Since upgrading my drop ship from Firebird to Herakles, I somehow have the feeling, I downgraded when entering the battlefield. I don't know how you play, but I hide my soldiers usually behind a wall. With the Herakles, it feels like there is an opening, where aliens can shoot in and hit nearly everything, before I can do a move. The Firebird has two openings and you can "switch sides" in a reasonable amount of time (units), or hide. The Herakles has the problem, that my soldiers in the back reach the "door" with half of their TUs depleted. Not much time to hide somewhere on the battlefield.
And I especially like it, when 2 aliens spawn left and right in front of the opening with Needler guns in their hands... and you don't see them fast enough...
What I want to say: If I were PHALANX, I would never construct a drop ship, where my soldiers can so easily been shot or they cannot hide fast enough.
So, what's next? Getting dropped with nothing to hide at all?