This is a problem create by allowing increasing powerful unit available earlier. The window of opportunity for some of those units has become very small and thus their shock value has been increased too much to even be considered to be built. That can easily lead to snowball effects.
Imo the pace of the game should be slowed down allowing more time for each phase of the game and more more options should be available for to counter light vehicles.
For instance Ostheer could get the 221 in durable version with limited AI but good at fighting cars and snipers and then 222 could be be delay become more expensive and become more AT oriented.
Flame vehicles could have their DOT moved to an ability so that they remain effective but for a limited timed.
All that would reduce the need for early AEC or for an OP T-70.
While I generally agree, I think this is way out of scope for CoH2. It would mean reworking the whole pricing and balance for basically every unit and ability in the game.
Also it depends on what kind of game you want, because at the moment a normal game lasts between 20-50 minutes. Slowing everything down would mean that games would regularly reach the 1 hour mark and more and not everyone wants to play these type of games.
The need for an early AEC could have been fixed by a different design of the faction. It's a remnant of bad emplacement design while the game has been (at least now) balanced around vehicle play and received a very prominent LV phase. But Brits where not designed to have a LV, the AEC was supposed to be optional.
I agree with Sir Edgelord here, we have to make small steps and try to improve what we got, even if this means that some results will always be subpar.