If you use smaller ships, LCs are the lowest for reasonable survival rates. Ships without mounts just don't deal enough damage, and are usually too small to carry shields. They can get blown out of the water to the tune of 1/turn per 2-3 enemy BBs or DNs.
I do use small ships for special-ops. An escort with 90kt C&C and engines, 10kt ECM 3, 30kt Stealth Armor 3, and 20kt Plague Bomb 3 is nearly impossible to hit (60+40+15=115% defense plus
before the 25% racial modifier
) and work great even deep in enemy territory.
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The Unpronounceable Krsqk
"Well, sir, at the moment my left processor doesn't know what my right is doing." -
Freefall