The mobility is king in combat.
Well, this depends. If you focus on fixed weaponry, then perhaps. But with gimballed & turreted weaponry, that's not the whole case. And your survivability goes up exponentially if you trade off maneuverability for being bigger and fatter.
Mobility does grant you higher freedom in choosing your engagement, of course, but that's where I find the "mass lock factor" to be a real clever addition...otherwise smaller ships would, indeed, dominate most combat activities without much hassle.
Both players being equal, the more maneuverable ship has the advantage (for the most part). An FAS will simply not give a Python much time on target and it is tough enough to take a beating in its own right.
Well, if the python has only fixed/gimballed weaponry, then this is true - this is exactly what I was struggling with after 2.1.
But then I put a pair of turrets on the two topside large weapon mounts...and that's been quite effective, especially with burst lasers (they tend to 'miss' less due to chaff or maneuvering, I find) and in combination with flying in reverse or doing the boost + FA/off maneuver. The seeker missiles I have on the medium mounts add a heavy punch to the hull & modules once that weaker shield on the FAS goes down.
There are also a few things the stats don't take into account, like ramming.
Well...stats can give you an idea of how effective ramming will be, if you consider thrust, velocity, mass, and shield strength, but I will agree it's not something immediately accountable for in the heat of combat.
The FAS is just more effective in combat hands down (1v1 because the Python can function as a light tank or sniper in a wing)
I think it honestly depends on the variables at play!
Anyway, I think we've both stated our position solidly. If anyone else wants to interject on their experiences between FAS and Python, please do. The context is that I'm of the view that an Elite FAS NPC (being a tried and true dedicated combat ship known as one of the most effective in PVP) should be a massive, if not overwhelming, threat to any player Python and even more so to one set up as a smuggling ship. For comparison, this is what I'm running delivery missions with and now defeating dedicated elite NPC FASs, FDLs, Clippers and even the odd Anaconda:
https://coriolis.io/outfit/python/2...j4yoo.IwBj4yNNSA==?bn=Nemesis (in transition)
When I say I'm not that good and then mention I can take those on, my point is that there is something off with the difficulty settings. I KNOW that I'm at best competent because I do get to practice some PVP with friends (and occasionally not friends) and the better ones will own me every time all else being equal so I'm not theorycrafting. I'm posting an observation based on experience and providing context so you can come to your own conclusions.
PvP competency and PvE competency are always going to be two very different things, though - there's just any number of variables that are not compatible between the two. Being bested in PvP may not mean you're bad overall, nor that you're incompetent in the slightest with PvE.
I will admit, I think the AI doesn't seem to fly FDLs as well as they ought to...but that's subject to being, well, subjective.
As to your loadout, it's very similar to my own multirole Python...military bulkheads, A-grade equipment, seeker missiles, the same utility slots, and you have an additional HRP (I have a 5A SCB instead).
We're both basically flying with top-of-the-line equipment in one of the finest ships in the game, and the biggest that can land on any medium pad.
So I still say it makes me wonder greatly why you still believe you should be inadequate to the task of defending yourself against a FAS, as you're not an inadequate pilot and you have certainly prepared yourself with proper equipment.
