Oh mines are more than defensive. I could tell ya but then I'd have to kill ya. Can't divulge trade secrets
Seriously tho, the people I train in how to properly use them end up never wanting to stop using them. It just takes a crew that knows their jobs almost flawlessly. If you can't place a mine a meter from an enemy ship, predict enemy ship paths, or use the ammo ranges to surround a ship without hitting them directly with the mine, you'll probably end up throwing fits about it. Requires a lot of coordination since the mine ship tends to take the most fire. Captain also has to be able to eye ball distances and setup mine kills. When it all comes together you can do 2-3 on 1 engagements and win. But if one person is lagging or not doing their job right, it sucks. Probably one of the highest level of difficulty in builds to master atm. Like the old squid. You need an exceptional crew to pull it off along with a very experienced pilot.