Cadet II/Stealth fighter extra

Spiking with killers

Sfs can use killers to spike a bomb run kind of like fighters can use dumbfires to spike. However more coordination is needed by the defenders because

• the missiles take longer to hit, which means a slight error at the beginning will have larger consequences than it would for a dumbfire,
• sfs carry fewer missiles per rack
• sfs take longer to maneuver in and out of position.

As with a dumbfire spike, the defenders need to group together at the same distance from the target and launch a salvo at the same time. The aim is for all the missiles to hit together, causing a large "spike" of damage that will kill the bbr before the nans react.

To achieve this you need to be working with a team that plans to do it, otherwise people will load hunters and fly off to camp the side of the aleph as described in the main sf lesson. You need to gather together using `lf ("Follow Me"!). You need to target the bbr and fire together. This adds up to one thing - you need a leader. Someone to call where to camp, and when to launch. And you need the rest of the pilots not to talk over him.

The tracking on a killer is quite poor so your best bet is to set up directly in front of the bbr. Better yet, catch the bbr at the aleph and have someone mine it so the bbr has to slow down, making it an easy target to hit. In any case, if your first salvo of missiles do not kill the bbr then you need to change tactics - because if you stay directly in front of the bbr you will soon be eyed and podded. Change to hunters, use your side strafe keys to get into the side arc of the bomb train, and start picking off nans.

Giga/OH - Killering a base

Killers have the same damage class as disruptors, which means they are effective against bases with light armour (all giga minor stations and the Omicron tele-ref). You will not be able to solo a station because you will run out of missiles, and its shields will regenerate while you're back at base reloading. Thus you need teamwork.

Take a team of 3-4 sfs and set up 200-300m inside of your missile range. Once everyone is in position open up with killers and wait for the base to die. You will need more teammates if the enemy use scouts to repair the base. If fighters and ints come after you then you need to start using your side-strafe keys to start circling the base. This is why you should sit 200-300m closer, so your missiles have a little bit of safety margin to compensate for your sideways movement.

Rix - Combat drone camp

Rix combat drones only shoot the ship you had targeted (as covered in the main lesson). A little known fact is that you can target enemies in different sectors. If done correctly you can deploy drones to shoot a bbr the instant it enters the sector, killing it before the nans react.

Once a bbr is spotted open up F6, switch to the enemy team and figure out who is piloting the bbr. Then target him by the following process:

• Open a chatbox by hitting Enter
• Select yourself by typing me Tab. ("Me" will always work regardless of what your callsign is)
• Give yourself an attack order by typing Ctrl-a
• Select the enemy bbr pilot by typing in their name then hit Enter

Alternatively someone may sit in base and use the command tools to order the entire team to attack a specific enemy. Accept that order then check your target at the bottom of the screen to check they've given you the bbr pilot (as opposed to some random voob spouting attack orders for the hell of it).

Once you have the enemy bbr targeted convince the rest of your team to do the same by sending `ao (Attack bomber!) `5 (Attack my target!) - this is the hardest part in a PUG, especially if they think you're a random voob spamming attack orders for the hell of it.

The final step is to deploy your combat drones all together. This is easy if you're camping an aleph, just get within 800m of the aleph then wait for someone to yell "Drop". It can still be done mid-sector, you just need to get all the rix sfs to group together and drop the drones when the bbr reaches about 1200m. Slowly back away from the bbr dropping more combat drones.

Belts - Stealth nanning

Belter sfs can mount nans, and with their low signature and high energy reserves they can make excellent escorts for a bomb run. However due to their low hp and low maneuverability they make poor escorts once spotted. For this reason you should NOT sit behind the bbr trying to ram it once you're in an enemy sector.

Instead fly beside the bbr at the limit of your nan range (about 400m). Use your side strafe keys to keep pace with the bbr while still aiming at it. Hitting the bbr should not be too tricky as sfs have a lead indicator. Use your up-down strafe keys to corkscrew around the bbr to make yourself even harder to find and kill.

You can remain cloaked while nanning but manage your energy reserves carefully so you don't run low at a critical time. Note that the closer the bbr comes to killing the base the more likely base will eye you and you will be podded.