The problem with that comparison is that fighters are 1 on 1 games that start both characters in the same condition, a true duel in which both have access to a similar set of tools. In Starsector, however, the engagements are entirely up to the player and it's up to the them make the fights more favorable. That means luring fleets away from each other, having allied fleets join in, dragging in opposing factions and so on. While I agree that certain things should follow the same rules (global combat mechanics), the combat has never meant to be 1:1. Hell, even the 200:300 split on the max battle size hints at this and the fact that the default start is a very weak player against a field full of sharks also implies it.
You also have to consider the fact that AIs in fighters have come a long way and you can develop a nearly unbeatable one if they are coded to read inputs. Starsector doesn't have this luxury and thus needs to find alternative ways to compensate for that, such as larger fleets.
I feel robbed of a fair fight
I do not agree with this sentiment. I would only agree if the game did not provide the tools to beat those fleets, but it does. All the aforementioned campaign manipulation helps to alleviate this difference, and when considering expeditions exclusively, a well armed station is equivalent to dozens of ships. I toyed around with battle limits before and I had a battle with about 70-80 Sindrian ships attacking my station and it didn't lose a single compartment. When attacking, luring fleets away works really well.
Moreover, repeating what I said before, this will most likely be addressed in a future patch in which the player will be able to command multiple fleets. Never mind, I assumed wrongly what the "orders" tab was about. Still a possibility though.
Even if I can beat the cheating AI, the experience is still not fun.
And this is where we ideologically disagree. I take pleasure in defeating stronger opponents while you take pleasure when completely dominating them in equal footing. I'd like to end this post by saying that I do not oppose raising the cap to 40 ships (especially before the next major features patch). If that makes the game more enjoyable to more people without hurting it then I'm all for it. I just hope we can find a good balance between our different points of view.