Thanks, I thought they might need to be level 3 for strike craft, which is why I asked that very specific question in my post.

Yes, I did notice that your flagship, your free capital, starts at level 3, which is why I guessed that particular level requirement for Kol strike craft. I've done the tutorials, and I've just now checked them again to make sure, and all it says is that different capital types have different abilities, and that they'll all gain experience. What's misleading about the Kol/strike craft thing is that the other abilities tell you at what level you'll get them, while the strike craft just suddenly become available. I'm sure this stuff will be covered in the manual, but no, Kol mystery strike craft were not explained in the tutorial. I also noticed that Sowa carriers get an extra wing at either level 2 or 3, and Marzas don't get any craft at all, at least not up to level 3. Like I said, I'm sure that stuff will be in the manual, but there's no indication that it's going to happen in the game.

This isn't a slam on Sins, it's Beta after all, but giving a blanket "do the tutorials" response is more annoying than it is helpful is this particular situation. Bug or feature, there's no way to tell without in-game indicators.