In SR4 do autonomous drones benefit from Tacnets? I know they can contribute, but can they benefit? My Hacker/Rigger mostly uses Autonomous mode (since I don't yet have Gunnery) but the dicepool for the drones shootbangs is ridiculously small. I just got a rating 3 Tacnet as a reward for last missions, and we have a team of four. Anything, absolutely anything I can do to pump up my Drones targeting would be great. Also, what about Smartlinks?

If drones can contribute to a tacnet then why should they not benefit from it? As far as I'm aware of, drones can be members of a tacnet and get the full benefits as long as they meet the necessary requirements.

Drones can benefit from smartlinks, though there's question on whether or not their camera sensor needs an image link to go along with the smartlink as a Pilot program is a matrix entity and already is aware of all the AR around it. I'd suggest checking with your GM on this part.

Also, at the cost of ¥2,500 and 1 mod slot each, you can equip your drones with a Fuzzy Logic module (Arsenal, page 134-135) for an additional +2 to every Complex Action a drone takes (which is pretty much everything a drone does).

Thanks! I was fairly certain, but then I wasn't really sure if a Drone would be able to accurately understand the tactical information it provided to use it. Mostly, I guess I just got over concerned over nothing. I bought the image link anyway. I'd much rather be safe than sorry when it comes to rules. I'm going to kick in for the fuzzy logic as well.

Thanks again!

You might also want to concider the vehicle sensor software, Empathy (Arsenol, page 60), which accertains the intension of a team member, targeted indivitual, or bystander. This would allow the drone to “act” like another person linked to the tacnet.
I used a house rule in my SR4 game that allowed a drone with empathy software (rating ≥ tactnet rating) to be incorporated into a tacnet.

This is my first time playing a rigger really, I've usually played combat hackers or face/hackers or something along time line with maybe a drone or two for support. So on that note, any tips would be welcome. Right now I have a Steel Lynx that works as my stand in in combat while I hide behind full cover and a Knight Errant for any vehicle chases. I'm thinking about buying a Crashcart Autodoc but I worry that having two large drones would be super unwieldly and i'm thinking about getting the splicer drone from Unwired that lets me force things with a signal of zero to broadcast wirelessly. Are there any other drones you would consider necessities?

Then get an Enhanced Rigger Cocoon when you can (Arsenal, page 142) and install it in a GMC Hermes Van (Arsenal, page 110). It's a nice armored shell that comes with a Valkyrie Module, and the van has two drone launch racks, though you might wanna consider the Doberman drone over the Steel Lynx if you go this route as the van's racks can't hold a large drone.

Yeah, I have the step van. I currently have the Knight Errant loaded in to one of the racks so I could launch it in a pinch during a pursuit. Looking at any mods for the errant right now. I already have the Steel Lynx, but I can mod in a Large Drone Landing Rack if it's necessary. I'm still not entirely sure I understand the advantage of the drone racks though that makes them so expensive.

I'll pick up a Rigger Cocoon next session though if it's really worth it.

Armor 20 & Structure 10 wrapped around you? Someone tries to shoot at you through it you get 20 extra armor to soak, on top of the fact that they can't actually see where you (as in, your body) are inside it to begin with so they're blind firing.

Can't find it in the entry, but I believe the Drone Landing Rack allows the loaded drone to be deployed from the vehicle as a Complex Action (or basically faster than having them jump out of the bed of a truck). As a landing rack it also takes only a Complex Action to pick the drone back up again. These don't count as an exit point for someone else to get into or out of the van at the same time. And I wish I could find the game details about characters getting into or out of their vehicles.

And on top of that, the Hermes is well known for carrying drones.

Well, when you put it like that I feel dumb for not considering a rigging cocoon before! I'll definitely pick one up, though I have a few things i'm saving for right now already.

I get that the drone rack allows you to launch drones in a single turn, but then how long do they take normally? I've never had a GM rule that it took a crazy long time to launch them. It always seemed like I could open the back of the van and just roll them out, as unprofessional as that probably seems! Still, I do plan to invest in the landing rack for my Lynx (The Hermes Van has enough body to support a large rack. Two if I'm willing to sacrifice that many mod slots). And maybe a Doberman since I still have one free small rack.

That's actually one of the reasons I have a Hermes Van, other than being the only good drone vehicle that wasn't suspiciously big like the RV or Bus. It's a drone delivery vehicle, and my character's cover is that of a Security Consultant with licenses for the weaponized drones, hacking software, and etc. I'm hoping that, logically, it stands up to scrutiny.