Space warfare

A model of space warfare for games

Various levels of defence of a planet exist:

    • a fleet of motherships and fighters than patrol the interstellar space (and potentially intergalatic space)

    • a fleet of motherships and fighters than patrol the interplanetary space (i.e. within the planetary system)

    • motherships, fighters, space stations orbiting a planet (or moon), together with surface based space fighters (geospace)

    • fighters, missiles, etc that can operate in the atmosphere

    • tanks, ships and troops that operate on the surface

Correspondingly, there will be several phases of the invasion of a planet:

Stage 1 - fleet (mothership and fighters) to fleet in interstellar space resulting in interstellar supremacy

Stage 2 - fleet to fleet in interplanetary space resulting in interplanetary supremacy

Stage 3 - fleet to fleet and space station in orbit/geospace resulting in orbit/geospace supremacy

Stage 4 - space fighter to fighter in the atmosphere (accompanied by orbit-to-air and surface-to-air weapons) resulting in air supremacy

Stage 5 - bombing runs (air-to-surface and orbit-to-surface) to neutralise surface forces

Stage 6 - landing and control of the surface

Stage 7 - subsurface

The key unit types and attack capability types are:

    • motherships - space-to-space, space-to-air, space-to-surface

    • space fighters - space-to-space, air-to-air, air-to-surface

    • space station - orbit-to-orbit, orbit-to-space (orbit-to-air? orbit-to-surface?)

    • air - air-to-air, air-to-surface (air-to-orbit? air-to-space?)

    • surface - surface-to-surface, surface-to-air, surface-to-orbit, surface-to-space

    • sub-surface - subsurface-to-subsurface, subsurface-to-air, subsurface-to-orbit, subsurface-to-space

Notes:

    • some space fighters may be able to operate in both space and atmosphere, some may only be able to operate in space

    • forces may be manned or robotic

    • the model largely ignores nuclear, biological, electronic warfare

    • the best defence will be subsurface units with subsurface-to-space capabilities (e.g. a submarine that can launch a missile into space)