From a purely combat effectiveness prospective, I doubt, Chris Roberts would not make a game with the F7a hornet being a god ship. Previous games (WC1, 2, and 3) always had the protagonist feel like an underdog in a brutal war, portrayed both in the story around them and in the fighter combat. I think people see a ship with a ton and a half of guns and think "I'm going to kill EVERYTHING" without looking at the fighter as a whole. If this 200 year old fighter is so perfect... why develop the replacement F8? Oh, and Reavern makes complete sense, if the "log out" mechanic is not handled well it keep the casual players away.