Erh, is the drone able to survive until it delivers its payload? If you are attacking the target, you will need at best two combat turns to rearch the target, which means they might hit you with their beams (if they are lucky), and then after that with PDC. Even a lot of drones will have trouble to slip through their defenses.
I was thinking of using them at warp points as a first defense, with fighters and the regular defenses. Either the drones will be targeted by the PDC, paving the way for the fighters, or a few wings of fighters will be send to divert the PDC, leaving the drones the opportunity to deliver their payload. However, the main problem with this kind of tactics is that it doesn't seem to be working in strategic combat.
It isn't very cost-effective either, but it was a special occasion where I had many fighters and a very good income, but few warships, in the case I am attacked. But it seems like the attack won't occur so I should instead set up more efficient defenses instead of relying on drones.
EDIT: can the drones warp? If so, they would be more useful indeed (for suicide recon for instance, if you could say a "drone" is suicidal), but what would be the point of drone launchers then?
[ September 07, 2003, 16:13: Message edited by: Alneyan ]