Re: Fighter Mounts

> Furthermore, if one is dependent on a bay to launch/recover, losing
that
> single system cripples *all* one's fighters. Now, this may be
appropriate
> for some genres (a couple of Battlestar Galactica eps come to mind)
but in
> a less cinematic setting, there's no reason to have a 'runway' to
launch
> fighters... just pop them out from wherever they're stuck on the hull,
and
> let them maneuver as they will. After all, they've already got the
velocity
> of the carrier on their side.
>
> I suppose in the end, this diatribe amounts to 'you do it your way,
I'll do
> it mine' :) But I like to think there's some justification for my
way.....
>
There was a discussion a couple of months ago along these lines. Rather
than run that thread, let me summarize.

External Mounts/Launch Tubes:
  This type of system (Omega Destroyer - Star Fury launches) allows the
ship to launch many (if not all) of thier ships at one time. The
drawback is docking and maintainence. Mating to a docking collar during
combat is tricky (if not deadly). Doing maintainence in
microgravity/vacume is also tricky.

Launch Bays:
  This type of system (Battlestar Galactia) allows the ship to launch
fewer fighters at once, but recover/refuel/rearm them quicker. It also
allows for maintainence in a gravity/atmospheric conditions. Another
downside is that if the bay is lost it is lost for all the fighters that
would have landed (or were) in that bay.

A mix of the two (launch tubes and recovery bay) was the best tactical
system but took the most mass.

IIRC there was no concensus on which was the better system.

--
Brian Bell
brian.bell@axom.com

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