I focused on Terran hardware because you didn't get to fly for the Vasudans in FS1...
They are still guilty of similar sins in retiring the Amun. Terrans frantically try to get a Harbinger-compatible heavy bomber operational to take care of Shivan destroyers and the Lucy in particular... while Vasudans retire a Harbinger-compatible heavy bomber in favour of the Osiris? Hmm. If its Banshees could have been replaced with Kaysers - as they were in the Ursa - it would have been one sweet ship in FS2.
At least they kept the old fighter designs that still excel at their role... the Horus is an outstanding interceptor (even though I found the Valkyrie sexier) and the Thoth is still a terror in a dogfight if you equip it with decent primaries.
I'm not so sure about the reasoning behind the Serapis... it flies like a dream and has well-placed gun mounts, but it certainly isn't a better interceptor (stated role) than the Horus and choosing such a light ship as a platform for the Maxim seems odd. What the Vasudans still lack is a rough equivalent of the Loki - still manoeverable yet sturdy enough to finish an opponent while under fire yourself, preferably with the ability to carry Kaysers. As it is, the only craft they have that combines speed with semi-adequate shielding is the Ptah, which is rare, badly deficient in terms of firepower and not really meant as a combat craft.
Their heavier craft are a lesson on the importance of target profile: If you just go by the table entries, the Tauret looks a lot better than the old Seth and the Sekhmet looks like it would outperform the Tauret in the capacity of an assault fighter. In practice, power comes at the price of survivability and they all have their uses.
My main point of criticism would be that none of these is capable of carrying a Maxim, forcing one to use a Bakha or Serapis if we want to take cheap shot at capital ships.
