I've usually found the Orbiters to be vulnerable to getting their engines destroyed, but I may have to give them another look. I'm glad they're working so well for you!

This is perhaps the most under-rated ship out of the whole fleet. It's so cheap, but it can fight well above it's weight class. All of these ships look amazing, but nothing constantly surprises me more than the fact that the two Orbiters I constructed at the beginning of my run are still flying and fighting. It takes them forever to kill a target at this point, but they kill them anyway. I don't even fully understand how they are so effective. They don't have cheaty jet AI that dodges everything coming at it. They just fly, shoot guns, and refuse to go down until nearly cut in half.