The Federal Corvette is one of the most powerful combat ships on the market. With a total of seven hardpoints, the ship has few rivals in terms of damage output, and is remarkably manoeuvrable given its size. Despite its comparatively small jump range, owning a Corvette is the ultimate ambition of many independent combat pilots, its astonishing power making it one of the most formidable vessels in the galaxy.
— In-game description
The Federal Corvette is a ship manufactured by Core Dynamics for the Federation. It serves as the Federal Navy's counterpart to the Imperial Cutter, and purchasing it requires achieving a Federal Navy rank of Rear Admiral. Designed from the ground up for combat, the Federal Corvette boasts a mix of potent firepower and surprising agility that make it a fearsome threat in any battle. The Federal Corvette is the smallest and most common warship fielded by the Federal Navy, and carries out a variety of duties including long-range patrol, peace-keeping, pirate suppression, and even power projection in situations where deploying a Farragut Battle Cruiser would be overkill.
Overview
Comparing the Federal Corvette with the Anaconda and the Imperial Cutter (sometimes collectively referred to as the "big three" by the independent pilot community), the Federal Corvette is specialized for combat, while the Imperial Cutter and Anaconda lean more towards the multipurpose role. The Federal Corvette also has the worst jump range out of the three, due to it being more than twice as heavy as the Anaconda and having a smaller Frame Shift Drive than the Cutter. The Federal Corvette is the third largest ship on the private market, and is only surpassed in size by the Beluga Liner and the Imperial Cutter.[1]
The Federal Corvette is one of the strongest ships in a firefight. In a one on one fight, a maxed-out Corvette will usually win against an Anaconda, Imperial Cutter, or Type-10 Defender due to its extremely high damage output and exceptional mobility for its size. Unlike the Cutter, it also has a power distributor capable of fully powering its arsenal and packs a serious punch. In terms of defensive potential, the Corvette has better armour than the Cutter. However, with only a Class 7 Shield Generator, its shield is weaker than the Cutter. Combined with a lower armour value than both Anaconda and Type-10, the Corvette's overall defences are the lowest among its price range. In addition, the placement of the ship's internals, particularly its power plant and distributor, and its body shape make it easy for smaller, nimbler ships to inflict module damage.
The Corvette can carry up to 618T of cargo, making it a good freighter. In fact, it has the third highest cargo capacity of any ship on the market, behind the Imperial Cutter and Type-9 Heavy, making it a good choice for a well-armed trading vessel and a viable alternative for traders who prefer the Federation's utilitarian ship aesthetics over the sleeker style of the Imperial Cutter and the bulkiness of the Type-9.
The Corvette has a relatively low jump range potential, a disadvantage that is exacerbated when it is weighed down by heavy, high-performance modules for combat situations. Long-distance travel in the Corvette is often tedious, even in a streamlined exploration build. This greatly hinders its usage as a trader and makes it tricky to reach mission targets. The Guardian Frame Shift Drive Booster can be used to mitigate this deficiency.
Overall the Corvette is the endpoint in combat power and is almost unmatched in sheer offensive capabilities on the battlefield. Only the Anaconda, Type-10 Defender, and Imperial Cutter can reasonably match it, and even then they will have a far harder time bringing all their guns to bear on a single opponent. The Corvette's main downsides are its poor jump-range and lower defenses, but its attacking strength cannot be overstated, and unlike ships like the Vulture or Fer-de-Lance it still has potential in other roles, and is easily one of the best Pirate and Bounty Hunting vessels in the game.
Federal Corvette hardpoints convergence
The Federal Corvette features two huge hardpoints mounted behind the cockpit, making it the only ship capable of mounting multiple Class 4 weapons.[2] The single large hardpoint is located under the nose of the vessel, two medium hardpoints are on either side of the ship, and two small hardpoints lie on the nose. Complimenting the hardpoints are a total of 8 utility mounts. The Federal Corvette can also accommodate a Fighter Hangar to deploy Ship-Launched Fighters.
Purchase Locations
| System | Station | Date Seen | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinrarta Dezhra | Jameson Memorial | Always available | 10% discount |
| Brestla | i Sola Prospect | Always available | 20% surcharge |
| Momus Reach | Ralphus | Jul. 1, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Kutnigi | Redi Enterprise | Feb. 7, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Lembava | Goldstein Port | Jan. 1, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Ix | Scully-Power Station | Jan. 1, 2019 | 15% discount |
| EQ Pegasi | Merbold Ring | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| Ross 33 | Crown City | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| 9 Ceti | Fanning Vision | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| Zibal | Hire Port | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| Apala | Wilson City | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| 61 Ursae Majoris | Boulton Hub | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| LHS 20 | Ohm City | Feb. 8, 2019 | 15% discount |
| EZ Aquarii | Magnus Gateway | Feb. 12, 2019 | |
| LHS 2088 | Tanaka Terminal | Jun. 16, 2019 |
Outfitting
All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Federal Corvette.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Hardpoint | Empty | -- | -- | 1 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Medium Hardpoint | Pulse Laser (L) | F | 1 | 2 |
| Pulse Laser (L) | F | 1 | 2 | |
| Large Hardpoint | Empty | -- | -- | 3 |
| Huge Hardpoint | Empty | -- | -- | 4 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 4 | |
| Utility Mount | Empty | -- | -- | 0 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloys | I | 1 | 8 |
| Reactor Bay | Power Plant | E | 8 | 8 |
| Thrusters Mounting | Thrusters | E | 7 | 7 |
| Frame Shift Drive Housing | Frame Shift Drive | E | 6 | 6 |
| Environment Control | Life Support | E | 5 | 5 |
| Power Coupling | Power Distributor | E | 8 | 8 |
| Sensor Suite | Sensors | E | 8 | 8 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x32] | C | 5 | 5 |
| Internal Compartments | Shield Generator | E | 7 | 7 |
| Cargo Rack [x64] | E | 6 | 7 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 7 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 6 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 6 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 5 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 5 | |
| Empty (M) | -- | -- | 5 | |
| Empty (M) | -- | -- | 5 | |
| Cargo Rack [x8] | E | 3 | 4 | |
| Cargo Rack [x4] | E | 2 | 4 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 3 | |
| 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
Trivia
- It is very commonly noted that the Federal Corvette bears a heavy resemblance to the Imperial Star Destroyer from the Star Wars franchise; with the only major difference being the smaller bridge.
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