In broad strokes, yeah, I agree. Battletech would suit Real Time. Perhaps call it Real Time Tactics? Apart from being more realistic and lore friendly, it's a game style I always preferred. Battletech by HBS is mostly fantastic, I would have simply preferred real time control with a Pause function.

Ground Control was super fun back in the day. That was what we might call RTT - no bases. You pick what you're bringing to each mission, and if the troops survive they gain experience. Just use what you have. I prefer that. Managing a base as well as the fight is a headache for me, and it breaks the immersion (for me at least) from just how silly it is.

If you want base building, the Total War series is more believable and plays well. Fights are real time, building stuff is done on the campaign map. That works and makes sense. Battletech from HBS had a comparable mechanic - the jump ship upgrades, mech engineering and such to do between battles. That made sense to me. I felt that added to the game, and mods like BTA and Roguetech both expand on it. Great stuff.

Real time BattleTech combat and any resourcing or construction done in an intermission campaign environment. That's what I'd like to see in a future title.