How to protect suspendium dust tanks?

[EpicRice]

I've tried adding struts to surround them but they alwayus get blown by a random hit, causing the entire airships to crash in a glorious but unfortunate demise. Is there no way to improve the survivability of dust tanks? Any tips on how to use dust tanks or place them so that they dont immediately get blown apart.

Also, for air units, such as the Hussar, biplane, triplane, and bomber, what do you guys recommend?

[cataclysm]

For the tanks use separation and redundancy, they explode a little, but you could buff the health with sturdier modules adjacent to them like keels or corridors.

As for units, only good on masse and/or when the enemy has no defence, I'd use them to soften up the enemy with hit and run tactics or when in a battle half way through having them in reserve untill a good moment.

[Scarf]

Hussars- Heavy Targets with no defense against them.

Biplanes- Other small aerial units.

Triplanes- Light Targets.

Bombers- Strategic Support.

As for protecting Dust Tanks... Structural Support, if you plan to use them for a larger build, although they function best for En-masse designs you care little for individually.

Otherwise: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=718987586

[cataclysm]

speaking of mods, in my exspansion mod there is a module that makes those that touch it stronger at up to 12 times as good as conventional struts... but they cost more.

[EpicRice]

Originally posted by cataclysm:

For the tanks use separation and redundancy, they explode a little, but you could buff the health with sturdier modules adjacent to them like keels or corridors.

As for units, only good on masse and/or when the enemy has no defence, I'd use them to soften up the enemy with hit and run tactics or when in a battle half way through having them in reserve untill a good moment.

Yeah, I've tried using keels around them but they still get hit. I guess bad rng? So use more the smaller tanks and surround them in keels instead of surrounding the big suspension ones?

[cataclysm]

well... the enemies are aiming for unarmored weakspots that will blow up, it couldn't be anymore obvious than painting a target for them to hit.

[Kaiser_Of_Aldi]

or you could not use suspendium tanks, and use the superior suspendium chambers

[Ernst Cornell]

suspendium dust tanks (either big or small) are hardly any good besides some very early game light ships
(probably under $1000)

anything bigger probably benefits more from the compactness and survivabilty of suspendium chambers.

the only "big" airships that might benefit from dust tanks might be some support aircraft carriers as they can lounge back behind some escort airships.

also, the hussars are quite handy against monsters and/or if the enemy doesn't have serious anti-air defences (lots of flak, or some gatling guns)
the triplane might be a bit more well rounded but it's more awkward to use than hussars.
(long modules, crew requirement)
the biplanes just wreck anything smaller than an airship
and the bomber are a bit meh (compared to hussars), but good against big and heavily armored targets