The new class 5 stabiliser certainly makes a difference with the right build. I've gone from struggling against Cyclopses to hilariously insta-gibbing them.
I never imagined I'd take on a Hydra, but I've just managed to kill TWO of them in one conflict zone in
this Anaconda. Of course, that's with every possible advantage: a surface port with low gravity, no swarm, several NPC AX pilots, and docking for repairs between each heart. But it can be done!