User:Elan Vital/Stealth Bombers

Stealth bombers (often shortened to “bombers”) are in interesting sub-type of frigate in EVE Online. These ships have cloaking devices that allow them to travel through star systems undetected by directional scanners and combat probes. Flying solo, stealth bombers may provide surveillance and intel. Stealth bombers may also provide fleet support through cloaked scouting and surveillance roles, as well as on-grid electronic warfare and damage roles. Stealth bombers can approach targets undetected and decloaking at the time of their choosing to deliver high-damage torpedoes and/or bombs. Stealth bombers are one of the most powerful T2 frigates in New Eden while at the same time being quite fragile and possessing a very slow base time to warp, making any moment these ships are uncloaked potentially perilous both for themselves and their opponents. Successful piloting of bombers requires that the pilot be particularly aware of the vulnerabilities of these powerful ships.

Stealth Bombers

Stealth bombers are very specialized ships which can warp cloaked and do not have a sensor recalibration delay preventing them from locking targets after decloaking. They can fit torpedo launchers (battleship-sized missile launchers) and bomb launchers, which fire area-of-effect weapons that can only be used in nullsec or wormhole space. Stealth bombers put out extraordinary alpha strike damage and die very fast if anyone manages to put some damage on them, so bomber pilots will typically fire a few salvos and/or a single bomb then warping off and recloaking. They are the bane of large ships, especially in nullsec. In groups and flown well, stealth bombers can take down a capital ship.

Each stealth bomber has a Covert Ops-based damage bonus for bombs (5% per level) and torpedoes (15% per level) which do its empire's associated damage type.

•  Purifier The Purifier has the lowest CPU, making it harder to fit. With bonuses for EM torpedoes and bombs, it is effective against shielded targets
•  Manticore Bonused for Kinetic torpedoes and bombs, the Manticore is the easiest stealth bomber to fit due to its high CPU.
•  Nemesis With bonuses for Thermal torpedoes and bombs, the Nemesis is the middle of the pack and a solid pick for most situations. Like the Manticore, its four mid slots offer some extra utility.
•  Hound The Hound has the best base time to warp of the stealth bombers. Its bonuses for Explosive torpedoes and bombs make it effective against armored targets

Stealth Bombers all have the following bonuses, regardless of Empire:

• 75% bonus to torpedo velocity
• 50% bonus to torpedo flight time
• 99.65% bonus reduction in Torpedo Launcher powergrid needs
• 50.00% bonus reduction in Cloak CPU useage
• 100.00% bonus targeting delay after decloaking

Hound	Manticore	Nemesis	Purifier
The Minmatar Hound	The Caldari Manticore	The Gallente Nemesis	The Amarr Purifier

Torpedoes

Torpedos are slow flying, hard-hitting, long-range missiles launched by torpedo launchers. Launchers are massive compared to typical frigate-sized weapon systems and are designed for extended bombardments of hard targets like battleships and stations. Torpedo launcher magazines have a large capacity, which is offset by their slow firing rate, long flight times, and their trouble targeting and applying damage to small, fast ships. To prevent the obvious exploit of launching torpedoes and then warping out before the torpedoes connect, if a ship enters warp, all torpedoes in-flight vanish immediately. This means that, especially at long range, bombers on a torpedo run must stay on grid until all of their fired torpedoes have landed, to avoid losing damage. The balance between the stealth bomber's fragility and need to stay on grid is part of the inherent challenge of flying these hulls.

Each variety of EVE damage is available for each torpedo type. Inferno, Mjolnir, Nova, and Scourge apply thermal, EM, explosive, and kinetic damage, in that order. A given torpedo will apply only one variety of damage, though all torpedoes do the same number of hit points of damage. Because stealth bombers are only bonused for the damage type of their empire, only one type of torpedo will be in the hold of any given bomber.

Bombs

Bombs are ranged, untargeted, area-of-effect (AoE) weapons fired by bomb launchers, stealth bombers being the only ships able to equip them. The usage of bombs is are banned in empire space, and so can only be used in null sec or wormhole space outside of deadspace pockets.

When used effectively, bombs can be very effective at damaging or even destroying groups of clustered ships. They make excellent weapons for hit-and-run attacks on unsuspecting enemies.

Bombs are in essence a missile that does AoE damage of a specific type (e.g., kinetic damage). They are launched forward from the front of the stealth bomber, in a straight line, for 30km, at 3km/s for 10 seconds, then detonate. Unlike torpedoes, bombs do not require a target lock. Whichever direction the stealth bomber is pointed at the time the bomb launcher is activated is the direction the bomb will go. Bombs are high-damage weapons that take a fair bit of experience and skill to use effectively. Critical timing, direction, and skill are needed to align the stealth bomber to a target, approach, uncloak, launch a bomb at 30km, and escape before being detected and captured.

Bombs are separated into two categories.

• Damage Bombs: Unguided weapons that provide 5800 points of either thermal, EM, explosive and kinetic damage with a 400m explosion radius.
• Utility Bombs: Bombs that provide a small amount of omni-damage as well as an EWAR effect.
  • Void bombs neutralize 1,800 GJ of energy from the affected ships' capacitors.
  • Focused Void Bombs are similar to regular Void Bombs, but neutralize 15,000 GJ of energy in a much smaller area of effect. They are only effective against capital-sized ships.
  • Lockbreaker bombs emit an Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) burst of 12.5 strength to all sensor types.

Fitting

Because the fitting space on a stealth bomber is tight, it makes the most sense to talk first about what modules must be present when fitting a bomber.

1. Covert Ops Cloaking Device II - Stealth is the basis of flying a stealth bomber, so the cloaking device must be present. A stealth bomber without a cloak is a non-starter. If you can't fit a Cov Ops cloak, you should not be flying a stealth bomber.
2. Torpedo launchers/bomb launchers - Stealth bombers are the only ships that can mount bomb launchers and the only ship below a battleship that can fit torpedo launchers. Since there are bonuses for both, they are mandatory fits.
3. Ballistic Control System (BCS) modules - BCS modules provide a substantial boost to torpedo damage and rate of fire. However, these boosts come at a price in the form substantial CPU fitting space requirements.
4. Propulsion Module (afterburner/microwarp drive) - Stealth bombers are quite slow (275m/s - 310m/s base velocity) so propulsion modules are a must.

After the essentials, there will be some flexibility.

• Depending upon skills and fit, some pilots may be able to fit a high slot with a bomb launcher or probe launcher in addition to their torpedo launchers.
• EWAR modules such as target painters, remote sensor dampeners, warp disruptors, and warp scramblers are often used in any available mid-slots after the propulsion module.
• If a fit is too tight, one of the low slots may be used for a Co-processor rather than an additional Ballistic Control System

Rigs

• The choice of rigs will depend on the character's skills and resulting fitting needs. Missle launching rigs are often used, the most common being the Warhead Calefaction Catalyst rig which boosts torpedo damage, and the Warhead Rigor Catalyst decreases missile explosion radius which makes the torpedos more effective on smaller targets. The downside to these rigs is that they also increase the CPU usage of each launcher, making fitting even more difficult on the already challenging bomber hulls.
• The Processor Overclocking Unit can be quite useful on stealth bombers as well. Processor Overclocking Units increase the CPU output of your ship at the cost of a slower regeneration rate of the shields. Since stealth bomber doctrine is based upon escaping rather than fighting, the shield regeneration penalty is quite acceptable. Stealth bomber fits still remain tight but with these rigs, it is possible to mount tech 2 Torpedo launchers alongside the other standard modules including the Bomb Launcher.
• Astronautic rigs are also seen on bombers to increase ship agility and speed, namely Low Friction Nozzle Joints and Poly-Carbon Engine Housing. These are most useful when deploying bombs where the bomber needs to align quickly and warp off the grid. The downside of these rigs is that they reduce armor amount and thus make the bomber that much more fragile, an acceptable tradeoff since they make escaping more likely.

Modules that are not recommended

• Sensor boosters, while good for locking quickly, are counter to the whole idea behind bombers. Any potential target that can warp off quickly or has a small signature radius is going to be a poor target as torpedo damage is going to be negligible. Meanwhile, bombs require no lock to fire, and are thus preferred for engaging smaller targets. Therefore, sensor boosters are not a great choice for the bomber's limited mid slots.
• Shield extenders are a poor choice for bombers. Shield modules increase the signature radius of the ship and thus make it easier for opposing pilots to lock and hit. Just like sensor boosters, shield extenders are contrary to the tactics employed with the bomber. Any argument for increasing ship survivability is largely irrelevant. The bomber is a glass cannon and trying to increase survivability is an attempt to mitigate the ship's weaknesses rather than playing to its strengths. Bombers are ideally fit as much damage-per-second as possible against targets with a signature radius of 400m or larger.
• Inertial Stabilizers also increase signature radius and should not be used. Should a bomber enter a system and uncloak inside a surprise gate camp warp bubble, the bomber has a higher chance of survival if it is equipped with more shield capacity, re-approaches the gate, while overloading the afterburner and spamming the jump button.
• As a general rule, stealth bombers should be quite good at delivering damage after decloaking at the time and location of their choosing, already aligned out or in the case off a bomb run, aligning out immediately after bomb release. Any modules that increase signature radius or hamper the primary mission should not be considered.

Skills

The Gallente Nemesis

Required skills

To fly a bomber:

• Racial Frigate V
• Spaceship Command III
• Covert Ops I
• CPU Management II
• Power Grid Management II
• Electronics Upgrades V

To operate a covert ops cloaking device module:

• Cloaking IV

To operate a torpedo Launcher module:.

• Torpedoes I
• Missile Launcher Operation IV
• Heavy Missiles III
• Light Missiles III

Suggested skills

The Minmatar Hound

The following skills are designed to push the strengths of the bomber, decrease CPU and power usage, and minimize the chance of being destroyed.

• Navigation III
• Acceleration Control III
• Warp Drive Operation III
• Spaceship Command IV
• Evasive Maneuvering III
• CPU Management V
• Power Grid Management V
• Target Painting II
• Electronic Warfare II
• Sensor Linking II
• Long Range Targeting III
• Signature Analysis III
• Target Management III
• Shield Management III
• Shield Operation III
• Capacitor Management III
• Energy Grid Upgrades III
• Launcher Rigging II
• Astronautics Rigging II
• Jury Rigging III
• Mechanics IV

In addition, increase missile and bomb launcher skills to V.
These skills include:

• Missile Bombardment IV
• Missile Projection III
• Rapid Launch III
• Target Navigation Prediction III
• Warhead Upgrades III
• Bomb Deployment I
• Covert Ops IV

Presented from an export from EVEMon from a blank Caldari character:(No implants, etc.)

Skill plan for Manticore StealthBomber

• Skill Name (Time to complete; approximate cost of skill book)
  • Caldari Frigate III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds
  • Caldari Frigate IV (1 day, 17 hours, 23 minutes, 40 seconds)
  • Caldari Frigate V (9 days, 18 hours, 9 minutes, 40 seconds)
  • Electronics Upgrades I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 100,000 ISK)
  • Electronics Upgrades II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Electronics Upgrades III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • Electronics Upgrades IV (1 day, 17 hours, 23 minutes, 40 seconds)
  • Electronics Upgrades V (9 days, 18 hours, 9 minutes, 40 seconds)
  • Covert Ops I (33 minutes, 20 seconds; 4,000,000 ISK)
  • CPU Management IV (20 hours, 41 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Cloaking I (50 minutes; 3,500,000 ISK)
  • Cloaking II (3 hours, 52 minutes, 52 seconds)
  • Cloaking III (21 hours, 57 minutes, 8 seconds)
  • Cloaking IV (5 days, 4 hours, 11 minutes)
  • Missile Launcher Operation I (8 minutes, 20 seconds; 20,000 ISK)
  • Missile Launcher Operation II (38 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Missile Launcher Operation III (3 hours, 39 minutes, 30 seconds)
  • Missile Launcher Operation IV (20 hours, 41 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Light Missiles I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 20,000 ISK)
  • Light Missiles II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Light Missiles III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • Heavy Missiles I (25 minutes; 100,000 ISK)
  • Heavy Missiles II (1 hour, 56 minutes, 26 seconds)
  • Heavy Missiles III (10 hours, 58 minutes, 34 seconds)
  • Torpedoes I (33 minutes, 20 seconds; 400,000 ISK)
  • Torpedoes II (2 hours, 35 minutes, 14 seconds)
  • Torpedoes III (14 hours, 38 minutes, 6 seconds)
  • Torpedoes IV (3 days, 10 hours, 47 minutes, 20 seconds)
  • Acceleration Control I (33 minutes, 20 seconds; 40,000 ISK)
  • Acceleration Control II (2 hours, 35 minutes, 14 seconds)
  • Acceleration Control III (14 hours, 38 minutes, 6 seconds)
  • Warp Drive Operation I (8 minutes, 20 seconds; 30,000 ISK)
  • Warp Drive Operation II (38 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Warp Drive Operation III (3 hours, 39 minutes, 30 seconds)
  • Spaceship Command IV (20 hours, 41 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Evasive Maneuvering I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 25,000 ISK)
  • Evasive Maneuvering II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Evasive Maneuvering III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • CPU Management V (4 days, 21 hours, 4 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Power Grid Management IV (20 hours, 41 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Power Grid Management V (4 days, 21 hours, 4 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Target Painting I (25 minutes; 90,000 ISK)
  • Target Painting II (1 hour, 56 minutes, 26 seconds)
  • Electronic Warfare I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 120,000 ISK)
  • Electronic Warfare II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Sensor Linking I (25 minutes; 100,000 ISK)
  • Sensor Linking II (1 hour, 56 minutes, 26 seconds)
  • Long Range Targeting I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 88,000 ISK)
  • Long Range Targeting II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Long Range Targeting III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • Signature Analysis I (8 minutes, 20 seconds; 75,000 ISK)
  • Signature Analysis II (38 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Signature Analysis III (3 hours, 39 minutes, 30 seconds)
  • Target Management I (8 minutes, 20 seconds; 100,000 ISK)
  • Target Management II (38 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Target Management III (3 hours, 39 minutes, 30 seconds)
  • Shield Management I (25 minutes; 170,000 ISK)
  • Shield Management II (1 hour, 56 minutes, 26 seconds)
  • Shield Management III (10 hours, 58 minutes, 34 seconds)
  • Shield Operation III (3 hours, 39 minutes, 30 seconds)
  • Capacitor Management I (25 minutes; 170,000 ISK)
  • Capacitor Management II (1 hour, 56 minutes, 26 seconds)
  • Capacitor Management III (10 hours, 58 minutes, 34 seconds)
  • Energy Grid Upgrades I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 79,000 ISK)
  • Energy Grid Upgrades II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Energy Grid Upgrades III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • Mechanics III (3 hours, 39 minutes, 30 seconds)
  • Jury Rigging I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 60,000 ISK)
  • Jury Rigging II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Jury Rigging III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • Launcher Rigging I (25 minutes; 100,000 ISK)
  • Launcher Rigging II (1 hour, 56 minutes, 26 seconds)
  • Astronautics Rigging I (25 minutes; 20,000 ISK)
  • Astronautics Rigging II (1 hour, 56 minutes, 26 seconds)
  • Mechanics IV (20 hours, 41 minutes, 50 seconds)
  • Missile Bombardment I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 80,000 ISK)
  • Missile Bombardment II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Missile Bombardment III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • Missile Bombardment IV (1 day, 17 hours, 23 minutes, 40 seconds)
  • Missile Projection I (33 minutes, 20 seconds; 100,000 ISK)
  • Missile Projection II (2 hours, 35 minutes, 14 seconds)
  • Missile Projection III (14 hours, 38 minutes, 6 seconds)
  • Rapid Launch I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 40,000 ISK)
  • Rapid Launch II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Rapid Launch III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • Target Navigation Prediction I (16 minutes, 40 seconds; 60,000 ISK)
  • Target Navigation Prediction II (1 hour, 17 minutes, 38 seconds)
  • Target Navigation Prediction III (7 hours, 19 minutes, 2 seconds)
  • Warhead Upgrades I (41 minutes, 40 seconds; 1,000,000 ISK)
  • Warhead Upgrades II (3 hours, 14 minutes, 4 seconds)
  • Warhead Upgrades III (18 hours, 17 minutes, 36 seconds)
  • Bomb Deployment I (33 minutes, 20 seconds; 8,000,000 ISK)
  • Covert Ops II (2 hours, 35 minutes, 14 seconds)
  • Covert Ops III (14 hours, 38 minutes, 6 seconds)
  • Covert Ops IV (3 days, 10 hours, 47 minutes, 20 seconds)

34 unique skills, 95 skill levels; Total time: 62 days, 15 hours, 52 minutes, 54 seconds; Cost: 18,687,000 N.B. Skill costs are based on CCP's database and are indicative only

Recommended skills

The Recommended skill plan essentially pushes the previously listed skills as high as possible.
To maximize the ship's DPS:

+training all missile support skills to IV or V

+train Covert Ops skill to V

To maximize the ship's agility and speed:

+train navigation skills to V

+train fitting and tanking skills to V

To maximize bomb proficiency:

+train Bomb Deployment to IV to use the Void and Lockbreaker bombs.

The Different Roles of Stealth Bombers

From Null to High, the stealth bomber fits in quietly with the fleet.

Black Ops

Bombers can be very effective in black ops gangs of all cloaky ships.

• Recon locates and tackles a target in system A
• The rest of the gang, waiting in the neighboring system, wormhole or by lighting a cyno for a black ops battleship's covert jump portal jumps to the target system

In this role, bombers tend to be optimised for torpedoes rather than bombs.

Bomber Wing

Bombers can accompany a large fleet. A large bomber force acts independently of the main fleet, often as a separate in-game fleet with their own bomber FC. In non-empire space, bombers may conduct bombing runs on the enemy fleet to destroy, soften up or simply distract them as support for the main fleet. Bombers in this role will be bomb fit.

Bomb Squadron

In general usage, a bombing squadron is composed of seven bombers. All bombers in the squadron are required to launch the same type of bomb. Ideally, the squadron is homogenous as far as the type of bomber hull. The complexity of multiple bomb launches increase and the skill of the FC becomes a critical factor. Multiple bomber wings make bomb runs on the same target

Torpedo Damage Dealer

All sectors of space (Wormspace, Nullspace, Low-security, High-security space)

Primary torpedo loadout

Operate independently of fleet movement

Attack targets of opportunity

A bomber, when attached to a high or low-security roaming fleet will normally offload the bomb launcher and onload torpedo launchers. In the Fleet Damage Dealer role, a bomber acts like a cloaked EWAR ship:
Warp in at range, align out, choose the target, uncloak, apply EWAR, activate torpedos, warp out when targeted If left alone, a bomber's torpedoes will do impressive damage to ships that have or generate a large ship signature (battlecruisers and battleships). However, if a bomber is frequently targeted and continously warps off, applied damage to target is lowered considerably. Bombers can be used in frigate gangs to bring a "big punch" and even the odds of survival against large targets. Eve University roams will sometimes find large signature targets, and in these situations, torpedoes provide significant damage. If small signature targets are locked and scrammed, torpedoes provide a fraction of total damage, but it is still damage on target, so don't let target size stop you from using torpedoes. There may be chances that the small target has an activated microwarp drive on, while being webified, increasing that target's signature bloom to 500%, which will greatly absorb 50-75% torpedo damage. Remember, bombers may have very low hit points, and can be destroyed in one or two hits, but if your bomber is at a safe firing distance, and aligned out, ready to launch torpedoes on any target, small or large, by Eden, send your torpedoes flying, give that target a hug.

Do not decloak until the following requirements are met:

• There is nothing around that can tackle your ship (tackle ships, interceptors, Lachesis).
• Be in position at optimal torpedo launch range.
• Align out.
• Be ready to fire at a target with signature radius large enough to take significant damage from torpedoes.

Fleet Scout

A bomber attached to a fleet may perform the role of scout and report target movement and intel to the FC.
-Scout ahead or behind the main body
-Evade gate camps and enemy fleets
-Remain cloaked at safe distance from stargates and deadspace sites and report target activity
-Position behind target ships undetected to provide a tactical fleet warp-in

Fitting exceptions

• Probe Launcher
  • A bomber may be requested to fit an expanded probe launcher to find further targets in the system. The extreme CPU requirements of this module require it to be kept offline or to use a modified fit that will seriously reduce the bomber's effectiveness at its main role. As such, if the fleet needs a prober a covert ops ship is very much preferred.
• Warp Disruptor
  • If recon ships are not in fleet during Black ops operations then a Manticore or Nemesis stealth bomber may also need to fit a warp disruptor (Point) in the extra mid slot, and act as a tackle. This should only be used as a last resort because a bomber has low hp and usually cannot hold a tackled target for long.

Tips

Bombing Tips

Bombing runs are a unique capability only possessed by Stealth Bombers. Successfully launching bombs at some unsuspecting group of ships may create great destruction and chaos. There are some essential tips for making bombing runs successful attacks.

• Run Away As soon as your bomb is released, warp away. With few exceptions, stealth bombers do not remain on grid post-bomb release. Uncloak, bombs away, then run away.
• Reload: As soon as practical after launching your bomb reload your bomb launcher. 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.

Pre-fleet

• Bookmarks, bookmarks, bookmarks, BOOKMARKS! Spend some time in a fast frigate (fitted with a cloaking device and Overdrive injectors) before the operation creating bookmarks around the system gates of interest. Create, at the least, two perches, and eight tacticals (bookmarks at ~200km, ~800km at each cardinal direction, bookmarks at ~200km, ~800km above and below) at each gate.
• More BOOKMARKS! Revisit the systems and expand your bookmark database. A near-perfect 78-bookmark tactical grid above and below every gate in every system your fleet roams through qualifies you for the "Bomber Grid Master" and "Hero of the Fleet" decoration medals. See your corporation about decorations and accomplishments.
• Tactical bookmarks, that is, bookmarks on a gate or station placed 250-350km away from the gate are your life blood and savior in bombers. They allow you to warp into a gate at range, to check the gate for potential targets, without the worry of being decloaked by enemy ships. Additionally, bookmarks provide a great close-to-the-fight bounce spot if you need to warp out of an engagement. Warping to a bookmark 200km away from the fight is a much faster way to break a lock, cloak back up, then warping to a celestial. Additionally, tactical bookmarks around warpgates and stations will save your ship countless times in null security space where bubbles abound on gates and stations.
• Know the numbers of your ship.
  

• optimal range of your launchers
• optimal warp-in range to target vs. gate/deadspace site situation
• launch cycle time: 10-12 seconds for the first volley of torpedoes to hit the target. It is not uncommon to have up to 2 volleys in space before the first torpedo hits the target.
• align time
• cloak time, recloak timer

Targets

Good targets for bombers are battlecruiser-size hulls and above. Stealth bomber torpedoes are most effective against larger targets like battlecruisers and battleships because of the way that missile mechanics work in EVE. More damage is applied as the signature radius of the ship approaches the size of the explosion. Small ships take significantly reduced damage from torpedos. A torpedo's 400 meter explosion does not contribute much damage to ships of cruiser size and below.

Because of this, target painters often play an important part in stealth bomber fleets. Just three target painters on a target the size of a Vexor Navy Issue cruiser would change its signature radius from 135m to 234m causing much greater torpedo application. Should a target-painted ship engage a microwarpdrive, 500% signature radius bloom combined with target painting would mean a significant increase in damage application against that ship.

Do not bother engaging frigates and destroyers. Even with target painting and signature bloom, frigates and destroyers present much more of a threat to bombers.

---Less Effective But Still Contributing Torpedo Damage---
100-200 damage vs. 35m Atron frigate signature radius
100-200 damage vs. 68m Catalyst destroyer signature radius
200-400 damage vs. 135m Vexor Navy Issue Cruiser signature radius
---Effective Torpedo Damage Zone---
700-800 damage vs. 305m Myrmidon battlecruiser signature radius
1000-1500 damage vs. 470m Abaddon battleship signature radius

Threats to Stealth Bombers

• Interceptors/Fast Tackle: Atron, Condor. They can close the 50km gap between you and the battle in a matter of seconds. Keep your overview sorted by range, and when you see someone moving up the list quickly, it's time to bounce, cloak, and then return to the fray from a different angle.
• Sniper ships: Tornado, Naga, Oracle, Apocalypse, or Zealot, or ships fitted for ranged attack. They only have to hit you once, and even if you have a sensor dampener fit it will not be effective enough against them to keep you safe from their attack.
• Drones: A target's drones will continue to attack you after they have been jammed and their locks on you will prevent you from cloaking. Even after the target has been destroyed its drones can keep you locked and prevent you from cloaking. The point here is to not get locked, ever.
• Heavy Assault Cruiser (HAC) / Factional Cruiser: Vagabond, Dramiels, Cynabals, are frigate killers. These ships have speed, distance, drones, and pack a punch. If these are on the field then keep cloaked until they are destroyed or watch them like a hawk for signs they are coming for you.

Basic fleet tactics

*Remain cloaked at all times. Do not break cloak until ready to fire.

• Make sure your fleet commander knows he/she has a bomber in fleet. Do this before the fleet undocks.
  

"This is Joe Spaceman checking in. I have a Purifier with Dread Gurista Mjolnir torpedoes and 4 Focus Void Bombs. Where do you want me?" Check that the FC is happy to have bombers along, and find out if they want to use you in a specific way. If the FC cannot use your bomber, you can still travel with the fleet, but travel out-of-fleet and remain in Mumble comms. The worst thing a bomber can do to the fleet is 1)accidentally launch a bomb into the fleet in non-Empire space, 2)lose a bomber in a situation that was avoidable and cause negative isk efficiency to the fleet, the fleet commander's after-action report, and the university standing.

• Travel ahead or behind the fleet. Do your best to travel just behind or in front of the fleet (sort of a -1 or -0.5). Showing up after the battle is in full swing for a surgical strike is where bombers really shine. Your goal isn't to be the first thing they see, but the last. This tactic gives the target no chance of finding a bomber in an attacking fleet, the target's overview is already filled with flashing yellow targets and has already locked and targeted its maximum number of targets. A bomber uncloaking after the target has locked onto five fleetmates will stand a greater chance of launching torpedoes and surviving than a bomber uncloaking and landing on grid with the fleet.
• Land on grid at range and move to the side. After landing at the battle grid, double click in space in a direction perpendicular to the direction you approached from before realigning. This will keep fleetmates who show up a few moments after you from decloaking you if they arrive on grid on the same line.
• Move into optimal firing range and ALWAYS ALIGN OUT before decloaking. Be on the field as close to the beginning of the battle as possible, in comfortable torpedo optimal range (around 40-50km) and aligned to a celestial (for advanced pilots, align to a bookmark ~200km from the fight, if at a gate). Wait for the battle to start. Waiting gives the target time to lock its maximum number of attacking ships.
  
• Pre-load modules. While cloaked, some of the bombers modules cannot be pre-activated. Be ready to mash all the hotkeys at once after decloaking. Every second of lag counts against the bomber.
• Decloak, lock target, launch torpedoes. Decloak after the battle starts and the desired targets are otherwise over-occupied. Attack whatever ship your FC calls primary. Only decloak if you are ALIGNED OUT, ready to lock, and attack immediately. Once you get a lock, activate all of your torpedo modules and wait for impact.
• Launch two salvos, wait for impact, cloak. You cannot re-cloak immediately. Generally firing around 2 salvos while getting ready to either re-cloak or warp out is ideal. However, if there is an abundance of blue force ewar on the field, you may consider staying to unleash the pain. When your second salvo launches, wait for impact. If your ship cloaks during any torpedo flight time, those torpedoes will not impact the target. Re-cloak and wait for your launcher cycle to finish. You can cloak while your modules are active; they will automatically shut off.
• Warp to the close-to-the-fight bookmark or celestial if you are targeted and taking damage.
• Decloak and repeat. Your torpedoes will NOT hit if you 1)re-cloak within 3 seconds of them hitting the target, 2)warp away within before the torpedoes hit the target.

Rookie mistakes

New Stealth Bomber pilots will probably make these mistakes at least once:

• Warp to 0 on a battle
• Warp to 0 at a warp gate
• Warp to 0 at a Gallente Novice Outpost with a flashing yellow Stilleto and Griffin waiting outside the acceleration gate
• Uncloak friendly bombers at a wormhole
• Enter a -security system without a scout and be destroyed in an inescapable warp bubble
• Linger on a gate and be destroyed by smartbombs
• Forget to align before decloaking
• Fail to move off the landing area, uncloaking fleetmates as they land
• Fail to warp off within three seconds of being yellow-boxed by the enemy. This mechanic has known delays in reaching clients and is the most difficult to react to. A pilot may not see the yellow-box display on screen until after the enemy has already locked onto the stealth bomber. Fault may be placed on connectivity and lag. If your client is located farthest away from the main London server, take caution and shoot from range.
• Get locked by an enemy and tell yourself "I'm good for another salvo."
• Escape through a gatecamp with warp bubbles, alone too late, after the fleet has escaped. The stargate will be occupied on both sides with warp bubbles, making escape impossible alone.

Bombing techniques

Bombs do not work in Empire Space
The other thing that sets the bomber hull apart, besides the ability to fit torpedoes onto a frigate hull, is where it actually gets it name from - the ability to fit the Bomb Launcher I/II. From this module you fire the six flavors of bombs that exist. But what is a bomb actually?

• Bombs cannot be launched in high security space
  
• Bombs cannot be launched in low security space
  
• Bombs can only be launched in 0.0 security space, nullspace, and wormspace
  

Team technique

This is where each bomber is coordinated by the FC. The FC will call for each bomber to approach/align to a target/target zone/bookmark. They will warp to the point where they begin their attack run, approach and call out ranges to target for the FC. The FC then has to judge the best time to order the release of bombs, whereupon the wing will warp immediately to the escape point. Onus with this technique is on how well the bombers act as a team, and actual piloting skill. It's versatile, flexible and the FC can call abort at any point until the bombs are flying. It's also ideal for bombing single/small gang targets. Its weakness is that fleet management and FC-ing becomes impractical as soon as you grow beyond two wings of bombers. It also allows human error in aiming the bomb into the equation.

Quarterback/Flyhalf technique

This technique uses a cloaked scout to sneak to within 30km of the enemy fleet/target and act as a target guide for the incoming bomber fleet. The FC then warps the bomber fleet to the cloaked scout a point where he can draw a straight line from the bomber fleet, through the scout, and straight into the enemy targets, release bombs such that the explosion radius is outside the cloaked scout's position.
The FC shall fleet warp the bombers to the scout at zero. In mid-warp, all bombers will keep a close eye on their target distance and ownship's speed (cursor over the warp/speed meter in the bottom center of the HUD). The moment the bomber's speed begins to decelerate, decloak, and spam the bomb launcher button, until it turns red. The effect of this is the bomber will exit warp, decelerate, and the instant your warp field collapses, launch a bomb from the bomb launcher. Bombers can immediately warp off to the escape point, or align to a random celestial (in the case of an ad hoc bomb attack) to escape, reload their bomb launchers and cloak up. The advantage of this is that it allows for minimum amount of time on a dangerous grid, the aiming has already been done for the whole bomber wing by the cloaked scout, and the mid-warp shuffle that the game does to arrange the ships, has the effect of nicely overlapping the AOE damage of each bomb.

The Flyhalf technique also allows for the coordination of multiple wings of bombers. When the bomber fleet gathers at the observation point, they are assigned ranges to warp at. (John warps at 0, Jill at 10, James at 20, Harmony at 30, Guile at 50, Titus at 70, Steven at 100). This will prevent a mass cascade decloak of the entire fleet if one person DCs/makes a mistake, or in the case of a spy/awoxer/sabotage pilot, only one bomber wing will die. The FC can then squad warp each bomber group at will at the enemy. Ensuring enough time between squad warps so that their bombs have enough time to detonate before the next wave of bombs goes off.

See Also

• Bombs
• Cloaking
• Covert Ships Skillset

External links

• Hallan Turrek's stealth bomber guide discusses these ships from a non-University perspective.
• More recent guide by Lioso
• WingspanTT's Official Torpedo Delivery: Stealth Bomber Handbook for Enterprising Pilots