Part 5

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak Defender, Attack Bomber, Cloaked Fighter, and Light Corvette stats and effectiveness. Learn about their RU cost, build time, and availability.

Defender

The Defender has undergone significant changes between versions. In V1.05, its firepower was reduced from 30 to 5, making it much less powerful than in V1.0. However, its bullets travel faster than any other in the game, ensuring hits. While mildly effective for escorts, other ships offer better value. Taiidan Defenders have guns ready to fire immediately, while Kushan Defenders take about half a second to deploy their guns.

• Mass: 60 tons (V1), 10 tons (V1.05)
• Armour: 160 (V1), 325 (V1.05)
• Firepower: 30 (V1), 5 (V1.05)
• Coverage: 90% (V1), 11% (V1.05)
• Type: guns
• Manoeuvrability: medium
• Max Velocity: 385 m/s
• Special Action: none
• Fuel: Always 25+ minutes
• RU Cost: 65
• Service time: 8-14 seconds
• Available from: mission 4
• Time to build: 9 seconds
• RU per sec: 7.5

Attack Bomber

The Attack Bomber is a powerful craft, especially in large wings (60+). It is lethal against capital ships from behind and can be used against fighters in emergencies, with bombs covering most evasive directions. However, using them against fighters can lead to losses from bombers colliding or friendly fire. They are also effective against corvettes and slow-moving ships due to a small homing capacity. A wing of 18 Attack Bombers can destroy an MS in approximately 2 minutes and 32 seconds, provided they are kept alive and enemy deck guns are nullified.

• Mass: 90 tons (ITM), 10 tons (V1.05)
• Armour: 110 (ITM), 300 (ITM)
• Firepower: 42
• Coverage: 5%
• Type: twin plasma bomb
• Manoeuvrability: medium
• Max Velocity: 750 m/s
• Special Action: none
• Fuel: Evasive: 6 minutes (normal 13), Aggressive: 7 minutes (normal 15)
• RU Cost: 85
• Service time: 9-16 seconds
• Available from: Mission 5
• Time to build: 20 seconds
• RU per sec: 4.5

Cloaked Fighter (Kushan only)

The Cloaked Fighter is best used as a scout and is otherwise ineffective, dying quickly in combat. Missiles will not lock onto them when cloaked, making them potentially useful against missile frigates, but resources are often better spent elsewhere. Their weaknesses include a long build time (45 seconds), high RU cost (85), and small fuel tanks.

• Mass: 40 tons (ITM), 10 tons (V1.05)
• Armour: 160 (ITM), 150 (V1.05)
• Firepower: 8 (tested), 39 (V1.05)
• Coverage: 10%
• Type: guns
• Fuel: Combat: 4 minutes (normal 10)
• Manoeuvrability: high
• Max Velocity: 775 m/s
• Special Action: cloaking
• Service time: 14-17 seconds
• RU Cost: 85
• Build time: 45 seconds
• RU per sec: 2
• Available from: mission 12

Defence Fighter (Taiidan only)

The Defence Fighter is not very useful on its own and is ineffective against ships that do not use guns (e.g., ion cannons, plasma bombs). They are best used in groups of 4-6 mixed with interceptors to increase survivability. When used in a sphere formation on evasive, they create an orbit around the craft they defend, maximizing their area of effect. Kamikazi attacks in V1.05 no longer use the defence laser on the targeted ship.

• Mass: 75 tons
• Armour: 300
• Firepower: none
• Coverage: 80%
• Type: defence laser
• Manoeuvrability: high
• Max Velocity: 875 m/s
• RU Cost: 85
• Time to build: 20 seconds
• RU per sec: 4.5
• Available from: mission 12

Light Corvette

Light Corvettes are useful in large numbers and tight, aggressive formations, primarily to counter scout wings harassing Harvesters. They can be difficult to destroy early on if grouped, except by Kamikazi attacks. They are easily overwhelmed and flanked by strike craft if not positioned correctly.

• Mass: 400 tons (V1), 150 tons (V1.05)
• Armour: 900
• Firepower: 100 (ITM), 10-15 (tests)
• Coverage: 40%
• Type: turreted gun(s)
• Manoeuvrability: medium
• Max Velocity: 575 m/s
• Special Action: none
• Fuel: Evasive: 9.7 minutes (combat), 16 minutes (normal)
• Service time: 20-35 seconds
• RU Cost: 135
• Available from: mission 2
• Time to build: 22 seconds
• RU per sec: 6.1