Jonathan_S wrote:So yes they did. And I suppose (while they lasted) those control platforms could have potentially sent an FTL orders to the g-torps. But it seems like there's no way the MAlign's FTL com tech is up to squeezing a transmitter into something the size of a ship, much less a torpedo or missile so and FTL com would be unidirectional with no ability to tell whether or not the g-torp was receiving and understanding you.
Today, and at least the Galton technology. It's possible and actually very likely Darius has further advanced the technology, but I wouldn't expect it to be much more advanced. Not even Haven's pre-Alliance latest iterations were small enough to mount on a missile or even a torpedo. (The g-torps are the size of 3 Ghost Riders)
(Also even Apollo missiles can only handle FTL over about 4-5 light-minutes - so it's also possible that a g-torp wouldn't be able to hear a signal from one of those control platforms beyond that range. By the time their initial attack attempt was blown they they might well be beyond FTL range and unable to hear an FTL recall/retask order)
It looks like the range has been considerably extended, because Honor was shooting missiles at the Galton installations from the hyperlimit. Even if we assume the Galton star was a much cooler K-type star and the installations were not in the Goldilocks zone, the distance from the hyperlimit (around 15 light-minutes from the primary) and the installations is likely above 5 light-minutes, possibly above 8.
I don't see why the transmission power would be an issue. The transmitter is a Keyhole II, directly powered by the ship, so it has all the power it needs. There's no need for stealth. The attenuation is unknown, but we're talking about something that took less than 10 seconds of travel time. So that leaves only the sensitivity of the receiver and this is an area the GA and the Dynamic Duo in particular would have spent considerable time improving.
The biggest issue for firing at such a long distance is the fact that the ship transmitting the targetting orders would have very poor sensor returns in the first place. So the accuracy is likely going to fall off, no matter what.
As for the g-torps, yes, they may exceed the range of the retasking orders, but they can be preprogrammed to simply turn back towards the hyperlimit in case of a miss. They're not that dumb that they would simply continue on.
But I think for that to work the g-torp would need one of its grav sensors pointed at least somewhat towards the control platform -- and those are probably focused forward to better see and track targets. Who knows if they also had rear facing ones to receive FTL comms; they might need to pivot their nose towards the control platform to even notice it broadcast...
The geometry is not a problem if this is used only defensively, since the defenders can preposition the assets. But with the MAlign FTL transmitters, the problem is that they can only be used once before getting an up-close view of an Apollo missile.