Based on the Federal Dropship, the Federal Assault Ship sacrifices the flexibility of its sibling in favour of a more combat-oriented profile. Faster and more manoeuvrable than the Dropship, and boasting two medium and two large hardpoints, this is a vessel that has been designed to strike fast and hard. The trade-off for this power and agility is a reduction in internal compartments, making the Assault Ship less versatile than the Dropship.
— In-game description
The Federal Assault Ship, also referenced as Federal Dropship MkII and abbreviated as FAS, was introduced in the CQC update and is a combat-oriented variant of the Federal Dropship by having improved speed and manoeuvrability over the latter without compromising firepower or defense.
Overview
The Federal Assault Ship's agility comes at the cost of fewer Internal Compartments, which makes it more of a fighter than a multipurpose ship.[1][2] Also similar to the Federal Dropship and the Federal Gunship is the fact that the Assault Ship has weak shield but strong hull strength, which leads to them being commonly referred to as "hull tanks". Pilots must earn the rank of Chief Petty Officer with the Federal Navy in order to purchase the Federal Assault Ship.
As a combat ship, the Federal Assault Ship's main competitor is the Alliance Chieftain when considering for a purchase. Both ships have identical core internal compartments, identical agility ratings (the Federal Assault Ship has higher boost speed but lower base top speed), similar defensive capabilities (the Assault Ship offers significantly better module protection than the Chieftain, but has a weaker shield) and very similar base price tags. However, the Chieftain has slightly better firepower and its hardpoints are slightly better placed, has slightly better optional internal compartments, but is mass locked by the Federal Assault Ship. While the Chieftain has no rank requirement for purchase unlike the Federal Assault Ship, it does require the Horizons expansion.
Federal Assault Ship hardpoint convergence
The weapon hardpoints are located as follows: one top mounted large hardpoint located behind the cockpit, one bottom mounted large hardpoint located on the nose of the ship, and two medium hardpoints located in the bottom of the base of each lower wing. The locations of the bottom mounted hardpoints are in identical to those on both the Federal Dropship and the Federal Gunship.
Purchase Locations
| System | Station | Date Seen | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinrarta Dezhra | Jameson Memorial | Always available | 10% discount |
| Brestla | i Sola Prospect | Always available | 20% surcharge |
| KP Tauri | Spedding Orbital | Oct. 1, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Maikoro | Hawking Port | Oct. 1, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Dinda | Mount Sunday | Oct. 1, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Fiden | Panshin Ring | Oct. 1, 2019 | 15% discount |
| G 41-14 | Ramon Hub | Oct. 1, 2019 | |
| 82 Eridani | Bresnik Port | Oct. 1, 2019 | |
| Dulos | Wilson Ring | Oct. 1, 2019 | |
| HR 2283 | Musgrave Dock | Oct. 1, 2019 | |
| Dahan | Dahan Gateway | Oct. 1, 2019 | |
| LHS 302 | Kavandi Dock | Oct. 1, 2019 |
Outfitting
- Main article: Outfitting
All ships are customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Federal Assault Ship.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Hardpoint | Pulse Laser (L) | F | 1 | 2 |
| Pulse Laser (L) | F | 1 | 2 | |
| Large Hardpoint | Empty | -- | -- | 3 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Utility Mount | Empty | -- | -- | 0 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloys | I | 1 | 8 |
| Reactor Bay | Power Plant | E | 6 | 6 |
| Thrusters Mounting | Thrusters | E | 6 | 6 |
| Frame Shift Drive Housing | Frame Shift Drive | E | 5 | 5 |
| Environment Control | Life Support | E | 5 | 5 |
| Power Coupling | Power Distributor | E | 6 | 6 |
| Sensor Suite | Sensors | E | 4 | 4 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x16] | C | 4 | 4 |
| Internal Compartments | Shield Generator | E | 5 | 5 |
| Cargo Rack [x16] | E | 4 | 5 | |
| Cargo Rack [x8] | E | 3 | 4 | |
| Empty (M) | -- | -- | 4 | |
| Empty (M) | -- | -- | 4 | |
| Cargo Rack [x8] | E | 3 | 3 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Supercruise Assist | E | 1 | 1 | |
| Planetary Approach Suite (H) | I | 1 | 1 |
- (L) = Loaned Module
- [x#] = Capacity
- (H) = Requires Elite Dangerous: Horizons, reserved solely for Planetary Approach Suite
- (M) = Military Compartment reserved for Hull Reinforcement Package, Module Reinforcement Package, or Shield Cell Bank
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