Sizing a sustainable combat space patrol

Combat-air-patrol arithmetic suggests that eighteen aircraft is a practical floor for a combat space patrol, while twenty-four to thirty-two provides strike capacity as well. Available airframes are only part of the constraint: pilot endurance and the maintenance hours required for every flying hour quickly consume the ship's small crew. A lone ship needs aircraft already on patrol because cloaking, moons, and planetary terrain create opportunities for surprise. Against Wraith hive ships carrying very large fighter groups, a small nominal squadron cannot simultaneously protect the carrier and generate an offensive strike.