The suggestion: Adding a ship (and corresponding built-in hullmod) with a modular fighter bay that can only accept automated drones (Wasps, Mining Pods, etc)
Main purpose of this suggestion: There's a few Frigate-size vessels that come with built-in wings, but there's none with any sort of modular fighter bays. Also, there's not any real "drone carriers" that are not automated themselves. Also, drones in fiction are cool. So, why not have a Drone Carrier/Battlecarrier? Either high-tech or mid-tech, either heavy-end frigate or light-end cruiser. Target DP cost between 7-9 or so.
Why it's different from existing content: Shepherds are a drone tender, but they're more of a civillian logistics ship converted to be slightly less vulnerable. Tempest's drones acts as its PD/anti-fighter weaponry, so it can use its 2 Medium Energies against other ships. Both are built-in wings. A Drone Battlecarrier with a modular would be significantly more flexible in terms of loadouts, though not quite as flexible as a full-fledge carrier that can support manned fighters.
Admittedly, the modular options for most of the sector would be limited to Mining Pods and Wasps. Still, it's a decent choice to be made: If you want to focus on the front-line brawling part, you can take the cheaper Mining Pods and they'll also act as half-decent point defense and distractions. If you want a better Point-Defense and anti-fighter solution, you take the more expensive Wasp Drones, sacrificing some of the front-line brawling capacity and also risking that the fragile things get wiped out quickly. Loadout flexibility would get quite a bit better once one begins venturing into Remnant systems and bringing home some loot.