[FT] Defensive system idea: MRIM

Pardon to anyone who may have come up with 
a similar concept. I haven't seen it mentioned 
so this is not a derivative work, though it may 
flow in already established channels. 

Think for a moment of fleet defence. We have an 
outer layer of fighters, screening for other 
fighters and engaging incoming missiles. They 
attack things headed toward the fleet as a 
whole. 

We have an ADFC net which lets us engage (at 
short ranges) missiles and fighters attacking 
ships under the net's umbrella. This (like the 
long distance fighter screen) is an area defence.

Then we have the close in "screening" fighters, 
attached to particular ships. They try to stop 
fighters (and I think missiles?) on attack runs. 
This is a defence for a particular ship.

Then we have the last ditch PDS/CIWS which 
attempts to thwart the incoming fighters and 
missiles targetted specifically at the ship 
carrying them. This is the final and most 
personal level of defence for a ship. 

But this formation assumes you have fighter 
superiority (or fighters present!). If you don't, 
your fighter screening won't last long. So then 
you're down to ADFC and PDS. Few FB ships 
have ADFC and they attract enemy fighters and 
fire like magnets. So shortly, your ship ONLY 
has PDS. Or, if it is on independent operation, 
that's all it has. And most FB ships aren't over-
endowed with PDS. 

And of course, then we come to the vast 
annoyance of the floating fighter swarm (space 
vultures) that can't be attacked because they 
aren't attacking you. (In fact, if you think 
carefully about this, you'll note that a long 
range fighter strike at a planet opposed by 
standard corvettes, destroyers, and frigates is 
UTTERLY UNSTOPPABLE - the fighters fly by 
laughing as you can't shoot....). 

So, what kind of system would help 
1) extend the defensive envelope of ships to 
allow them to engage fighters OUTSIDE their 
own engagement range
2) same as #1 but as it applies to MTMs and 
SMs
3) Provide an ability to attack fighter groups 
"lurking" in swarms nearby
4) allow some form of closer in area defence 
for non-fighter bearing ships. 

The answer (or one of them) is a Medium 
Range Interceptor Missile system. (MRIM). 

Whereas I sort of PSB the PDS as CIWS (laser  
or particle-accelerator type phalanx/goalkeeper 
system, defensive cannister launchers, etc), I 
see the MRIM as a system with slightly more 
capable sensors and more capable weaponry. 

What would it do:
1) Have an attack range of 12" (like a B1)
2) Have limited shots like a scattergun or SM
3) Be able to target any fighter or missile in 
range
4) Be fireable at fighters or missiles attacking 
the mounting ship like PDS but before the 
fighters can fire
5) I'd suggest it is the equivalent of 3 PDS 
shots (3 dice, PDS effects). 
6) arc limited
7) Like PDS, mounts it own tracking/homing 
therefore does not require a firecon
8) I'll guess at a 3-arc version for mass 1. Cost 
is 4 x mass. (logic: Unlike ADFC, it doesn't allow 
all beam-1s and PDS to shoot at fighters in the 
area of effect, just this system. It is more potent 
than a single 1mass, 3 point PDS but can't fire 
repeatedly and has limited arc coverage. Hence 
more expensive than a single PDS but only 
slightly). 

Now, my guestimate for mass and cost for 
MRIM rounds is just that. Comments on 
cost/mass/performance I'd be interested to 
here. (Note, my FT gaming tends to be vector 
with 3" radius for attacking SMs if that matters 
in the discussion).