No. SF had directional armor and (IIRC) shields.
Once SE5 lets you add new slot types (it was apparently supposed to, and MM thought it was working, but it isn't), you could make a limited fully directional hit system.
The problem is the shield "generators" would also be the shield "points", so when your shields fail, there goes the generator too.
..speaking of, I'm still trying to get a Langston Field type system into SE5.
Perfect protection until the shield gets too low, then some penetration. And if the shield gets overwhelmed, BANG..no ship.
EDIT: by the way, I should point out SJ and I didn't mention damagetypes when we were explaining the damage system. Layers are a bit more important when complex damage types are involved, as you can have a weapon that is partially blocked by the shields and passes the rest through to the hull, for example.