Support fighter AI is moderately complex compared to most other fighter types. When enemy ships are not near by, support fighters will hang out near the front of the carrier to extend their range and shoot down the occasional fighter or missile the wanders by. Once enemy ships start getting closer, they'll slowly move back behind the carrier to protect themselves. If the carrier vents or overloads, support fighters will immediately move between the carrier and the enemy ship for the duration to attract fire and tank shots for the carrier. However, support fighters do not obey Engage orders.
What if they did? Have support fighters follow the vent/overload behavior when you set them to Engage. That way, you have finer control over what they do, and opens up more tactical considerations, for example sending forward your support fighters and sacrificing them to gain an advantage in the flux battle - something that regular fighters can't accomplish due to their behavior of circling the target and getting shot at by PD rather than attracting attention from the enemy's main guns.
