Turns out Gladius performance was not as bleak as I initially reported, but they are still sub-par (for the OP you pay for them) compared to alternatives. Currently Gladius would be worth about 8 OP, not 12. By comparison, I would put current Talons at 10 OP; they outperform the majority of fighter wings. Wasps are pathetically weak. They need all the skill help they can get to survive. Otherwise, bigger enemy ships eat Wasps like popcorn before they do much damage.
To my surprise, Warthogs are brutally effective if you can stack lots of them. With enough Warthogs, they murder big ships quickly. Only bombers have a chance to kill faster, but Warthogs are more self-sufficient. If Warthogs were fast enough to chase down frigates, they will be even better than Sparks.
With I tried to solo simulator with Astral with Warthogs, it was like playing with Paragon. Big ships die, but frigates stalled the Astral due to outrunning Warthogs. With Sparks, Astral killed as much as its CR held out. Only nine combat ships were left out of the entire simulator before CR decayed to zero. Paragon could not do so well, due to frigates kiting then swarming for the kill.