"penetrating the armor around the cockpit"

Just so you know, on many Kensai, this is where the armor is heaviest. The head of the Kensai has a sensor suite used to display the area around to the pilot, but the cockpit is located in the chest and frequently has no viewport and heavy armor.

However, most Kensai have a vulnerability in their propulsion systems, allowing you to disable a Kensai that way. Just a little nit pick.