[Captain Kwok]

That's incorrect. The Federation did use fighters in several battles with the Cardassians and Dominion in Deep Space Nine. They were similiar in design to Maquis ships.

I was thinking of making fighters into a racial tech, so the Federation would have a small Shuttle, Runabout, and a Peregrine Class fighter and would be carried in a shuttlebay component.

Depending on the race, some would have fighters but most would only have a shuttle/scout sized vessel instead.

Cardassian Hideki class ships would be more suited as escort-sized ships.