Hangar Bay, Cargo Hold & Steerage Cargo

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Humabout

I suppose boarding the craft might be a bit tricky, but something could be worked out. The main purpose would be to have a very rapid strike force that could jump to a scene and dump its ships fast. Sort of like a space navy version of the Roger Young form Starship Troopers. You could have a carrier with a squadron or two of aerospace strike craft jump near a planet and deliver a lot of firepower over a wide area fast. The only issue would be withdrawl. Then again, you could do this with drones, too, which alleviates the issues with getting pilots into ships. The whole idea is to free up as many systems in the fighters as possible for weapons, armor, and performance.

The major issue with rack carriers (in a permissive setting) isn't in the first sortie. It's everything that comes after. They lack the benefits of a hangar for rearming, refueling, and repairing their parasites after recovering them. On a strategic scope maintenance and environmental protection join the list of advantages of internal carry.

A rack ship is good for delivering a punch, but bad at being a mothership. Whether that results in all rackers, all carriers, or a mix for different missions depends on other elements.