Fighter strike active sensors & fire control

[Gump (OP)]

I understand that when I wish to fire missile at a target I need  the assiciated fire control to have sufficient range to engage the target and an active sensor lock for the duration of the missiles flight.

Does the active sensor lock have to come from one source for the entire flight duration?

Does the fire control need to be able to engage the target for the entire flight duration, or just during the increment whilst the missile launches?

I am think towards using fighters to launch a strike beyond my fleets normal range.  I'd like to dispatch a swarm of missile armed fighters supported a number of fighters equpied with only active sensors. 
I figure, so long as they stay outside of PD sensor range the only way they would be detected is my passive sensors detecting my active sensors. 
I would hope to keep the active sensor fighters seperate from on another, and from the missile armed fighters.  Light up the enemy with one active sensor fighter, and if they move towards the EM signiture turn off the sensor when they get too close and light up the enemy with a different active sensor fighter at a differant location. 
Once the missile armed fighters launch their payload I'd like them to immediately head for home to re-arm.

[Brian Neumann]

The active sensor lock can be from any source.  You will want to be carefull that there is not a gap in having your targets lit up with active sensors however.  Once you fire your missiles if there is any time when the targets are not on one of you ships active sensors then your missile fire control will lose it's lockon.  If the missiles do not have their own sensors they will self destruct automatically.  If that happens with missiles that have their own built in sensors the missiles will continue to the last known target destination and look for targets within thier own range.

The problem with using the missiles own sensors is one of thier fairly short range.  Most people design missiles with sensors that can detect a target within about 5-10 seconds of the missiles flight time.  That is enough for terminal guidance when the original target has been destroyed and you do not want to lose all those missiles.  If your fighters lose their lock-ons however from 10 minutes flight time out then the chances are that the targets will have moved beyond the missiles detection range.  The missiles will just orbit in place untill thier fuel is exausted.

Brian

[Whitecold]

I would be careful with fighters and sensor range, a PD sensor will detect a fighter much further away than a size 6 missile, and some people use massive res1 sensors for the tracking bonus, but I don't know about the AI. Also thermal signature will be a consideration with powerful fighter engines, and to my knowledge, the last known position is remembered, so your sensor fighter might well be hunted down if it is all alone.