<t> I have experimented a bit with LRS on my large freighters. I found that the freighters provided excellent sensor coverage throughout my empire as well as my trading partners, however I think that they are best reserved for what I would consider 'very large' freighters of size at least 500 ...

Thanks for posting this, turned a ghost town into a trove of knowledge for me.

<t> I have had moderate success in the early-mid game using fast escort carriers. Typically I arm these with a single fighter bay and as many engines as my ship size tech permits. Alone the escorts aren't all that strong but when I get a group of them (6+) they are reasonably effective against ...