[wgemini]

Giving that a Hecate can hold 12 squadrons of combat air crafts, I am wondering what's the composition of a typical air group. Here is my guess

4 squadrons of air superiority fighters. e.g. Myrmidon.
2 squadrons of heavy assualt fighters. e.g. Herc.
2 squadrons of bombers. e.g. Medusa.
1 squadron of heavy bombers. e.g. Ursa
1 squadron of reconnaissance crafts. e.g. Loki
1 squadron of intercepters. e.g. Perseus
1 squadron of support ships.

What do you guys think?

[FireCrack]

prolly more heavy assault squadrons than supiriority, they fill a preety simnilar role anywasy so it may be better just to bunch them together. If you bunch the bombers too, then 6 squadrons of fighters to 3 of bombers seems about right. I dont think the suport ships are counted in that total, but other than that, it seems preety resonable. Just remember that different destroyers could have diferent fighter compliments.

Also, there are no aircraft in space

[NGTM-1R]

Aerospace, ffs! 

My thinking runs something like: 3 squadrons space superiority, 3 squadrons interceptor, 2 heavy assault, 2 bomber, 1 support ship squadron. And a wing (six ships? four?) of recon craft.

Unlike a carrier, a destroyer's power projection is not based solely on its aerospace wing. Conversely, its safety by and large is. Thus the preponderance of interceptors and space superiority fighters.

[kv1at3485]

Unlike a carrier, a destroyer's power projection is not based solely on its aerospace wing. Conversely, its safety by and large is. Thus the preponderance of interceptors and space superiority fighters.

In FS2 that maybe true with the advent of beam cannons.

But I cannot imagine for the life of me how a FS1 destroyer could even think about going up against another one without a how boatload of bombers.

[NGTM-1R]

Clash of the Titans.

The Orion is formidible combat craft against even a Shivan destroyer, one-on-one, in FS1. As long as you can keep the bombers off it, it can do most of the rest.

[wgemini]

Not really. Destroyers are meant to provide fighter support for the entire fleet. It's a lot less effective as a duelist than say the Deimos.

I tried a scenario where one Hecate (without fighter cover) went against 5 Leviathans. They approached each other head on from a great distance (helps the destroyer since it's harder for it to turn). Usually 4 of the cruisers survive the engagement. One time the Hecate failed to score a single kill. A Demon was a lot more effective and the odds was more or less even. However, once you upgraded one of the cruiser to a Deimos Corvette, the Demon didn't stand a chance.

So I think bombers wings are very important for destroyers. That's why I assigned 3 squadrons. Maybe I should assign more Hercs too since they are quite powerful against cruisers and bombers. They are easy picks for other fighters though.

[NGTM-1R]

A Hecate is, however, not going to find itself in that situation. (And you'll note they ran away when dealing with corvettes in the main campaign.) It's a rear-area battle-direction and carrier craft. As its role is to provide fighter protection for the rest of the fleet, again a preponderance of antifighter power makes sense. FS2 power projection is largely wrapped up in corvettes.

As for the Orion, it would eat your Leviathans for breakfast. Much the same could be said of the Hapshepsut. Multiple heavy beams do that.

[FireCrack]

Yeah, and if you bring out a ravana they wont even get close, that thing can vaporise corvettes instantly.

[kv1at3485]

Clash of the Titans.

I don't know about you, but the Bastion hardly did anything in that mission.  It was bombers all the way.  If it had been nothing but the destroyers (no bombers, no fighters), the only way for the Demon to stop the Orion would have been to literally get in the way.

I can't think of any missions in FS1 where the real threat to a destroyer was another destroyer's guns.  (Heck, even a cruiser was pretty safe from a destroyer's guns).  It was always bombers eating destroyers, and assault fighters eating cruisers.

The only display of 'real' firepower by an Orion is in the FS2 opening cinematic, and it's impossible to judge just how effective it was being.

---

I figure that a FS1 'destroyer' acted much like a fleet carrier (with a very distant secondary role of a gunship.)  Stay hidden somewhere and feed strike craft to areas of engagement.  In this case, a significant portion of its aero-group would be bombers.

The FS2 destroyer has a much more balanced role as a battleship-carrier (thanks to those beams).  It is able to directly support its aero-group in battle, providing the heavy striking power needed to hit high-value targets.  Since the ship itself can be the 'big gun', it can get away with a reduced bomber complement.

[TrashMan]

I don't know about you, but the Bastion hardly did anything in that mission.  It was bombers all the way.  If it had been nothing but the destroyers (no bombers, no fighters), the only way for the Demon to stop the Orion would have been to literally get in the way.

You played FS2 Port? SCP finally makes use of ALL barrels on a gun, effectivly TRIPLING an Orions anti-cap firepower

5x3 Terran huge turrets = 5x3x300 = 4500 damage every 5 seconds. If you play with tweaked tables where terran huge turrets actualyl have more puch (and Shivan counterparts too) then it rapes the Demon.

then again, in that cmiion the Shivans have more fighters/bombers then you.

Just make a mission with only a FS1 Orion and FS! Demon and let them loose, and don't interfere. Orion wins.

[karajorma]

And if you make a mission with 10 Demons and set them all to 1 % hull the Orion beats them all!

Notice how that has absolutely nothing to do with kv1at3485's argument either.