Once you get a ship cabable of mounting class 8 equipment and higher, the NPC's are a joke. Mount codenames with shield busters and they're flies on the wall.
The only real threat in the NPC ranks fighter wise are the Nomads and the Wild, oh and Freelancer ships with the hull of a planet.
They are frustrating, but once you hit the Super Heavy Fighters and Capitals, enjoy the free bots and bats.