Do missile-guiding craft make a carrier?

Do the fighter-like missile shepherds in the Praxis series make their parent ships carriers?

Not clearly, because the craft guide the parent ship's missile attack rather than serving as the primary attack system themselves.

The Praxis series uses fighter-like craft to shepherd missiles and provide sensor support. That arrangement does not clearly make a carrier because the small craft are not delivering the principal attack themselves. They extend and guide the parent ship's weapon rather than replacing it as the primary means of combat. The distinction shows why carrying auxiliary vehicles is insufficient: their operational role must satisfy the carrier definition.