Drover

Up to date for latest version, 0.97a.

Drover-class Light Carrier
Midline Destroyer
52,000c
Logistical data
CR per deployment	15%
CR per deployment	15%
Recovery rate (per day)	5%
Recovery rate (per day)	5%
Recovery cost (supplies)	14
Recovery cost (supplies)	14
Deployment points	14
Deployment points	14
Peak performance (sec)	360
Peak performance (sec)	360
Ordnance points	80
Ordnance points	80
Maintenance (supplies/month)	14
Maintenance (supplies/month)	14
Cargo capacity	40
Cargo capacity	40
Maximum crew	150
Maximum crew	150
Skeleton crew required	90
Skeleton crew required	90
Fuel capacity	40
Fuel capacity	40
Maximum burn	9
Maximum burn	9
Fuel per LY / Jump cost	2
Fuel per LY / Jump cost	2
Combat performance
Hull integrity	4250
Armor rating	400
Flux capacity	3000
Flux dissipation	225
Top speed	75
Systems
Defense	Front Shield
Shield arc	300
Shield upkeep/sec	90
Shield flux/damage	0.8
System	Active Flare Launcher
Fighter bays	2
Mounts	4x Small Missile 2x Small Ballistic
Hullmods	B-Deck

	The Drover is a hull designed by the "Cruiser School"-dominated Domain Naval Procurement Committee to provide a strategically versatile (though tactically limited) fighter platform with low logistical overhead. The contract for design of the Drover was won by Orion Shipyards, the traditional Armada ship-builder, in an effort to recover lost market share from the newer naval producers. The result was the 'flying landing strip' maligned by Domain officers as a command more fitting for a logistics bureaucrat than a fighting ship-captain. Complaints in the lower ranks were used by the old "Capital School" faction to send the Drover back to committee, citing insufficient firepower for the ship class to meet standard guidelines (which did not account for the strike potential of new classes of fighters). Set up to take a fall for massive overspend, the committee simply ordered the installation of four small missile hardpoints. This met the firepower requirements handily and allowed the Drover programme to proceed with only minor alteration.
–In-game description

Overview

The Drover is a destroyer-sized combat carrier, quite fast and can also carry a sizable large missile load. Its unique B-Deck hullmod allows a single rapid restoration of fighter capacity.

Strategy and tips

The following section contains user-submitted suggestions, these may be inaccurate or outdated.

Changelog

Patch 0.96a:  Improved acceleration and deceleration (not top speed) Added built-in hullmod: "B-Deck" Activates when the fighter replacement rate reaches 50% Relaunches fighters to bring all wings to full strength Sets the replacement rate to 100% Only happens once per combat Changed ship system to Active Flare Launcher Tagged is a "combat" carrier, meaning it will stay closer to the fight and engage If the only ballistic weapons are point-defense, it will try to stay in missile range So e.g. it should be possible to have a missile/fighter loadout and have it use both in tandem Increased ordnance points to 80 (was: 70) Reduced deployment/maintenance supply cost to 14 (was: 15) Patch 0.95a:  Deployment/maintenance cost increased to 15 (was: 12) Cargo capacity reduced to 40 (was: 80) Ship system Reserve Deployment changed. See linked page. Patch 0.8a: Added to the game