We should add 3 more levels of Armor components, with increasing HPs. Armor should always be a viable alternative to shields, with each having their own uses.
In fact, it would IMO be a good idea to make Armor come in 1 kT chunks, and have more HPs than Shield Generators make. This allows the Armor ships to win the first battle, but have lots less defense left for the next ones. The shield ships have fewer HPs to start with, but get their defenses for every battle. Sort of like in P&N mod.
Of course, that system is very different from stock SE4, so we may not want it for a balance mod. But, having 3 more levels of the Armor comps (no new tech areas) would be a great idea.