I like the concept. I like the fact that it exactly fits into a small boat bay.
However, if you have this right on top of a jump point, its standard sensors will likely be enough to detect the EM and TH of something coming through the jump point.
Watchtower class Early Warning Craft 125 tons 7 Crew 43 BP TCS 2.5 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s Armour 1-2 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 215 Max Repair 28 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 3
Active Search Sensor MR11-R1 (1) GPS 28 Range 11.2m km MCR 1.2m km Resolution 1
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
Is the variant from my campaign. A bit more expensive because it is using a component copied from salvaged (spoilers). When you have something on top of a jump point, you are going to get the TH and EM readings on the enemy, whatever you are watching with. But this thing gets you the cross-section as well, and information about whatever missiles they use to kill it. It is, I suppose, somewhat sensor overkill for just watching a jump point, but it can provide anti-missile sensors for a colony as well.
Note, this is with ceramic composite armor tech. Interestingly, the crew requirement for active sensors is a lot higher than for thermal and EM, driving up the crew requirement, but it ended up at the exact same size.
While you could also use the Anchovie as a colony sensor platform, a colony is more likely to get a Deep Space Tracking Station for much more sensor capability, albeit somewhat more expensively. But the key is more the lack of maintenance of each, and therefore that they could be deployed and mostly forgotten about.
Heh. Pretty sure you could fit a jump engine, and small boat bay on to a fighter, and you could stealthily deploy these listening posts anywhere you wanted. Later in the game, when you have 50,000+ BP in your warfleet, having 2 per jump point is barely going to make a dent in your expenditures, and they don't cost maintenance.