Posted by: Michael Sandy
« on: March 26, 2019, 12:51:52 PM »The demands of a recon frigate are somewhat contradictory. You want long enough range so that it can get wherever you wish to scout, but you also want your scouting element to be able to outrun an enemy it detects. I suggest you split up some of the elements. Have a long endurance carrier that gets the scouting element to the system, and the scouts themselves can be stripped down to the bare minimum.
For example, 1 HS of max boosted engines, .4 HS of fuel, and a .1 HS active sensor will allow a very cheap ship that can get every bit of information about a body you can get without geosurvey. And it will likely be fast enough to run away if it spots a large anti-ship active sensor.
Going with a scout carrier concept also gets some future proofing, as you could switch out your scouts and also replace them with railgun fighters quite easily.
For example, 1 HS of max boosted engines, .4 HS of fuel, and a .1 HS active sensor will allow a very cheap ship that can get every bit of information about a body you can get without geosurvey. And it will likely be fast enough to run away if it spots a large anti-ship active sensor.
Going with a scout carrier concept also gets some future proofing, as you could switch out your scouts and also replace them with railgun fighters quite easily.