User:Biwako Acami/Stealth Bomber

Stealth Bombers

Stealth Bomber base stats at all 5 skills

Ship	Race						GJ	GJ/s
		5	3	3	56.25	381.25	443.75	5.56	375	260 m3	40
		5	4	2	47.5	412.5	393.75	5.56	350	265 m3	41
		5	4	2	47.5	393.75	443.75	5.56	343.75	270 m3	42
		5	3	3	50	387.5	356.25	5.56	387.5	255 m3	38

High Slot Options

All stealth bombers have 5 high slots of which 3 hardpoints are meant for torpedo launchers. A Covert Ops cloak is recommended as one of the utility slot highs because of the role bonuses the hull receives and also because the cloak helps the bomber get into the ideal position for damage without being detected. The remaining high slot is either used for a bomb launcher or for core probe launchers.

Cloaking Device

Stealth bombers get role bonuses on cloaking devices:

• 50% reduction in Cloaking Devices CPU requirement
• No targeting delay after Cloaking Device deactivation
• Cloak reactivation delay reduced to 15 seconds

Essentially a Covert Ops Cloaking Device II will cost a stealth bomber 1 MW and 50 tf in fitting resources. Skill levels do not affect the cost. Other cloak variations are not advised as they do not allow warping while in stealth and takes away the surprise factor that the stealth bomber can benefit from.

Torpedo Launcher

Stealth bombers have 3 launcher hardpoints and get a role bonus for Torpedo Launcher fitting cost

• 99.65% reduction in Torpedo Launcher powergrid requirement

Advanced Weapon Upgrades skill levels apply powergrid cost reduction after the role bonus reduction so the benefits of this skill to the powergrid cost of the torpedo launcher is negligible.

Torpedo Launcher options (assuming all 5 skills)

Module	Rate of fire	Torpedo Capacity	PG Cost (MW)	CPU Cost (tf)
Torpedo Launcher I	13.8s	30	5.51	60
Upgraded 'Malkuth' Torpedo Launcher	13.1s	32	5.51	48
Limited 'Limos' Torpedo Launcher	12.4s	34	5.51	54
Experimental ZW-4100 Torpedo Launcher	11.7s	36	5.51	57
Prototype 'Arbalest' Torpedo Launcher	11s	36	5.51	51
Torpedo Launcher II	9.91s	40	5.79	66

On a stealth bomber there are no benefits to using any other variant of torpedo launcher below Tech 2 over the Prototype 'Arbalest' Torpedo Launcher. It has the cheapest fitting cost requirements and yet brings the highest rate of fire and largest capacity among meta launchers. Tech 2 Torpedo launcher improves the rate of fire significantly (with Torpedo Specialization skill) but has high enough CPU fitting requirement to make it tighter on the overall fitting costs.

Bomb Launcher

Stealth bombers are the only ships able to fit a Bomb Launcher. A stealth bomber can only be fit with one Bomb Launcher. Bomb launcher fitting costs are affected by skill levels however the benefits are minor as the bomb launcher has low fitting requirements.

Bomb Launcher options (assuming all 5 skills)

Module	Reactivation Delay	Bomb Capacity	Signature Radius Penalty (m)	PG Cost (MW)	CPU Cost (tf)
Bomb Launcher I	160s	2	10	9	37.5
Bomb Launcher II	135s	4	12	9	41.3

Probe Launcher

Stealth bombers do not get a bonus on probe launcher module but generally carry core probe launchers to scan down signatures if the high slot isn't already occupied by a bomb launcher. Expanded probe launchers are not widely used because of the high CPU fitting cost.

Core Probe Launcher options

Module	Scan Strength Bonus	CPU Cost
Core Probe Launcher I		15 tf
Core Probe Launcher II	5%	20tf
Sisters Core Probe Launcher	10%	10tf

Mid slot options

Propulsion Module

Mobility can be crucial for a stealth bomber to skirt outside an opponents engagement range when in combat. The choice usually depends on the expected combat situation while actively engaging a target.

Use 5MN Microwarpdrive when:

• you don't expect to skirt out of the engagement range of retaliatory fire
• you don't expect to be out of stealth for too long (usually bombing runs)
• you need burst of speed to keep up with or run away from your target

Use 1MN Afterburner when:

• you expect to be hit by damage that scales with signature radius
• speed is not an issue and you need capacitor to run active modules

It is possible to fit 10MN Afterburner onto Stealth Bombers but it requires more fitting resources. The advantage is that you can attain close to 5MN Microwarpdrive speeds without the signature bloom. Module activation costs are similar and even lower than 5MN Microwarpdrives in some cases so it will not affect capacitor life.