Starsector: Eagle

Apparently folk don't know how to fit an Eagle. Clipped Wings - An Eagle Thread

The key is ions. You need a bunch of ions to get anything done. If you try it on a Falcon you'll run out of slots for doing damage, while neither Eradicators nor Champions can load both HMGs and an ion fusillade. 

That said yes the Eagle is basically a falcon +50% except it has a giant speed malus for no apparent reason and relatively shitty flux stats since it only has +24% ordnance points. Although apparently this is a normal ratio; the Eagle is 87% as efficient as the Falcon, and an Aurora is 88% as efficient as an Eagle. Hull mods fit easier and the firepower is more naturally concentrated on larger models.

Due to AI being artificial idiocy, the Eagle doesn't have better survivability. The Falcon can flee and the Eagle kind of can't because it doesn't know how to use manoeuvring thrusters in any way except on cooldown. In theory having +50% more slots makes the Eagle better at burst, but this only means it is faster at winning overmatched fights it was going to win anyway. 

You could build it to bully destroyers, perhaps, if you have some weird destroyer vendetta. Fleet situation only, since it's too slow to escape destroyer pincers if it tries to solo. Note that two heavy blasters gives you 1000 DPS for 1440 flux, whereas three pulse lasers gives you 900 DPS for 900 flux. Functionally that's 29 extra OP for vents compared to trying to do 900 DPS with blasters. (That's 98% as efficient as a Falcon!)

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If you want the AI to pilot it, it should be a support cruiser. Give it hypervelocities and gravitons, then tell it to escort a capital, which can then focus on explosive damage. Doesn't matter that it's slow, since it only has to be faster than its buddy. I think having only one ion beam isn't worth the effort. Gravitons do 200 shield damage/sec for 75 flux, plus they cripple fighters and don't cost ordnance points. They scale with themselves; the more you have, the greater percent of their dissipation you're negating. Especially nice when it's over 100%. "Flank this, wise guy." Note that for EMP purposes, HVDs count as half an ion weapon due to their fire rate. 

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For a self-piloted Eagle, use the comically overpowered heavy machine gun. Three of those on the front will strip the shields from any non-Paragon. Step 2: four ion weapons. I found two smalls and two mediums worked well. Use the pulsers, here they're better than the beams for various reasons. You can also go for three small, but having at least one PD laser is handy. On the remaining medium energy slot, use a heavy blaster or a phase lance. I added salamanders since small missile slots are just kind of sad on cruisers. Salamanders feed into the EMP theme and help you deal with faster destroyers or frigates.

Two HMGs and one assault chaingun might also be fun. I haven't tried it yet. I also haven't tried double AM blaster + triple ion pulser.

Anyway, fly right up to folk, pop their shield, then ion their weapons into oblivion. You'll often catch their engines too. Helpfully the Eagle has manoeuvring jets to help charge from their maximum range toward your HMG range. Since they now can't shoot at you, you can vent in their face. Suggestion: resistant flux conduits. Suggestion: have the rest of the fleet geared for endurance and set to defend so they can be a huge distraction and you can flank with your assassin.

If you have a heavy blaster, then normally rely on the ions for defence and don't put your shield back up. Hammer, vent, repeat. The phase lance is easily cheap enough to kill a thing before you need to vent a second time even with shields up, but is slower. Maybe try bringing an escort with finishers and help them out with a blaster.

This loadout destroys the simulator Aurora comically well. 37% more ship that's nevertheless faster? Yeah that's nice, I have three HMGs, your flux stats mean nothing. Hey uh your plasma injector doesn't work so hot when your engines have flamed out. The Eagle does have to keep the HMGs on and eating all your flux due to the Aurora's omnishield, but the Aurora has no armour so the ion pulsers can get through it by themselves.

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The above loadout is especially bad for the AI because it will flux itself out wasting the pulse ion charges on shields, and has no idea it can and should vent when it can't be shot at. However, it destroys the Aurora so bad even the AI can kill it without a scratch to the hull. 

I did try pulse lasers + assault chainguns, but it turns out you really miss the ions and the flux efficiency of the HMGs is very important.

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Perhaps you could use unstable injector and make a burst-focused anti-carrier assassin? Go around the back and clean up while the rest of your fleet anchors the battlefield.