Can't capture a planet because of fighters

Man, that sounds frustrating. It's those little frustrating things that makes me want to uninstall the game and forget it ever existed.

So, there are two fighters in space...but your space forces cannot target fighters, right? Can't you launch the fighters from the planet's surface? Or bring in forces that CAN target fighters?

Watch that those f***kers don't start shooting your newly captured planet when you go to attack them. I took over a planet, bypassing the enemy satellites. MISTAKE! The next turn I went back to take out the satellites. Not only did the sattlelites take out my kamikazee drones they also killed all the population on the planet! I was so pissed.

yep, that´s nasty. in such events i try to attack the planet from space again and fire some rounds with ships at it.
that way you also loose some troops but normaly you get also rid of the fighters.

there should be an event that stops such problems resulting in ground conbat every turn that has no winner.

maybe an automatic event like...3 ground combats without a winnner in a row and the
possible a) one with the most troops wins the match
possible b) defender wins
possible .....whatever else maybe possible

or a manual event, something like ordering your troops to retreat (so get picked up by the transport again if it´s still in orbit) or maybe to surrender (and get lost).