To appreciate any ship for what it is you have to spend a good bit of time flying one.
The biggest problem with ship hierarchy in the current game is simply the over abundance of credits. Many of the ships you’ve listed here just don’t translate financially anymore...
At one time it was very difficult to jump the gap between the cheaper ships and the more expensive ones. AspX -> Python being one of the more famous examples...
During this time the option to fly a Keelback with an SLF was a good move for players who wanted an SLF. Otherwise you’d have to grind rank and make enough credits to run a Federal Gunship, a very time consuming task.
The Federal Dropship is actually a complete beast. It has better cargo capacity than the AspX and a set of hardpoints that are comparable to an FDL. This made it a surprisingly good option when credits were harder to earn, you could move cargo and take down targets with extreme firepower.
Flying a Python was a groundbreaking achievement and an Anaconda was basically the end game content like FC’s are now.
TLDR
Many of the games ships have been relegated into museum exhibits. To a new player there is no notable practical or financial benefit to using them.
The biggest problem with ship hierarchy in the current game is simply the over abundance of credits. Many of the ships you’ve listed here just don’t translate financially anymore...
At one time it was very difficult to jump the gap between the cheaper ships and the more expensive ones. AspX -> Python being one of the more famous examples...
During this time the option to fly a Keelback with an SLF was a good move for players who wanted an SLF. Otherwise you’d have to grind rank and make enough credits to run a Federal Gunship, a very time consuming task.
The Federal Dropship is actually a complete beast. It has better cargo capacity than the AspX and a set of hardpoints that are comparable to an FDL. This made it a surprisingly good option when credits were harder to earn, you could move cargo and take down targets with extreme firepower.
Flying a Python was a groundbreaking achievement and an Anaconda was basically the end game content like FC’s are now.
TLDR
Many of the games ships have been relegated into museum exhibits. To a new player there is no notable practical or financial benefit to using them.