Where the GTVA had invested in cheap, sophisticated superiority fighters capable of independent operations since Capella (an answer to qualitatively inferior Shivan bombers), the UEF fighter corps maintained a moderate reserve of extremely capable high-firepower fighters and gunships. Lacking intersystem jump drives or sustainable energy weapons, these short-duration, low-fuel, high-intensity UEF fighters - the Uhlan, Kentaroi, and most notably the Uriel - were an easy match for the GTVA's four- and six-ship wings of obsolete Myrmidons and Nahema-screening Kulas.

UEF pilots, meanwhile, had trained to operate in close coordination with their warship assets, whereas GTVA pilots generally stood well clear in order to avoid friendly beam fire. The Jovian pilots of the UEF Third Fleet, unlike Terran pilots from the First Fleet's Solaris, were disciplined, very well-trained, and largely drawn from active-duty military ranks rather than from reservists.  While many of the GTVA Fourth Fleet's pilots had comparable combat experience and better training, they were thrown into battle without appropriate preparation or complete orders due to the hastiness of the Fourth Fleet's move from defensive posture to attack.

The combination of fast, cheap GTVA fighters and non-survivable bomber assets built to attack numerous but thinly defended Shivan warships made even experienced GTVA pilots easy pickings for their UEF counterparts. Only the GTVA's more sophisticated warcraft, including the Perseus interceptor and Aurora scout fighter, excelled in the Terran theater, and this would remain true for the remainder of the war. In order to compensate, GTVA High Command put a premium on new ejection systems, close teamwork with AWACS and friendly warships, and the use of TAG systems. Ironically, the Erinyes heavy fighter - popular among SOC units and heavy fighter squadrons - was not agile enough to stand up to the firepower of UEF gunships, and more than one GTVA ace lost her life in the cockpit of these formerly superior ships.

The GTVA's major advantage was the Balor cannon. Modular, powerful, and intimidating, the Balor became the bread-and-butter weapon of GTVA pilots. The UEF fighter corps grew to fear the Balor intensely. Novice pilots generally lost their life when attacked by Myrmidons or Persei wielding Balors: the oncoming arcs of silver light triggered an instinctive reaction to break and turn away, and the Balor chewed through both shields and UEF armor with ease.