As far as I can tell, the only valid target for an AutoDefenseDevice is "missiles". There are several other possibilities that could be useful, for example: Lasers - solid projectiles can stop lasers. Hostile ships - especially useful for crossing systems patrolled by weak enemies without forcing th...

Ships that were once friendly but have become hostile still must be targeted with the "F" key. This sometimes wastes valuable time, especially if there are many truly friendly ships close to the player (e.g. autons). The auto missile defense also ignores all shots from these "friendly" enemies. Howe...