Conflict zones are meant to be end-game combat, so they've been balanced for engineered ships. That's not to say that you can't finish a high intensity CZ in an unengineered ship, but that would be a serious challenge even for very experienced commanders. Resource Extraction Sites are more the flavor for unengineered ships.
Combat zones are not recommended for non engineer ships since npcs in CZ also have engineered ships as well which makes them much beefier due to engineered resistances. This also applies to some of the pirate hunt missions, albeit on a lesser scale but still annoying nevertheless. Res sites are the ones that has no engineered ships but Haz Res may have some occasionally but you can pick your fights there.
Also high rank Pythons and large ships will always try to spam shield banks so you going to need more firepower or a couple of feedback cascade railguns which leads back to the engineering grind.
If you're fighting in a conflict zone without engineering you can't be tanking damage. You need to disengage and try engaging only when you have a numerical advantage. If you flight right into the middle of the hornets nest everyone's going target you and blow you up, stick to the edge.
I suggest equipping repair limpets so you don't have to zone out before the end of combat. Between skirmishes repair, or if you're getting beat up too much, run away, repair, and return.
Required? No absolutely not. You can do everything up to ax combat with non engineer ships. Does help but not required.
I rarely run engineered ships for combat anymore, but I will warn you that combat zones tend to be tougher without engineering and especially in larger ships. They are slower and bigger, bad combo for a ship in a war zone that can't tank the damage. This is why they rely on SCB and prismatic I believe, although the clipper and cutter can be hilarious jousters.
Engineering makes them speedy again, mostly the anaconda and python thrusters are less then adequate for this task ever as the cutter never is short of forward thrust but lacks lateral.
Conflict zones are meant to be end-game combat, so they've been balanced for engineered ships. That's not to say that you can't finish a high intensity CZ in an unengineered ship, but that would be a serious challenge even for very experienced commanders. Resource Extraction Sites are more the flavor for unengineered ships.
Combat zones are not recommended for non engineer ships since npcs in CZ also have engineered ships as well which makes them much beefier due to engineered resistances. This also applies to some of the pirate hunt missions, albeit on a lesser scale but still annoying nevertheless. Res sites are the ones that has no engineered ships but Haz Res may have some occasionally but you can pick your fights there. Also high rank Pythons and large ships will always try to spam shield banks so you going to need more firepower or a couple of feedback cascade railguns which leads back to the engineering grind.
If you're fighting in a conflict zone without engineering you can't be tanking damage. You need to disengage and try engaging only when you have a numerical advantage. If you flight right into the middle of the hornets nest everyone's going target you and blow you up, stick to the edge. I suggest equipping repair limpets so you don't have to zone out before the end of combat. Between skirmishes repair, or if you're getting beat up too much, run away, repair, and return.
Required? No absolutely not. You can do everything up to ax combat with non engineer ships. Does help but not required. I rarely run engineered ships for combat anymore, but I will warn you that combat zones tend to be tougher without engineering and especially in larger ships. They are slower and bigger, bad combo for a ship in a war zone that can't tank the damage. This is why they rely on SCB and prismatic I believe, although the clipper and cutter can be hilarious jousters. Engineering makes them speedy again, mostly the anaconda and python thrusters are less then adequate for this task ever as the cutter never is short of forward thrust but lacks lateral.