Starfighter Justification, your ideas

[eugimon]

Big ship to ship combat only exists as long as the weapons are weaker than the defensive system/armor. In sci-fi, like SW and ST, big ships always have some sort of energy shield that can deflect weapons. If we're talking hard science fiction, that sort of technology is really really far fetched.

While it's possible to create plasma screens or windows to keep out stuff like gasses, they're hardly effective against anything with more mass, or against directed energy fire.

Once technology gets to the point where an effective weapons system is able to easily or economically penetrate armor... then warfare would quickly shift to sending waves of small, cheap and effective craft at each other until you're able to achieve your objectives.

[Morpheus]

True, advance technology will determine how warfare is going to be done. If any of you had played Galaxy Angel, the Angel Frame is basically a fighter equipped with battleships weapon and combine with advance technology such as shielding and HALO system, it could easily defeat a fleet of battleships.

Maybe we can also learn from history, at first battleships and cruisers rule the sea with airplane serving as a scout, but later during WW II, airplane started to be armed with bombs and torpedoes which could easily sunk a battleship than a direct bombardment. Further technology such as jet engine, missiles, radar and construction made airplane and the aircraft carrier much more superior and ending the battleship era.

Its just like a a counter game with each newly discovered technology:

- airplane with bombs, torpedoes > battleship/cruiser armor and guns

- radar technology and AA missiles (eg, AEGIS cruisers) > fighter/bomber plane

- Stealth technology > detection system and warning