don't forgot the type of ship
u can kill a VHF in a LF without taking much damage, co'z u can outmaneuvre him, and if he's fire missiles u can outturn thus missiles, and u can see the line of fire he is shooting at you, the same is for him, only ur line of fire can be change a lot easier then his, co'z u can outmaneuvre him
about the weap... an outbalanced projectile speed and a good weaponclass is important... and of co'z, what weap do u like (slow firerate/high firerate, high projectile speed/slow projectile speed, guns/missiles, torps/disruptors and all that kind of sh*t)
sometimes u can better use a light fighter and do better missions then when u use a very heavy fighter, think about it