I consider most fighters too similar to missiles. Bombers are obvious, but even interceptors like Talons feel too similar to missiles for my tastes, even if they do not suicidally ram enemy ships or explode for big damage like a Reaper. This is something I probably will never see eye-to-eye with the likes of Thaago. The only fighters that do not behave like missiles are the escort-only ones, namely mining pods and Xyphos (and Terminator drones on Tempest); those feel more like Gradius options or Chmmr Zapsats. Carriers behave like a missile ship should (by avoiding enemies). Of course, carriers cowering like they should burns AI Legion built to brawl like an Onslaught.
Every time I tried various loadouts with Gryphon in serious late-game battles, it was always the first to die. (I give long-range missile loadouts, and it, with Steady AI, still manages to approach enemies thinking it is a tanky warship and get itself killed.) I probably need to dedicate a Cautious officer with missile skills and no carrier skills - yuck! I do not like to build officers that are only good for a single ship type, especially if I do not bring ten officers. The only time Gryphon was mildly useful to me was when I loot one early around the start of midgame (while I still use clunkers I loot from pirates) when it was outfitted like a bigger Enforcer (with Hammer Barrage instead of Annihilators) to be cheap and disposable, where dying would not be a problem (because I would just recover it and re-use it with cheap stuff until I no longer need it).