I will admit I prefer fighters for the same effect, as the fighter technology gives other useful components (many small components, which work for troops as well, such as the small DUC and perhaps the small shield generators), they are cheaper than drones, and you don't actually lose all your fighters in a single assault.
Above all, Fighters I gives the very nice Light Carrier, roughly on par with the Light Cruiser. (The former has decent transport abilities, some extra protection thanks to its fighter bays, while the latter has a defence bonus and 20kt more space) These hulls are very versatile, and your opponent is left guessing about the contents of these carriers, which may be loaded with direct fire weaponry or fighters instead. I would expect the Other Side to be surprised if they saw a strong fighter complement to these previously empty carriers.
Obviously, it is most useful if you do have the time to produce a good amount of fighters, but they can be built rather quickly if you have the spare resources and some idle planets for mass production. On the other hand, I have found drones to be slow to build because of their higher cost, and I would rather use kamikaze fighters instead of drones for the same purpose.
So I am not laughing at these units, but merely discarding drones for fighters instead. Granted, I am too much addicted to these fighters swarms and their Light Carriers.
