I look at the ships in the Fighter Tactics Manual as examples of tactical theory and not "real" ships in the Silent Death universe. Still they appear in the House ship lists in Rules of Warfare II. They tend to have little or no DR , multiple weapon mounts, and a very high DV which I feel makes them a little cheesy. If you are going against these ships be certain that your weapons have bonuses to hit since you will need it. Also, the ASP Technocracy is really good at damaging ships with no DR.
Bat
BPV: 42 / 2 Crew
It has a slightly lower Drive for its size (12) and an average DR but its
Defensive Value is a whopping 17! The two pairs of twin Splatterguns provide
a decent offensive punch considering the ships cost. It has no Point Defense
so after the 10th hit, it can no longer dodge torps, making it Blizzard
and Thunderbird bait. Of course you have to score those 10 hits first. A
decent fighter that is very very hard to hit.
Black Widow
BPV: 157 / 3 Crew
No ship has caused more wailing and gnashing of teeth than this one. Two
sets of 6 Splatterguns with a 360° arc of fire and one set of 6 Splatterguns
firing forward can create a 10 hex radius kill zone. With a DV of 17 it
will not get hit very often at all. 10 Mk. 10 torpedoes and 5 decoys add
to its defensive capabilities. It is a brutal ship. However it is not invulnerable
with the right equipment and tactics. Firstly all of its weapons have only
a 10 hex radius. With 160 points to choose from you could easily choose
a ship or group of ships that have longer ranged weapons. As long as you
can win initiative, the Black Widow cannot touch you. Secondly, it has no
DR so any hits you do go right through, leaves those Disruptorguns at home.
Finally, its critical table is pretty rough with plenty of opportunity to
reduce the DV or disable the Splatterguns. Overall I think torpedoes, Hammerhead
missiles, or some long range multi-barreled weapons crewed by a good gunner
could take out a Black Widow.
Chupacabra
BPV: 18 / 1 Crew
I think of this ship as the Darts older brother. Its almost as fast, as
hard to hit, and with a big punch. While the Disruptorgun is annoying, the
twin 20-shot Missile Launchers can smoke any similar cost fighter, especially
when using the rules found in QVP regarding targeting with multiple missile-launchers.
Of course it has no DR and a very short damage track, but that's what an
attrition fighter is for after all. If you fight this ship, stay out of
its forward arc.
Nemesis
BPV: 298 / 6 Crew
The Nemesis seems expensive for what you get. You can purchase a fully crewed
Iceberg for the cost of an empty Nemesis. It does have a very high DV for
a gunboat (15), but no DR at all. Lots of Splatterguns with very flexible
mounts provide the primary punch for the Nemesis with an Ion Ram, 10 Mk.
50s, and 20 Mk. 10s adding the much needed anti-gunboat attack. Honestly,
nothing short of a Warhound is going to survive 30 torpedo hits in a single
turn. Also the Nemesis is virtually immune to torpedo attacks with 6 decoys
and a Point-Defense of 1-[8]6. When attacking a Nemesis, focus on one side
and just keep shooting it.
Shark
BPV: 42 / 1 Crew
This ship is the smaller, faster cousin of the Death Wind. Packing an Ion
Ram with an 18 Drive ships seems just wrong. Lose the initiative and move
away from the fray, win initiative and streak behind a target on the other
side of the map for some 3D8 All damage. It has a reasonable DV for a ship
its size, but again no DR. It doesn't lose the Ion Ram until the 20th hit
as the Impulsegun soaks up the initial 'w' on the damage track. With no
Point-Defense, the Shark is just asking for a missile strike however. I
chuckle when I think about a Piranha destroying a Shark.
Stinger
BPV: 18 / 1 Crew
I love the two engines on the sides of this miniature. It just screams speed.
High Drive, fairly high DV, and a Splattergun make this a nice snub fighter.
The twin Mk. 40s mounted on this ship allow it take out a much bigger target
than a Dart. For the price I prefer the Stinger to the Chupacabra because
of those twin 40s. The only major flaw in this ship is the 't' on the second
box. This means you need to fire your torpedoes very early, first or second
turn, or lose half of their effectiveness. Still fly 5 Stingers into a fray,
drop 10 Mk. 40s and watch your opponent scurry around.