Ships Training ship for cold orbiting AX combat

[CMDRQuainMarln]

I've fully engineered a Chieftan very close to the "meta" out there on the internet for the cold orbiting method for killing Thargoid Interceptors.
Now I need to learn how to fly and aim because I'm not even able to take out a swarm yet, and I'm wondering if evading them might be better anyway.
Problem I face is it can take 15+ minutes of supercruising to NHSS threat level 5's to find one with a Cyclops, which doesn't leave much time for combat when I have perhaps half hour available to play.

So I'm thinking leave the Chieftan parked in the Coalsack Sector until I'm ready for it, and use a different cheap ship with no engineering to practice the techniques in a close by compromised Nav beacon. This way I don't waste time looking for a target.

I'm thinking shieldless Diamondback Scout with 2x Railguns to substitute for Gauss Cannons, a small beam laser with thermal vent and a dumbfire missile is about as close as I can get on a class 1 hardpoint for flak launcher substitute.

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

A lot of AX commanders don't bother destroying the swarms and just evade them, so I'm wonder why add the complication of fighting them at all.

Anyone else ever use an AX training ship?

 

[[VR] Orodruin]

Problem I face is it can take 15+ minutes of supercruising to NHSS threat level 5's to find one with a Cyclops

That sounds like way too much. Where are you looking?
Coalsack is not the best place. I would suggest the Pleiades.

practice the techniques in a close by compromised Nav beacon. This way I don't waste time looking for a target.

Things at a nav beacon do not really fly the same way as interceptors and their swarms. The best practice is practice on an actual interceptor.

A lot of AX commanders don't bother destroying the swarms and just evade them, so I'm wonder why add the complication of fighting them at all.

Not taking out the swarm requires much more from the pilot as it adds the complication of avoiding the swarm during cold orbiting and therefore puts a lot more strain on your situational awareness in a situation that is already unfamiliar. Not taking out the swarm is therefore typically considered more complicated, not less.

 

[CMDRQuainMarln]

Coalsack Sector KN-S b4-9 is the closest system that was attacked to my home system. This and all the other Coalsack Sector stations is where I rescued people from burning stations until allied with all factions recently. It would be nice to continue my own in game story by helping to push back the Thargoid incursions here and then help ship commodities for repairs.

Coalsack Sector KN-S b4-9 has the problem that the NHSS locations are split between the jump arrival star and a secondary star 12,000+ls away. So hunting for a Cyclops means supercruising 12,000ls quite a bit as the signals come and go. 2 out of 3 threat 5 signals turn out to be just a Thargoid sensors.

For practical reasons I guess I should move to the Pliedes, but I:m attracted to continuing my support for the Coalsack Sector.

 

[[VR] Orodruin]

Coalsack Sector KN-S b4-9 has the problem that the NHSS locations are split between the jump arrival star and a secondary star 12,000+ls away. So hunting for a Cyclops means supercruising 12,000ls quite a bit as the signals come and go. 2 out of 3 threat 5 signals turn out to be just a Thargoid sensors.

Read this:

Predicting NHSS content via FSS tuning

It is possible to predict and map all NHSS showing up on the FSS

wiki.antixenoinitiative.com

(Don't use the nav beacon - use the FSS to find out what instances are non-scout instances)