Review of a Writeup- my overview of SubCapital weapons

SUB-CAPITAL MISSILES

⦁    Piranha
30 damage (3 capital)
9 heat
"Long" Capital range
100 tons per launcher
Each missile weighs 10 tons
Good user: Vanir (12 launchers, split into 3x Prianha bays)
One of 3 weapons in the whole sub-capital lineup that has long range, and thanks to it's light weight and measly 10 tons per missile it's a fantastic weapon to boat and use as screeners to help White Sharks or other AR-10 fired rounds through. Note however, it has no additional critical chance against fighters at all so it's just a meaty thwack; if you read Tac Ops, that -1 to-hit was erratta'ed out to a 0 which to me is a big loss but was needed to keep this from usurping the Barracuda. Still makes this the most accurate sub-capital against fighters, second only to SCLs in anti-fighter mode at a +1.
Because The Piranha is less accurate against fighters but has very light ammo (10 tons versus the Barracuda's 30 tons apiece) it's best use is massed long range fire against things like dropships and THEN fighters. If only basic anti-fighter defense is needed- like you have other guns and want a couple of big missiles just in case- straight Barracudas are better.
Other uses are on dropships and massed bearings-only launches. Again, the Piranha has VERY light ammo and 600 tons gets you 3 3-point capital hits for 10 rounds each, which is easily done on something like a Leopard- whereas several Piranha's can be fired off bearings-only to act as something as a mobile minefield.

⦁    Stingray
35 Damage (3.5 capital)
12 heat
"Medium" Capital Range
120 tons per launcher
12 tons per missile

Welcome to the "Why" gun, and the subcap missiles have two.
Medium range means this is hard to do bearings-only launches, so you'll likely be firing directly at something instead. The Ciritical chance against fighters is an ignorable 12. With it's medium range it can really only be compared to things like the NAC/35, where 10 of these have the same heat and damage but weighs a quarter of the naval cannon. Best use would likely be playing second fiddle to said naval cannon as accessory capital damage but to be frank, would have better options with other subcapitals INCLUDING the Piranha.
What would use it? Fast dropships and light brawler warships, but even that is kind of questionable. Losing 5 damage and a *chance* of a crit against a fighter means you can go Piranhas instead which have long range and weigh less. Now the 0.5 damage can be useful against AMS, but going heavier and short range really doesn't take that much weight. Why was this not removed and the Swordfish made medium range? Why is this the 4th missile weapon when the Lasers/ACs only have 3? Anyway...

⦁    Swordfish
40 Damage (4 capital)
15 Heat
"Short" Capital range
140 tons
15 tons per missile
The Swordfish is the next "Why" missile, and I can't stress enough that bumping this up to medium range and removing the Stingray entirely would have actually given this a role- The Swordfish is poised against the Manta Ray which is worth the investment in weight due to it's dumbass damage despite it's terrible range. I have to stress that the Swordfish isn't a BAD weapon; it just gets trounced.
So the Swordfish is light and deals apeshit damage for a small launcher, and the critical chance is somewhat better. If you're dead-set on it for some reason, it's only use is on something that can brawl- a dropship MAYBE, but it's real ticket is on warships as a point-blank feint which is it's problem.  Critical chance against aerofighters is on 11+.

⦁    Manta Ray
50 Damage (5 Capital) !
21 Heat
"Short" capital range
160 tons per launcher
18 tons per missile
Good examples: Isegrim(3x Manta Rays in the nose)
BIG DICK. The Manta Ray has the best tonnage to damage ratio of the capital class weapons bar-none I think, taking into account the "limit 20 or firing computer time" issue. The short range is crippling- but 5 capital damage of of 160 tons is nuts, especially when it's to-hit against fighters is actually accpetable for what you're getting. Critical chance against aerotech is 10+.
It's best use is on faster warships like the Pinto and Mako as both a "FUCK OFF" weapon it can use it's speed to drop, fast droppers like the Noruff, and (funny enough) also a form of armor. The Hammerhead aerofighter and Thunderbird are two that could be frequently seen and both need to be in point-blank range; the threat of being swatted with a 50-point chunk that could tear a wing clean off can SERIOUSLY dissuade them from making a pass. Since it has even less range than a screen launcher, mixing the two can be an excellent idea.