Originally posted by: SkyReaper
I wonder if it'd actually be a good thing to put weapons on the belly? The sturn NEEDS a decent weapon, that much is for sure, but the belly of those ships already have a function. Atmosphearic re-entry shielding. If they started to pack weapons there, wouldn't it reduce the ship's capabilities?

Sorry for the random and out of topic thought. Just poped into my head. ^_^;

Seriously though, there are only two advantages to the Minerva in my opinion. The fact that more of it's weapons can pivot to the side (the beam canons and that shell based gun to which I keep forgetting the name while AA can only pivot it's beam canons sideways and rail canons up/down and maybe lightly to the left/right depending what side is fireing) and the fact that it can get to whatever battlefield in record time.

Oh! It also has nifty deployable wings! </sarcasm>

So I guess in battle, they do have one advantage over the AA, the trick would be to keep the Minerva to the AA's side as much as possible to avoid it's lohengrins and rail canons.

Now I wonder... Why wasn't the AA's rail canons built to pivot enough to cover the sturn and belly to some extent? o_O;
I think the design flaw of the AA is that it CAN enter atmosphere. That's why it didn't have any belly weapons. They intended for it to be used as a naval vessel at the same time. But seriously, you would think they would have installed a load of death charges unto Archangel. In phase 23 or24, the pilot of the AA had to roll over the AA to shoot the GOOHNS with the Gottfried cannons.

AA's firepower is all to the front. Same as Minerva. As for pivoting weapons, well Minerva has only 1 more weapon to bear against AA, the Isolde shell cannons. So if they keep fighting side by side, AA will only have one Gottfried cannon and missles agaitns Minerva while Minerva has Isolde, Tristan and missles against Minerva.

But all AA has to do is roll so that its top is facing the Minerva and suddenly, you have 2 Gottfried cannons and 2 Valiant rail guns vs Minerva's 2 Tristans and 1 Isolde.

Again, its a battle of tactics. Whoever is smart enough to get a potshot at the bridge wins.

Ah nuts, I just remembered another advantage Minerva has. It can shield the bridge into a less conspicous position to extend survival possibilities.