Drone/Fighter/Bomber Balance

So far, my take (after finishing maybe 10 times on hard) is the two top choices are Bolter Fighters and Plasma bombers.
Bolter fighters are the best at blocking enemy fire due to their larger size, and faster respawn, they also do decent damage.

But if you want damage dealers, Plasma Bombers are it.
Lot better than missile bombers, in a tough fight missiles are often blocked by enemy fire while plasma just goes through.
Theres also more plasma bombers than missile bombers, so.. easy choice.

Bolter and laser drones are in between. Decent defense, decent offense.
Personally I'd rather focus on one or the other.

Repair drones are also a viable choice, often meaning you come out on top in a prolonged fight.
Shield drones the same, only less so. Good to have if you have lots of fighters and like to end up with lots of scrap.

I think this thread shows that the devs did a great job of balancing this item. We are hearing multiple opinions and no real conclusion on which is "best". Which generally means the balance is pretty decent. It is also nice that most of the fighter types have a niche and purpose.

Keep in mind about the fighters that they can gain Burst Mode, unlike the Drones. As such they are theoretically more upgradable.

Just because they have burst, doesn't mean they can be better. Their lower base damage pretty much negates this. Taking burst brings their dps closer to bolster drones, but they need more upgrades to get there. If you reference the spreadsheets I provided you can see it is pretty much a wash.

I think too that fighters/drones are pretty much balanced and every type has its use.

@Jarmo - interesting. In my experiences, Bolter Fighters are always just a holdover until I can get Bolter Drones. Then again, I tend to use my fighters almost exclusively for offense.

I agree that the balance here is nice.

I do find that missile bombers are a little obsolete late-game (hard) but that's true of missiles in general.

^update - gave plasma bombers a try and wow - they're great when upgraded. My new go-to combo is plasma bombers with repair drones.