Plasma FAC?

[Girlinhat (OP)]

So I had the idea to mount a plasma carronade to a FAC or fighter design, which is ridiculous given the carronade's size and energy consumption.  Has anyone attempted to make a plasma bomber like this before, and if so how well did it work?  The theory is to be able to very quickly rush in, strike with plasma, and rush out, and be able to make several passes without the worry of reloading a box launcher.  Because of the carronade's range, fire control won't be a huge issue, and being made as a bomber it wouldn't need a very fast or utterly accurate fire control, so that part would be comparatively smaller than other fighters.  But it would need a powerplant of some kind, and if it were kept small then the ship would probably have to run away to allow recharge time before coming in for another pass.

Thoughts?

[Andrew]

It should be as workable as any other beam armed fighter/FAC.   
Your problem will be surviving the enemy ships missile fire and then any large calibre energy weapons before you get your shot and then surviving his close range energy fire so you can get another shot. The Box launchers are probably more effective and likely to cost less as you won't be actually losing ships to enemy fire

[Thiosk]

There were some threads on this subject some time ago.  If you can get in range, its shred city. 

HOWEVER

if you know an alien fleet is coming via listening posts, and the fighters are suitably fast, you could park a squadron for gate defense;

imagine the carnage coming under fire of 20 or so carronade fighters.  That first 30 seconds would be brutal.

[Girlinhat (OP)]

In the case of jump defense, the fighters might even manage to fire and flee before the enemy shakes off the sensor downtime.

[HaliRyan]

Carronade fighters would be kind of funny, but since you can't use any miniaturization tech on the carronades they'd be slower than a FAC even with the smallest version. 

[Girlinhat (OP)]

"Bomber" would be more apt, I think.  I wonder if it wouldn't pay just to add more armor and a CIW system and call them a squadron bomber.  The sort of "delivering heavy payload" type of ship.  The Y-Wing from Star Wars, if you will.

[UnLimiTeD]

Use an FAC.
You can mount a single carronade in them, and the weapon is reasonably cheap.
For AM, use different FACs with Gauss or Rail.
Though the question is, why not use Mesons?

[Thiosk]

Use an FAC.
You can mount a single carronade in them, and the weapon is reasonably cheap.
For AM, use different FACs with Gauss or Rail.
Though the question is, why not use Mesons?

There is something gratifying about blasting the armor off of ships.  I have not employed mesons yet.

[scoopdjm]

Theory formulation time go!!! Ok well uh a big carronade could take a ship out of the fac zone so wouldn't it be easier to make a reeeaaaaaallllllllllllyyy short range but highly deadly missile with according box launcher? Or why even bOther with Facs? I mean who needs speed anyways (all my ships go at like 3000km per hour)? recreate the armada and give the varying monsters the ol broadside

[Girlinhat (OP)]

I like the idea, personally.  It has its own RP value, which is important overall, and a certain appeal.  After all, having no magazines on your carrier allows for more tonnage for other things, more fighters or better sensors or higher speed or whatever you want!  Box launchers are fun, but everyone's done them, so I want to strap capital ship guns onto a fighter and watch the enemy squirm!

[UnLimiTeD]

Always depends on what you do with them.
I rarely see it that someone builds Anti-Missile Ships based on box, for example.
As for the plasmas, a 15cm is really, really cheap, so you'd be able to build replacements for them en masse.

[Girlinhat (OP)]

If you make the components via industry, and produce the fighters via fighter production (not shipyard) do the components still get used?  If so, you could spam out a couple dozen fighters in extremely short order.

[Din182]

I'm totally trying this out next game.

[UnLimiTeD]

Well, problem is that fighters will be rather slow and heavy with a carronade.

[Girlinhat (OP)]

That's why "bomber" or "FAC" seemed a more appropriate title instead.