Although the Sky Serpent super-heavy fighter maintained an excellent combat record, the Drazi often were unable to field the units effectively simply because only a few ships were equipped with launch catapults. Therefore, while swarms of Sky Serpents launched from planets proved a powerful factor in combat, rarely could enough of the fighters be fielded further from the homeworld. To correct this deficiency, the Drazi modified several Stormfalcon cruisers to serve as battle carriers. These ships, dubbed the Strikefalcons, replaced most of the weaponry on each wing with connecting struts and launch catapults enough to carry two additional fighters on each side of the ship, and replaced the light fighter hanger with another catapult. Capable of carrying six Serpents, the Stormfalcon proved an effective means of carrying fighters into battle, although it lacked fire-power as a result.
However, the Strikefalcon won only limited popularity, not because of a lack of combat effectiveness, but of the Drazi mindset. Drazi captains who won command of a Stormfalcon hull expected to lead the charge into battle, not drop off fighters and wait for their return. Despite its high capacity, the Strikefalcon lacked the firepower to serve as a front line unit, and thus was relegated to rear-guard action, or sometimes even ordered to open a jump-gate for its fighters and wait in hyperspace. Therefore, assignment to a Strikefalcon became a punishment for errant officers, and the ship was adopted only on a limited scale.
