So, I was spending some time designing some small (1HS engine out of 4HS total size) railgun fighters, came up with these designs, and decided I wanted to hear other players' opinions:
Spitfire Ia class Light Fighter 200 tons 9 Crew 47.4 BP TCS 4 TH 31 EM 0
7824 km/s Armour 2-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0.98
Maint Life 28.50 Years MSP 29 AFR 2% IFR 0.0% 1YR 0 5YR 1 Max Repair 15.625 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 15 days Morale Check Required
Ion Drive EP31.25 (1) Power 31.2 Fuel Use 1875.00% Signature 31.25 Explosion 25%
Fuel Capacity 13,000 Litres Range 0.62 billion km (22 hours at full power)
10cm Railgun V50/C1/S1 (1) Range 50,000km TS: 7,824 km/s Power 0.75-1 RM 50,000 km ROF 5 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Beam Fire Control R51-TS8000 (SW) (1) Max Range: 51,200 km TS: 8,000 km/s 80 61 41 22 2 0 0 0 0 0
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor R1-PB60 (1) Total Power Output 1 Exp 30%
Active Sensor AS3-R1 (1) GPS 3 Range 3.5m km MCR 317.9k km Resolution 1
A single-shot 10cm railgun is the most compact of the weapons I was looking at, which freed up space for more not-specifically-combat gear. The active sensor is a mere 5 tons (and no crew requirement); I suppose it could be discarded in favor of more fuel, but the change to active sensor range means these minimum-size sensors are more attractive than they used to be.
Spitfire Ib class Light Fighter 200 tons 10 Crew 43.1 BP TCS 4 TH 28 EM 0
7039 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 1.65
Maint Life 14.75 Years MSP 18 AFR 3% IFR 0.0% 1YR 0 5YR 2 Max Repair 14.06 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 3 days Morale Check Required
Ion Drive EP28.12 (1) Power 28.1 Fuel Use 1976.42% Signature 28.12 Explosion 25%
Fuel Capacity 11,000 Litres Range 0.5 billion km (19 hours at full power)
10cm Railgun V50/C1.5/S2 (1x2) Range 50,000km TS: 7,039 km/s Power 1.5-1.5 RM 50,000 km ROF 5 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Beam Fire Control R51-TS7200 (SW) (1) Max Range: 51,200 km TS: 7,200 km/s 80 61 41 22 2 0 0 0 0 0
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor R2-PB60 (1) Total Power Output 1.5 Exp 30%
Double the shots, at the cost of reduced speed and endurance. I'm not sure it's worth it - the railgun goes from 0.975 HS to 1.65 HS.
Spitfire Ic class Light Fighter 220 tons 12 Crew 55 BP TCS 4 TH 31 EM 0
7102 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 1.63
Maint Life 11.94 Years MSP 20 AFR 4% IFR 0.1% 1YR 0 5YR 4 Max Repair 19.6 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 1.5 days Morale Check Required
Ion Drive EP31.25 (1) Power 31.2 Fuel Use 1875.00% Signature 31.25 Explosion 25%
Fuel Capacity 5,000 Litres Range 0.22 billion km (8 hours at full power)
12cm Railgun V50/C1.5/S1 (1) Range 100,000km TS: 7,102 km/s Power 1.50-1.5 RM 50,000 km ROF 5 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
Beam Fire Control R112-TS7200 (SW) (1) Max Range: 112,000 km TS: 7,200 km/s 91 82 73 64 55 46 38 29 20 11
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor R2-PB60 (1) Total Power Output 1.5 Exp 30%
This goes for a single-shot 12cm railgun (1.625 HS) for double the range as well as (slightly) more gunpower at point blank. The extra range is very tempting, but I needed to give up on the 200-ton limit in order to fit an appropriate fire control.
Spitfire Id class Light Fighter 250 tons 15 Crew 63.3 BP TCS 5 TH 38 EM 0
7502 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 1.63
Maint Life 17.84 Years MSP 36 AFR 2% IFR 0.0% 1YR 0 5YR 3 Max Repair 22.4 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 6 days Morale Check Required
Ion Drive EP37.50 (1) Power 37.5 Fuel Use 1711.63% Signature 37.50 Explosion 25%
Fuel Capacity 10,000 Litres Range 0.42 billion km (15 hours at full power)
12cm Railgun V50/C1.5/S1 (1) Range 100,000km TS: 7,502 km/s Power 1.50-1.5 RM 50,000 km ROF 5 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
Beam Fire Control R112-TS8000 (SW) (1) Max Range: 112,000 km TS: 8,000 km/s 91 82 73 64 55 46 38 29 20 11
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor R2-PB60 (1) Total Power Output 1.5 Exp 30%
Bulking the Ic variant up to 250 tons gave me this guy. On the minus side, it fits four to a Hangar Deck compared to the Ia's five; on the plus side, it does fully occupy a Boat Bay.
So... thoughts? Which would you build? Would you try to change something, e.g. more fuel or armor?
Techs used:
- Gas-cooled Fast Reactor, Power Plant Boost 60%
- Ion Drive Technology, Fuel Consumption: 0.6 L/EPH, Maximum Engine Power Modifier x2.5
- 12cm Railgun, Railgun Launch Velocity 50,000
- BFC Range 64,000 km, FC Speed Rating 4000 km/s
- Active Sensor Strength 28, EM Sensitivity 14, Thermal Sensitivity 14
- Ceramic Composite Armor