Pick something with good agility. IDing targets is faster the closer you are, and high agility allows you to turn away easily once you've IDd a target and killed it. Also useful for turning around, i tended to fly fast, ID target, kill it if possible, if not, turn around and do another pass.
Since you need to ID targets (i don't actually know what happens if you shoot an unidentified target as i never did that), special weapons are of limited value in the mission. Usually you'll be close to targets so standard missiles suffice, and upgrading them is highly useful. (I didn't use cannon in the mission but logically it should be quite useful, especially if upgraded.) Good special weapon options are either LAAMs or HVAAs, or maybe HPAAs if you're close, for the few situations where you may end up being able to use them (friendlies have IDd targets, or the very end), though i suppose other special weapons work if you do first recon passes and then proceed to destroy everything at once.
High speed and acceleration are also useful, since you'll be flying around a lot, especially in the part when you intercept the bombers. As such the mission favors late game planes really.
Honestly kinda lackluster mission. Becomes only interesting in the second phase when you have very strict timer, otherwise it is kinda leisurely and unchallenging, at least on easy and normal.
