A precision bomber:
450 metal
1200 dmg
1250 HP
600 range
Licho:
2000 metal
2500 dmg + AOE
2600 HP
500 range
Precision bombers do more damage per cost, have more HP/cost, and are more scalable.
Licho is mostly redundant.
2 Precisions kill 1 AA Tower.
300 metal against 450 metal - BUT you can never have as much Anti-Bomber towers at one spot as you can have bombers attacking one spot.
On small maps a single chainsaw in the center avoids mostly all air.
On big maps with many metal, it's nearly impossible to defend against bombers.
Ships have a huge disadvantage to precision bomber spam - especially guarded with vamps.
The Ship AA is specialised to kill gunships, but not air.
The only effective defense are fighters, but they are often scared away by Chainsaws, or even a Screamer.
If the bombers are follow some vamps, they usually never get killed till they drop their bombs.
Because of Air is mostly who has the most vamps, and who is attacking where is currently no patrol, the attacker can't get engaged.
Unless you play against noobs, the only factor that rules about who dominate the air is, which team have more eco.
I know that it is an design goal to make fighters be the best AA, but I can't figure out the weakness at a bit larger maps.
Maybe I'm wrong and some ppls can help me here, but than the manual should also be extended to guid newbes on the way to the over-average-playstyle.