The Oz
Option 6 would be rather powerful; the fighters might be gaining +3 or more in the computer rating in exchange for a mere -1 in the target size modifier.
Good point. Very much changing the nature of naval combat. Makes me lean towards 1, in that it's a powerful, but limited in use, tactic. For counter based games, you could just have an EW counter with a + on it. After the first hit it is removed.
Further ideas. (7) A modification off of 1 and possibly using 6. The EW fighter gives the fighter squardon a powerful advantage, thus enemies go to great lengths to target them. This rsults in a no lower than 50% chance that a hit strikes the EW fighter. I realize that if you say it is 1/2 for 10 fighters, that it logically should go up when their are only 3 fighters left. But this simplifies the rule. (8) Variant off of 7 that makes fighters more powerful and uses more dice. 10 fighters, 1 in 8 EW hit; 9-8 fighters, 1 in 6 EW hit, 7-6 fighters, 1 in 4 EW hit; 5-4, 1 in 2 EW hit; 3-2 fighters, EW hit.
Some more ideas. (9) To mitigate the potentially large computer advantage, the computer bonus is at -1 of the EW ship computer rating to reflect ineffciency in the data hand-off/attack coordination. (10) Make pilots and/or the EW operator make a skill roll to use the computer bonus. This roll could be made hard to make. (11) Related to 10, require a certain level of traing/skill/seperate skill for pilots to perform this grouped fire/directed grouped fire tactic. (12) Impose two or more of 9 to 11.
10 and 11, open up the possiblity of certain navies, cultures, species, being better able to utilize fighters effectively compared to others.
Surpised I've got so many pro-fighter ideas, as I really prefer the big gunned ships slugging it out feel.
Sigg Oddra
This all makes me think of how the fighters work in the new Battlestar Galactica series...
I'm sure that's working on my psyche. Consciously I envision more the "Wild Weasel" kind of aircraft instead of the dedicated more AWACS-like "Raptor" from Battlestar Galactica.