Ryders in Active Play (Patreon)

Ryder Field Repairs

Enterprising carrier captains during the final stages of the Neutral Rim War utilized carriers equipped with catapult launchers to not only accelerate ryders into battle, but to also launch replacement parts and fresh weapons to already deployed ryders to extend their capabilities. The long war between PACT and the Solar Alliance saw the forging of countless top aces who could purge damaged or expended equipment and rearm themselves with supplies launched from their motherships in the heat of battle. This new doctrine solidified the Assault Carrier's importance: A fast carrier which launched a small squadron of elite ryders for lightning strikes, which could not only hold its own in battle against other ships, but could also repair and resupply its squadron in the midst of battle.

Ryder Launch Systems

In the era of ryder dominated space combat, ship designers are confronted with the question: What is the best way to launch them from carriers? Two different philosophies have arisen to tackle this age-old question.

Catapult Launch

Inspired by similar mechanisms used to launch atmospheric vessels, magnetic powered rail launchers remain a popular option for smaller carriers, where a small squadron of elite ryders is preferred. The catapult allows a carrier to rapidly inject ryders into tactical positions by throwing them into battle, adding the momentum from the launch to the ryder's own thrust. When against carriers with "drop and thrust" launch systems, this allows carriers equipped with catapult launchers to engage hostile ryders closer to the enemy carriers, and further away from themselves. The main advantage of the catapult launch system is that it affords commanders with better flexibility and maximizes the quick strike potential of powerful ryders. However, the drawbacks of that catapult launch system are that it drastically reduces the speed at which all the ryders of a carrier's compartment can be launched, as well as being expensive and cumbersome to integrate onto the ship.

Drop and Thrust

In this system, a ryder is simply slowly dropped out of its hangar pod and the ryder uses its own thrust to intercept the enemy. This system is cheap and simple, allowing a single carrier to quickly launch countless ryders in a flash to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers. Whilst previously disregarded due to a culture of technological arrogance, where militaries installed the more advanced catapult system as a matter of national pride, the reality of the Neutral Rim War has increasingly seen the re-adoption of the simpler Drop and Thrust technique.