About fighter weapons:
I do not like the long reload times for weapons such as small rocket pods. Just watch closer the combat reply with fighters. Typical situation: fighter group fires and have 7 turns to reload. During this time, it run away. Once it has ready weapons it turns back. But now it several turns away from enemy ships !
It must spend several combat turns to come to close range
I estimate the actual firing rate to be 9-10 turns. Only in big fleet battles fighters can close in to some enemy ship faster. I think fighters shuld have faster firing rate. They look silly flying back and forth under PDC fire.
Here is a curious situation from my game that prompted me to write this post :
I attack the moderate enemy fleet (about 10 frigates ) with 3 carriers (transport hulls). My fighters are armed with small rocket pods. Battle layout : enemy at the center, my ships on the east. They launch fighters and run away. Fighters fly to west, enemy advance toward carriers. Somewhere in the middle fighters encounter ships, fire their weapons and fly away to reload. They fly to WEST, while enemy ships continue to go to EAST. When fighters reload and turn back, they are dozens of sectors away ! With speed advantage of only 2, such stern chase is hopeless !! It took them 15 turns to catch up enemy ships. And only because they got to the edge of the map and killed my helpless carriers
Overall, during the battle fighters fired only TWICE ! If they had weaker weapons but reasonable rate, I would won...
I suggest to make the reload time 4 and shave 5 points of damage.