...regardless of whether you have a deep space radar. I built up a moon with 50 umbrellas and a DSR, linked them into a control group, but when the enemy avengers arrived none of them fired a shot. In fact, selecting the group and targeting multiple targets didn't work either. In the end, I had to select 1 umbrella and click 1 target at a time. Either that's a bug, or there's too much micromanagement in umbrellas right now.
I guess issue your explained might cause this bugreport. I'm not yet tested it properly so I didn't decide what exactly main problem here.
I can confirm this. To me it seems that they do not fire when they are in groups and/or until a orbital unit moves into their attack radius. They also seem to not fire when units "drop" into the orbital layer or the umbrella is built under a orbital unit unless given an attack command.
It's weird, I just build umbrella right under orbital fighter and it's killed it. I'm also tried to move air fighters in range and already built umbrella and again it's killed it as excepted. Tried to move fighters in range while radar disabled and then enable it. Same result - all killed.
I'm just guess problem might be related to interplanetary movement and tested it. Each time enemy orbital units appear above my umbrella's they're kill them. So I guess there some other constant involved in problem you met.