[Phoenix-D]

Wardad, you need to use mounts; they give a pretty heft to-hit bonus and range increase.

"When you say 'have some heavily shielded transports do suicide runs', do you mean send them in without escorts? Set the Troop transport fleet to kamikaze? I am guessing that 'if' the ship can get past the weapons platforms, the only thing to stop the troops would be ground forces right? Population doesn't fight invading ground troops do they?"

I mean send them in ALONE, no escorts, with the strategy set to drop troops. They'll charge the planet and try to land their troops. If there are warships around, they try to wait until the warships kill off the weapons platforms.