Strike Craft

Bodkin Strike Fighter

Strike Craft
9 tenders

A crewed strike craft launched from a tender's flight deck.

Overview

Strike fighters are a tender's own guns. Every tender's fighter bay comes with basic fighters, free and never used up. Better fighters are built at an industry station, carried in the hold like ammunition and loaded per wing. A tender keeps its fighters in wings of 6. Launch, recall, order and load the wings from the Strike wings block on the left of the HUD, or with the keys below.

Fighters fight Crown and pirate NPCs only, never pilots, traders or Marshals. On guard they engage hostiles within 9 km of the tender. On ordinary targets their hits are yours: bounties, loot rights and hunting credit. Most NPCs shoot the tender, not its fighters; Crown strike fighters and ships with flak hunt fighters.

Tenders

Tier 5Dovecote 12 strike fighters in 2 wings of 6. Up to 6 fly at once.

Tier 6Portcullis 12 strike fighters in 2 wings of 6. Up to 6 fly at once.

Tier 7Quarrel 12 strike fighters in 2 wings of 6. Up to 6 fly at once.

Tier 6Dolmen 16 strike fighters in 2 wings of 6. Up to 6 fly at once.

Tier 6Colossus 24 strike fighters in 4 wings of 6. Up to 12 fly at once.

Tier 7Vespiary 36 strike fighters in 6 wings of 6. Up to 18 fly at once.

Tier 8Aerie 36 strike fighters in 6 wings of 6. Up to 18 fly at once.

Tier 8Firmament 48 strike fighters in 8 wings of 6. Up to 24 fly at once.

Tier 10Tellurion 60 strike fighters in 10 wings of 6. Up to 24 fly at once.

Orders and keys

LaunchAlt+F Open the bay doors and send the wing out.

RecallAlt+R Bring the wing home to the bay.

GuardAlt+G Circle your tender and engage hostile NPCs that come near or attack you.

AssistAlt+A Attack whatever you have locked; guard while nothing is locked.

AttackAlt+T Attack your locked target until it is destroyed, then guard.

WingsAlt+W Pick the wing your orders go to: every wing, then each wing in turn.

Keys can be changed under Settings, Controls, Strike wings.

Craft

Built craft: one item is one airframe. Load a wing with a craft in the Strike wings block; the wing flies as many as the hold carries and basic fighters for the rest. The multipliers are over the basic fighter.

Bodkin Strike Fighter (free)Tier 1 · 2× Pulse Emitter S · hit points x1 · damage x1 · speed x1 · Nearest target

Bodkin Mk IITier 2 · 2× Pulse Emitter S · hit points x1 · damage x1 · speed x1 · Nearest target

Bodkin Mk IIITier 3 · 2× Pulse Emitter S · hit points x2 · damage x1 · speed x1 · Nearest target

Bodkin SkirmisherTier 2 · 2× Pulse Emitter S · hit points x2 · damage x1 · speed x1 · Fighters and small hulls first

Bodkin LanceTier 3 · 2× Mass Driver S · hit points x1 · damage x1 · speed x1 · Largest hull first

Losses and rebuilding

Launching costs nothing. A basic fighter shot down is rebuilt in the bay after 30s, free. A built fighter shot down uses up its airframe from your hold, and the next one takes its place after 15s. A fighter below 35% of its hit points flies home and is repaired in 8s, then flies out again.

Fighters grow with their tender: a tier 5 tender's have 6 times a bare fighter's hit points, and each tier above adds 2 more, up to 12. They fire at 70% of a pilot's accuracy and damage; built craft hit harder. No skill changes a fighter.

The wings fly home when the warp drive spools, and every fighter is back aboard when you dock or jump. They stay in the bay at world bosses and in Rifts and Strongholds; other boss-class ships take 10% of their damage.

Drones and Retainers

Fighters are not drones: a Droneworks companion drone (Vanguard) is built at your home station's Drone Bay and flies beside any ship, one at a time.

Retainers are hired warships on a contract. Fighters need no hire: only a tender has them, and they come with it.

Fighters and tenders in the Game Guide

Facts

Hull, armor, shield: 220 / 120 / 160
Top speed: 430 m/s
Guns: 2× Pulse Emitter S
Wing size: 6
Launch and loss: Free (basic fighters)
Rebuild time: 30s
Most in one system: 96

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