I kind of want to rethink the whole strike craft situation. The main problem right now, as vocalized by the multiplayer crowd, is that Strike craft are replaced for free when destroyed. 

Lets say that a carrier can hold 6 squadrons of fighters at once, but they can only launch 2 squadrons at once.  Whenever a squadron is fully defeated and loses all of its fighters/bombers, then it has to be replaced by purchasing it. Purchasing new strikecraft can only be done while the carrier is in a friendly gravity well.

A Capital ship carrier can hold tons of squadrons in reserve, like 40-50. And is able to deploy up to 6 or 7 squadrons at once when fully leveled up. But all of those squadrons will have to be purchased though. Set this up to make it user friendly by right clicking the build button so the carrier will autocast rebuild strikecraft automatically when at friendly planets.

The implications are that strike craft spam will cost you more resources to sustain their suicide runs, and such feats aren't sustainable while attacking an enemy. Thought a defensive hanger or carrier will still be able to autobuild, at the new cost of resources, and still at half speed if host is under attack.

It would also solve a long time annoyance of mine where the carrier sends out a partial squadron of a single fighter. Only full squadrons should be sent out.The initial couple of waves will be extra powerful, as replacements are already built in storage, and come out at 100% Your attacks will have more punch and be sustainable for much longer, instead of a massive wave of fighters that fizzle out over a prolonged attack.

Strike craft become really useful for mounting strong offensives.

Less cost effective for hit and run attacks.

Gives you more tactical reasons to keep your bombers docked until the enemy fighter screen has been destroyed.

Perhaps add a passive ability for a starbase to grant carriers to rebuild strike craft in their presense, even in neutral and enemy gravity wells.