Brand new with questions : )

[Saxon]

I agree with Magnum 357, those little ships can be useful throughout the game, particularly in strategic battles, as my perception is that the AI focuses on the big ships first. Those cheap little ships might not be able to stand up to a big attack ship, but if they are supporting a large, heavily sheilded ship, they don't have to. They just chip away, adding their many small punchs, while the big daddy takes the hits. If big daddy has sheild regenerators and point defense and not much else, it can take a while to knock him out.

Still, they are easy to lose, so I don't bet the farm on them. They just "diversify my portfolio".