Clearing mines with fighters (maybe drones too)

So, you are using the Russian mine clearing method then?

LOL!
Its something i never tried, to eliminate mines, because the AI never uses any and i just dont understand how a mine sweeper works in SEV, unless you can remove them from a distance..? because the only way i know to interact with mines is by being blown to pieces inside the field, or see the enemy blow up.

Without ammo, nice guns are just sophisticated clubs.

The stock game doesn't make very much of any units except frigates and colony ships. BM and IRM mods have the AI constructing more units, including mines.

Yeah, this strategy works very well for those heavily fortified planets with clouds of mines. Build the cheapest fighter you can - when you get Fighters level 1. Build a transport with one (1) Fighter bay and lots of cargo. Load it full of these cheap fighters and traverse the warp points to the target system. Come to range 1 of the target planet, launch all your fighters into space and then move the entire group of fighters into the minefield. One fighter takes out one mine.

It's cheaper to build a minesweeper because you can re-use the minesweeper over and over again. But minesweepers require shipyards whereas fighters can be built by any system. Depends on your situation.

For me, it's a quick way to get rid of obsolete fighters.

"Do not be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed." - DVader

Did you experiment with creating a device that could be put aboard the fighter to clear the mines? I was under the impression you could edit the size and type of vehicle the sweeper component is used on? You could then create a mini version that maybe sweeps one mine and assemble a squadron of fighter sweepers to clear that field. Should apply to drones as well.

Sounds like a bug/exploit to me if it treats fighter groups as a single fighter when it comes to mines whether there are a 100 fighters or 1 fighter in it...

Javaslinger

In my experience, each fighter takes 1 or 2 mines (I sometimes use fighters with lots of armor so they can soak much more damage), and it works fine.

I'm of the opinion that you should be able to target mines by ship or fighter weapons to clear adhoc or in haste (aka combat). There is a method used by the EOD community (not the Russian mine clearing way or the French that use very large boots:)) that uses small arms to actually shoot the mines.

That can be fun.

It gets especially fun if you let mines have an afterburner component, thus letting you have them act as seeking drones... Muahahaha.

Actually I'm surprise mines don't play in combat and move, kinda like drones. Would give a new demension. I think I'll give that mine with an engine a try...