User:Ash Spaceships/draft

Stealth bombers, often referred to simply as "bombers", represent a captivating subclass of frigate. Equipped with Covert Ops Cloaking Devices, stealth bombers can traverse systems while being undetectable to directional scanners or combat probes. When bombers choose to engage targets, they use battleship-sized torpedo launchers or their unique bomb launchers to inflict massive damage. Stealth bombers can operate in several roles; they are a strong roaming solo ship, useful in mixed fleets as scout or combat ship, and can operate in dedicated bomber fleets using hit and run tactics.

In exchange for these advantages, stealth bombers are glass cannons with weak tank and slow base align-to-warp time. Torpedos are most effective against battleships, less effective against cruisers, and struggle to apply damage to enemy combat frigates. Stealth bombers also have high skill requirements to fly effectively due to tight fitting requirements.

This combination of attributes gives stealth bombers a fun and unique playstyle.

Stealth Bomber Comparison

There are 8 different stealth bombers, 1 for each empire faction and 4 limited edition rewards for Alliance Tournament. The Alliance Tournament ships are omitted from regular stealth bomber discussion.

Attributes

The four racial stealth bombers have minor differences in their base attributes, generally following the typical racial differences. The Minmatar ship is the fastest, the Amarr ship has the strongest armor, the Caldari has the strongest shields, etc. Cargo capacity, base align time, targeting range, and other attributes all differ as well but none are major enough to warrant discussion.

The main consideration in picking a stealth bomber are the fitting differences in CPU, powergrid, and mid- and low- slot count. The Manticore is the easiest to fit with its high CPU and the Purifier is hardest with the lowest CPU. The damage type is typically not relevant to picking a stealth bomber.

Ship	Damage Type	CPU	Powergrid	High Slots	Mid Slots	Low Slots
Hound	Explosive	310	40	5	3	3
Manticore	Kinetic	330	38	5	4	2
Nemesis	Thermal	315	38	5	4	2
Purifier	EM	305	45	5	3	3

Bonuses

All stealth bombers have the following bonuses, differing only in the damage type of the torpedo and bomb bonuses:

Role Bonuses

99.7% reduction in Torpedo Launcher powergrid requirement
50% bonus reduction in Cloak CPU usage
No targeting delay after Cloaking Device deactivation
Can fit Covert Ops Cloaking Device, Covert Cynosural Field Generator, and Bomb Launcher
Cloak reactivation delay reduced to 15 seconds

Covert Ops Bonuses (per skill level)

5% bonus to Racial Bomb damage
15% bonus to Racial Torpedo damage

Racial Frigate Bonuses (per skill level)

10% bonus to torpedo flight time
15% bonus to torpedo velocity

Fitting

Despite the very tight fitting limitations, stealth bombers can operate in a variety of different roles and have many nuanced fitting choices.

Essentials

Regardless of role, there are some modules that will always be used:

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II: The Stealth in Stealth Bomber. There is no reason to undock a stealth bomber without one.
Torpedo Launchers: The Bomber in Stealth Bomber. If you aren't planning to shoot anything there are better ship options, such as a covert ops frigate.
Afterburner or Microwarpdrive: Due to their slow base velocity, stealth bombers require a propulsion module.

General Considerations

Solo Hunting

Flying solo means providing your own EWAR, damage, and scouting.

Small Gang

In a small gang, a bomber can be fit to complement your other pilots. This can mean leaning the fit towards damage, EWAR, or scouting, while still keeping things somewhat generalized and self-sufficient for when things go wrong.

Fleet Support

A fleet support bomber takes the role of scout or covert ops cyno ship, while still being able to contribute significant damage against large targets.

Bombers Wing

Flying in a dedicated bomber fleet generally involves a fleet doctrine with a pre-made loadout. All ships in a bomber fleet must use bombs with the same damage type, otherwise the bombs will blow each other up.

Modules In Depth

Torpedoes

see missiles

Torpedoes are battleship missile launchers designed to combat other battleships while struggling against cruisers and especially frigates. To combat this, stealth bombers are typically fit with modules that decrease missile explosion radius and/or increase target signature radius to be able to fight those smaller ships. Stealth bombers must utilize the long range of their torpedoes to maintain distance from the target.

Typically, tech 1 launchers with faction ammo are used due to lower cost and cpu requirements.

Torpedoes in flight will be deleted if the launching ship enters warp.

Bombs

see bombs

Bombs are unguided missiles that only stealth bombers can fit. Bombs shoot from the front of the stealth bomber, travel 30 km in a straight line, then explode, dealing damage over a large area. Many fleets take advantage of stealth bombers to unleash a horde of bombs on a group of targets for massive damage.

Bombs can only be fired in nullsec or wormhole space
Bombs will damage other bombs. Bombs have damage resistance against their own type, making it critical to match bomb type while in a bombing fleet.
Bombs in flight will be not be deleted if the launching ship enters warp.

Probe Launchers

Stealth bombers often find themselves scanning for targets.

Core probe
Combat probe

Cloaking Device

Bomber specific cloaking device notes.

Electronic Warfare

Target painters
Warp disruptors
Remote sensor dampening

Propulsion

Afterburner vs MWD

Sensors & Range

Fitting Aids

Skills

While the minimum skills will allow a pilot to get into the ship, the covert ops cloak, and the weapons systems, to fit and fly the ship well requires a more substantial skill train.

Minimum skills

To fly a stealth bomber:

To operate a covert ops cloaking device module:

Cloaking IV

To operate a torpedo Launcher module:

To launch bombs:

Suggested Skills

The following skills aim to enhance the bomber's strengths, reduce CPU and power consumption, and contribute to its survivability.

Fitting Skills

Sensors & EWAR

Scanning

Ship Operation

To truly master stealth bombers, the following skills should be trained to V:

Different roles of Stealth Bombers

Stealth bombers find their place in various roles across different types of space, seamlessly integrating with fleets.

Black Ops

Stealth bombers can effectively participate in black ops operations involving all cloaky ships.

Recon identifies and tackles a target in System A.
The rest of the gang, waiting in a neighboring system or wormhole, or using a black ops battleship's covert jump portal, jumps to the target system.
In this role, bombers are usually optimized for torpedoes instead of bombs.

Bomber wing

Stealth bombers can support a large fleet. A sizable bomber force operates independently from the main fleet, often as a separate in-game fleet under their own bomber FC. In non-empire space, bombers can execute bombing runs on enemy fleets to destroy, weaken, or distract them, providing support for the main fleet. Bombers in this role are typically equipped with bombs.

Bomb squadron

A bomb squadron typically consists of seven bombers, all launching the same type of bomb and ideally using the same type of bomber hull. Coordinating multiple bomb launches increases complexity, making the FC's skill crucial. Multiple bomber wings can execute bomb runs on a single target.

Torpedo damage dealer

Applicable in Wormspace, Nullspace, Low-security, and High-security space, Bombers can be employed in frigate gangs to deliver a powerful punch against larger targets. EVE University roams may occasionally encounter large signature targets, where torpedoes can inflict significant damage. Even against small signature targets, torpedoes contribute to overall damage.

Carry a primary torpedo loadout.
Operate independently of fleet movement.
Engage targets of opportunity.
When attached to a high or low-security roaming fleet, bombers often swap bomb launchers for torpedo launchers. In this role, bombers function like cloaked EWAR ships: they warp in at range, align out, choose a target, uncloak, apply EWAR, activate torpedoes, and warp out when targeted. If left undisturbed, a bomber's torpedoes can deal substantial damage to ships with large signature radii (battlecruisers and battleships). However, frequent targeting and warping away considerably reduces inflicted damage.

Fleet scout

A bomber within a fleet can serve as a scout, reporting target movements and intelligence to the FC.

Scout ahead or behind the main body.
Evade gate camps and enemy fleets.
Remain cloaked at a safe distance from stargates and deadspace sites, reporting target activity.
Position undetected behind target ships to provide a tactical fleet warp-in.

Tips

General Stealth Bomber tips

Run Away When deploying bombs, warp away as your bomb is released. With few exceptions, stealth bombers do not remain on grid post-bomb release. Uncloak, bombs away, then run away.
Reload: As soon as practical, make sure you reload your bomb and/or torpedo launchers. Many escape points are far enough away that you are able to uncloak and complete a 10 second reload prior to landing. A fully loaded stealth bomber has more utility than a half empty launcher. Plus, it frees up space in cargo for more bombs or even loot if your run was wildly successful.
Shotgun away and recloak For making your getaway, you and your fleet will be warping to a pre-planned escape point. If everyone successfully cloaked upon warping away from the bomb run, then everyone will land cloaked without issue. However, if any of the other stealth bombers land uncloaked or became uncloaked during warp, shotgun away from where you landed with the goal of putting at least 2,500 meters between you and your fleet mates. Recloak once you have a safe distance. Remember, ABC: Always Be Cloaked
Reset: After reaching your escape point the bomber leader may have you reset at an observation point. Being reloaded, recloaked, and ready-to-go may give your squadron the opportunity to restrike a target.

Targets

Stealth bomber torpedoes are highly effective against larger targets such as battlecruisers and battleships due to EVE's missile mechanics. As the ship's signature radius approaches the explosion size, more damage is inflicted. Conversely, smaller ships take considerably less damage from torpedoes. For instance, a torpedo's 400-meter explosion deals minimal damage to cruiser-sized ships and smaller.

Target painters play a crucial role in stealth bomber fleets because of this. Applying just three target painters to a Vexor Navy Issue cruiser, for example, increases its signature radius from 135m to 234m, significantly improving torpedo damage application. When a target-painted ship activates a microwarpdrive, the 500% signature radius bloom combined with target painting results in a substantial increase in damage inflicted on that ship.

It is generally advisable to avoid engaging frigates and destroyers. Despite target painting and signature bloom, these smaller ships pose a greater threat to bombers than bombers do to them.

Threats to Stealth Bombers

Interceptors/Fast Frigates: With their on-grid speed, these ships can close a 50km gap between you and the battle in just a few seconds. Keep your overview sorted by range, and when you notice someone quickly ascending the list, it's time to warp away, cloak, and re-engage from a different angle.
Sniper ships: Tornadoes, Nagas, Oracles, Apocalypses, Zealots, or any ships fitted for long-range attacks can pose a serious threat. They only need to hit you once, and even if you have a sensor dampener fitted, it won't be effective enough to protect you from their attacks.
Drones: If a target's drones continue to attack, you'll be unable to cloak. Even if the target is destroyed, their drones can still prevent you from cloaking by keeping you locked. The key is to avoid being locked in the first place.
Heavy Assault Cruisers (HACs) / Cruisers: Ships like Vagabonds and Cynabals are designed to destroy frigates. These vessels have speed, range, drones, and deal significant damage. If they're on the field, stay cloaked until they're eliminated, or closely monitor them for signs they're coming after you.

Community

Bombers Bar

EVE UNI bomber flights?

Other?

External links

WingspanTT's Official Torpedo Delivery: Stealth Bomber Handbook for Enterprising Pilots
Hallan Turrek's stealth bomber guide While some of the information is dated because of game changes, it still provides relevant information.