The confusion stems from a conflict between the textual description of the dropship and what it is effective at and actually gets rewarded for. The text highlights transport, but small maps, excessive knockback from swarms, and no SP reward makes it both risky and mostly pointless. Proto level small missile turrets on the other hand are both very effective and rewarded.

Dropships can fall to swarms if they slow too much, and that happens on occasion due to the low ceiling and high hills combined with the dusty atmosphere on one maps. However forge guns are their natural preditors. A top tier gunner can solo a ship, but it generally takes two lower level gunners coordinating and that doesn't happen often in pub matches. In that sense they sem OP in pub matches at the same time they are very UP in corp battles.

I tend to lose enough ships such that I'm always on the verge of running out of fits, so it seems fairly balanced to me right now.