I've consulted the TechManual Errata 3.1 file entry for Environmental Sealing (p. 216) and TacOps p. 303.
Yet I am still unsure wether or not a Conventional Fighter is supposed to automatically include Environmental Sealing?
This is important because it rules on wether or not I can deploy unmodified conventional fighters on a toxic atmosphere battlefield that requires sealed combatants.
Argument for ES on conventional fighters:
- Errata'ed Crew Quarters blurb (p. 195) states that "fighters - conventional and aerospace -" have a default endurance of 96 hours in hostile environments that require life support.
However, Life Support and ES are two different things, as exemplified by IndustrialMechs which always feature Life Support (with pilot injury if the LS is critted) but only have ES as an expensive upgrade costing crits and 10% of the total mass.
Arguments against ES on conventional fighters:
- Conventional Fighters are not mentioned in the Unit Restrictions in the TechManual entry (p. 216) for ES while Submersible Support Craft are, so Conventional Fighters are apparently eligible for a ES upgrade (or are they? WarShips and JumpShips aren't mentioned either.)
- Conventional Fighters typically operate in the same environments as other combat vehicles (except Submersibles), i.e. not in space or underwater, and therefore like combat vehicles don't inherently require ES.
Or have I missed something?