[raynor]

When I played more, I would group my fighters in Groups of 80 and put them in the fleet with my other ships before I attacked. I found that small fighters with the most primitive weapon seemed to survive better that way against the PDC than when I launched them from a carrier.

I think the best thing about fighters is that they don't affect your score. So, you can build a huge maintenance-free armada of fighters at every colony and not have to worry about becoming Mega Evil Empire before you are ready to start annihilating everyone in sight.