Combat Interceptors

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In the October release 2018 the interdiction nullification got removed from combat interceptors. With that the doctrine below lost its key feature and most groups changed to assault frigates with hyperspatial rigs instead.

Combat 'Ceptors

Interceptors are incredibly fun ships. Their immunity to bubbles, and insane warp speeds mean they are unique in their ability to cover vast areas of Null Sec rapidly and relatively safely. The Combat variants of these ships (Combat Interceptors) also pack a surprisingly good punch for their size. This makes them ideal for Null Sec raiding fleets, aiming to go deep into enemy territory to pick off lone ratting ships

Implementation

The basic tactic is to move very quickly between systems, and, once approaching a promising system where ratting activity is suspected (due to Dotlan intel or otherwise) the fleet will jump into system en-masse, and immediately “Shotgun” the system - where each pilot chooses a random combat anomaly site and warps to it. Any ship which finds a ratting ship at their destination immediately tackles it, then calls for reinforcements by putting “www” in fleet chat

As most scouts already know, with the ridiculous speed and tiny signature radius of an Interceptor, most ships will struggle to hit an un-tackled Interceptor orbing them at 20km, letting the fleet grind down their prey at their leisure

The Combat Ceptors are generally long range fitted. This reduces the overall DPS slightly, however is overall more survivable than brawling in close, where a single scram can deactivate your MWD, and leave you vulnerable

For efficiency, at least 20-30 Interceptors is encouraged, so as to quickly kill any ratting ship smaller than a Carrier, before swiftly moving on to the next system. Moving quickly is key to circumvent the Intel chats which most major Alliances maintain in their Sovereign space in order to warn their members of incoming fleets such as this

A Combat Ceptor fleet should avoid any kind of pitched fleet battle, unless there is the option to harass and pick off stragglers. Your low damage and tank means that you will get decimated by any actual fleet or small gang who is equipped to fight. Your ideal targets are a lone ratting cruisers such as a Vexor Navy Issue or Gila. With enough numbers you might think about a ratting Rattlesnake, however this is generally a tough opponent for any fleet less than 50

It should be noted that there are slight variations on this fleet which use T3 Destroyers as their base to add more firepower, with Logi, EWAR and Combat Probers to provide more comprehensive options for hunting down ratters. These fleets are often able to punch up to kill even Carrier sized ratting ships, however they move slower (typically around 4.5AU vs the 8AU of an Interceptor) and lose the flexibility of bubble immunity. While equally fun, they are generally slightly less suited for roaming deep in enemy Sov Null

Fits and Fleet Composition

Credit for most of these fits goes to Dizzop of Spectre Fleet who is an enthusiastic FC of this doctrine, and has refined these fits over the years

Mainline Ships

Fleet composition is generally just a combination of Combat Interceptors from the 4 races, fitted with their racial long range weapon.

Alpha Fits

It should be noted that low skilled players can also join in, flying T1 Fast Tackle ships fitted with Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer Rigs to help them reach the warp speed to catch up to the rest of the fleet. Such ships do lack bubble immunity though, and should be aware of the risk going into the fleet

Support

Given no other ship (except T3Cs) share the Interceptors bubble immunity, it is quite acceptable to have a fleet of only Interceptors. However should you want to add some support, it needs to have a similar (8 AU) warp speed in order not to slow down the fleet. Luckily a Sabre (for bubbles) and a Bifrost (for boosh) can achieve this quite comfortably with the right rigs, providing some nice additional options for catching prey, if you have pilots who can fly them

Fozzie Claws/Windrunners

A more focused variant of the Combat Interceptor fleet is often seen flown by Sov Null alliances which focuses exclusively on the Claw. The doctrine has been called “Fozzie Claws” due (apparently) to CCP Fozzie who introduced the Interceptor bubble immunity which makes this doctrine possible. Most Null Sec corps have slight variations of this doctrine, however the below is a common fit: These ships take advantage of the Claw’s volley damage with Artillery, which is quite impressive for its size (1k+ Damage per volley), combined with two Inertia Stabilizers in its lows alongside 2 Gyrostabilisers. Combined with a single rig slot devoted to agility, a Claw fit this way can achieve a sub 3s align time, which is close to insta-warp, while still being immune to bubbles, and packing fairly short range, but high volley damage which can be instantly applied to an opponent

A good Fozzie Claw fleet will rarely stay still, using their interdiction immunity, plus insta-warp align times, to land on grid, volley off a ship or two, then immediately shift into warp to reposition for another volley. They combine very well therefore with a combat prober who can provide warp-ins directly onto enemy ships

As Fozzie Claws generally do not fit any tank, they are incredibly fragile as soon as they are targeted, which makes them utterly unsuitable for a pitched battle, and they rely on being able to quickly volley an opponent within 1-2 volleys then leave before the opponent has time to react – meaning that large numbers is the hallmark of the Fozzie Claw fleet

For third partying a fight however, given the unrivalled warp speed and align times, Fozzie Claws in large numbers are fantastic skirmishers, harassing larger fleets with ease, and picking them apart over multiple jumps as they try to flee back to their own sovereign space Due to Fozzie Claw’s being used primarily for Sov Null warfare, and the large numbers required to be effective, this is not a common doctrine for EVE University , and FCs may want to stick to the standard Combat Ceptor fleet above. However it is an interesting fleet concept to note