 pip (+1) for each additional fighter (if there are 12 fighters firing 5D lasers, then add +11 or 3D+2 for a total of 8D+2).  Add the scale modifier to the capital ships roll to resist damage and roll the dice, damage is computed normally.  Note that starfighters weapons are normally fire-linked so do not roll for each weapon, only for each fighter.  Starfighters that are firing missiles cannot use missile locking rules.  Starfighters can always fire-link their projectile weapons.

Dogfighting

When two groups of starfighters meet a dogfight normally ensues.  They break into squadrons and attack each other in a chaotic brawl.  Due to the nature of the dogfight it is impossible for more than five squadrons to be engaged with each other, and the odds could be weighed as heavily as 4 to 1.  You can specify which fighters you want to target specifically and which fighters you want to engage them if you wish, however the dogfight is the most fluid of engagements and you may not always get what you ask for.

The larger group gets to at +1 to their roll for each fighter they have in excess of the other group.  For example, it three squadrons of X-Wings were attacking a single squadron of TIE Defenders, the X-Wings would get a +24.  However, if the squadrons are under-strength you could get very different bonuses.

To roll the dogfight, add the attackers' gunnery, fire control, & weapon damage together and roll those dice, then apply the bonus.  Add the defenders' piloting, maneuverability, hull, & shields together and roll those dice.  Damage is scored according to the following chart.  Repeat this process in reverse to determine the number of attackers destroyed except this time no bonus is applied.  Note that if the number of damaged starfighters exceeds the number of starfighters in that group, then the extra fighters are destroyed.  (Example: 1 squadron of starfighters gets a result of 14 heavily damaged starfighters leaves you with 2 destroyed starfighters and 10 heavily damaged.)

Anti-Starfighter Tactics

Most capital ships engaged with starfighters have little hope of destroying them by targeting them individually.  Instead they blanket the opposing starfighter squadrons with repeated shots in hopes to break up their formation, deter them from attacking, or, at best, have lucky shots that damage or destroy some of them.

To activate this special option, simply declare that your ship or ships are initiating an anti-starfighter screen.  You may coordinate a number of ships equal to your amount of Command: Imperial Navy.  You may use any or all of your ships weapons and fire them up to four times each if the weapon's fire rate is that fast.  For each shot fired, you add +1 to the difficulty of a group of starfighters penetrating your screen.

Starfighter groups attempting to penetrate the screen must roll their piloting skill plus maneuverability against the difficulty of your screen.  For example, a single Lancer Frigate is able to generate a starfighter screen with a difficulty of 20 in a single arc.  Note that if multiple starfighter groups are attacking from the same arc you must specify which group to concentrate on, or how you want to split your screen.  As long as enemy starfighters are within range the anti-starfighter screen can continue to harass them.  Be careful, friendly starfighters within the screen must also roll with the same difficulty.

If the attacking starfighter's beat the difficulty then they may attack normally if their weapons are in range, however the piloting roll does count as an action so they will have a -1D penalty.  See the following chart for additional difficulties.

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