Forgotten book: Space, Aliens vs humans where aliens have scale shields which contract

[insom2000]

This is a book a read when I was young, many years ago.

The only bits I remember well (I think!):
- It was humans vs some form of aliens, with space battles between "capital ships".
- The humans thought they were clever coming up with a better missile, only to find out the aliens had "scale" shields which could contract around their ships to be smaller targets.

Bits that may or may not be in this book:
- The aliens were lizard like - leading to their scale shields development.
- Missiles did some kind of jump into "hyperspace" or something similar and then jump back nearer/inside their target?
- There may also have been a malfunctioning missile in a human ship... (but that part might be me mixing it up with Star Trek).
- Some kind of long open "vertical" shafts through the human ships (for transport?)?

 

[Danny McG]

Think this might be in one of the David Weber "Stars at war" series. A good while since I read them but reminiscent of one of the sections. Too many battles against too many aliens over too many centuries to recall them all

 

[Talos]

Could be "Starwolves" by Thorainn Gunnarsson. There were 4 books in the series, the other 3 are "Battle of the Ring", Tactical Error, and Dreadnought.