Carrier Operations

Pacifiers

A Fleet Carrier is equipped with 16 Pacifiers (space fighters), which form its main striking force. They have a range of operational configurations they can be set to – the main ones are:

1. Standard Attack Pacifier High Energy Laser and 3 x Cannon

2. Patrol Pacifier 5 x Seeker Missiles, 1 x Cannon

3. Gunship Pacifier 5 x Cannon

4. Cannon Pacifier 2 x Heavy Cannon

5. Dewship Pacifier 2 x High Energy Lasers

6. Standoff Pacifier 2 x Long Range Anti-shipping Heavy Missiles

These are for use when operating in space against other ships.

Pacifiers can be modified to operate within the atmosphere, but they lose payload to do this: Atmosphere ops configurations are:

1. CAP Pacifier 1 x Cannon, 2 x Seeker Missiles

2. Strike Pacifier 4 x guided munitions (for ground attack)

3. Recce Pacifier 2 x Cannon, 1 x sensor package (optimised for range).

It takes time to change configuration – typically a couple of hours.
Pacifier recovery, refuelling and rearming is largely automated and only takes 5-10 minutes – though recovery is more difficult if the carrier is violently manoeuvring at the time.

Pilots: Pacifier pilots are trained to handle very high stresses and accelerations. A carrier usually as a nuber of reserve pilots.

Heavy Weapons

A carrier also has some heavy weapons.
These are generally used for self-defence in space battles, but in the context of Alliance operations they represent a significant offensive asset.

A carrier has:

2 x PAD weapons. These are heavy plasma energy weapons with an effective range of 40-80 km. They can even be used on ground targets if the carrier conducts a very low orbit pass.

2 x HELL. These are heavy laser weapons. They are less powerful than the PAD but more flexible in some ways. They are regarded as a useful secondary weapon. They are of limited use against surface targets on planets with atmospheres.

6 x Heavy Cannon and 4 x [Multi-cannon]. Useful against smaller space targets such as incoming shuttles or pacifiers. Also used as a point defence against incoming missiles.

2 x Heavy Missile launchers – for launching anti-shipping missiles. Heavy missiles are normally used to administer the ‘coup de grace’ against a ship whose point defences are weakened.

6 x Chaff / Flare dispenser units. Useful for confusing the homing radar / seeking systems of incoming missiles or cannon targeting radars.