Rules of space warfare

INTRODUCTION

In the darkness of space, warfare upon the stars is complicated and stressful. Often taking hours, or even days for the battle to finally end. In this document, we will cover the basic rules of space warfare, why large ships are needed for this type of warfare, and detection methods.

RANGE

Combat will often take place in great distances with the most potent of weaponry. It is rare for spaceships to be fighting each other in distances of under 80,000 kilometres. The reason for it is simple, shrapnel and derby. The closer you are to an enemy spacecraft, the more likely you will be hit with derby if the spacecraft is destroyed, which can damage or even destroy your own spacecraft. Here is a chart of the recommended distance in a battle against other spaceships.

• 100,000,000km – 400,000km: Safe 0% chance in being hit
• 400,000km – 100,000km: Close 10% - 35% chance of being hit
• 100,000km – 80,000km: really close 35% - 40% chance in being hit
• 80,000km – 40,000km: Danger close 40% - 70% chance in being hit
• 40,000km – 0km: Kill zone 100% chance in being hit

SIZE MATTERS

To determine the lethality of a spacecraft is their size. A basic rule of thumb, the bigger the ship, the more weapons it has, and the thickness of its armour. The only disadvantages of having a large spaceship are it's often expensive, and it is a big target. However, the positives outweigh the negatives. Giant spaceships will have powerful engines, which can make them move faster through space, and generate material shields. The tactical advantage of large spaceships is proven more effective than having smaller ones.

DOGFIGHTS

Dogfights were once useful, however over time their use becomes meaningless. Besides having the advantage of being a small target, they are slower compared to larger spaceships, and they do not carry the necessary weapons to damage the spaceships. The final nail in the coffin is the weaponry that is designed to attack dogfighters. They are both accurate and more efficient against these types of spacecraft. It doesn't matter if the spacecraft is agile or the pilot is a pro, the weapons would shoot them down before they are close enough to do anything. There are hundreds of methods to take down these fighters that the use of them quickly faded away. However, they are still being used, but mostly for breaching enemy spaceships.

SENSORS AND DETECTION

The detection methods of spaceships are limited but effective. Since in space you can’t detect your enemy by sight, so you have to use other means. These means are radar, thermal, and radiation detection. These forms of detections are effective, often spotting ships with distances of over one million kilometres. However, some ships cannot be detected by some of these methods, for example, Revelation ships cannot be detected by thermal signatures, but they can be detected with radar and radiation signatures.