Well the Federation Cruiser is set post victory or post putting the universe back together.
After you destroyed the Flagship Preview - unless of course you unlocked it pre-AE which I did as well.
With the Zoltan rejoining the Federation. The Mantis is a common species and is found everywhere. Pirate ships often have them, Obviously common on Mantis ships. Is aligned with the Rebel Faction as well, etc.
Actually I don't think the Mantis are aligned with the Rebels. That Engi event does say the Rebels use Mantis ships, but as a disguise. Considering how many Mantises are killed and ships captured or blown up, the Rebels perhaps have whole salvage yards...
Plus they're using Mantis ships as a way to make it look like the Mantis are raiding. The Engies retaliate by using pirate ships, so yeah...
Even in a world with sensors camo is still needed. Look at the real life B-2, that thing is in a world where radar dominates but it is still painted black (night) and grey shades pixel (day, kinda like stealth type B)
Space is pretty big... so big that you shouldn't even be able to see a ship by looking out the window or be flying so close that they can see it out the window (unless you're in a nebula but one problem at a time).
Then again, they are within ranges where missiles and lasers can hit their targets (or miss) so again what do I know about FTL logic
I'm supposed to have fun shooting up ships.
And raming isn't that easy to avoid. Ramming is more harder to avoid then a missile in some situations. You got the fact you are a huge ship that doesn't have a good specific impulse to go stop suddenly to avoid the hit.
Considering the fact that I usually encounter a Mantis Fighter hunting Rocks and I'm using a huge Rock ship...
Either that Mantis Fighter should be splattered to pieces or it should dodge my ram.
But anyway, all I wanted to do is just make a 'correct' stealth fighter or bomber. What you have here is a federation one. My one is a Engi commissioned ship.
Ok, now I'm thinking of a "Stealth D" where it's in the colours of a nebula. Because if the ship can be seen in space, and sensors don't work in a nebula and you probably do have to look out the viewports/windows... wouldn't it be better to be camouflaged visually there?