The very definition of a multipurpose ship, the Imperial Clipper is a versatile vessel well suited to a variety of roles. A generous quantity of internal compartments has made it very popular with miners, while a sizeable cargo hold and robust defences have endeared the vessel to traders. Impressive straight-line speed rounds out the ship's profile, and makes it one of the most distinguished members of the Gutamaya family.
— In-Game Description
The Imperial Clipper is a large ship manufactured by Gutamaya for the Empire. It is the quintessential Imperial ship that epitomizes elegance of form while delivering speed and agility, and purchasing it requires achieving an Imperial Navy rank of Baron. Due to its balance of speed, luxury, and strength, it is used for transporting valuable items and personnel of importance across the Empire. The Imperial Clipper is quite popular among pirates and is considered to be the less expensive, smaller brother of the Imperial Cutter, but its strengths lie in the adaptability of its design rather than its combat performance.
Overview[]
Pilots of any profession may appreciate the Imperial Clipper's high potential speed; with fully upgraded Thrusters, it is comparable to that of smaller ships such as the Cobra MkIII and the Imperial Eagle. Additionally, its pitch rotation and yaw speed are higher than most ships, making it feel like a very hefty, weighted-down Eagle MkII with a Boost Speed that is similar to that of the Cobra MkIII. Its only drawback, and likely the reason for its low overall agility rating, is its poor lateral thruster strength. Combined with very weak shields for its size and wing-mounted hardpoints ill-suited for fixed weapons, the ship is difficult to recommend for combat even with a specialized build. The Imperial Clipper is also one of the widest ships on the market, which can make manual docking complicated for less experienced pilots. Compared to the similarly-priced Alliance Chieftain, the Clipper has superior shield strength and cargo capacity, but less overall firepower and weaker armour.
Its speed and manoeuvrability fall off more heavily when laden compared to other ships, meaning it loses that advantage when trading. Nonetheless, the ship is capable of carrying 248T of cargo, which is impressive given its price point and multipurpose capabilities. The Type-7 Transporter may be cheaper and can haul more cargo than the Imperial Clipper, but is not nearly as viable as an armed trader that can confront attackers as well as evade them if necessary.
The Imperial Clipper is also a good Miner with high cargo and numerous internal slots, but its two Class 2 and two Class 3 hardpoints can be constricting. Taking the Clipper out to mine means either sacrificing damage output to equip the necessary mining tools, or mining with moderate defences and reduced mining efficiency. The ship's large body can also prove problematic when moving in clustered asteroid fields and Planetary Rings.
With around 28Ly of jump range potential, the Imperial Clipper is an average vessel for exploration. It is more than capable of doing the job and is a good choice for jobs that require travelling long distances, but ships like the Asp Explorer easily outclass it in this role and cost substantially less.
Imperial Clipper hardpoint convergence
The weapon hardpoints are located as follows: one Class 3 large hardpoint on the top of either wing-tip nacelle, and one Class 2 medium hardpoint on the underside of either wing where the wing attaches to the main fuselage. The wing-tip mounts are very far from centerline and will have trouble converging their fields of fire unless used with gimballed or turret mounted weapons. The underside mounts although closer together, also suffer the same field of fire convergence issues although to a lesser degree than the wing-tip mounts. Due to this, fixed weapons generally are not easy to use with this ship. However, if two fixed weapons are placed on the same side of the ship, it is possible to use fixed mount weapons.
The pilot's seat is offset to the right of the centerline of the ship while the copilot's seat is offset to the left of the centerline. Although the ship is compatible with Multicrew, it cannot equip a Fighter Hangar.
Purchase Locations[]
| System | Station | Date Seen | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinrarta Dezhra | Jameson Memorial | Always available | 10% discount |
| Brestla | i Sola Prospect | Always available | 20% surcharge |
| LTT 11103 | Korniyenko Terminal | Mar. 11, 2018 | 15% discount |
| Baldr | Keldysh Gateway | Mar. 11, 2018 | 15% discount |
| Bandizel | Hahn Orbital | Mar. 11, 2018 | 15% discount |
| Eotienses | Parkinson Dock | Mar. 11, 2018 | 10% discount |
| V374 Pegasi | MacKellar Hub | Mar. 11, 2018 | 10% discount |
| Alit | Rittenhouse Dock | Mar. 11, 2018 | 10% discount |
| Wong Guin | Heiles Terminal | Mar. 11, 2018 | 10% discount |
| Achenar | Dawes Hub | Aug. 15, 2019 | |
| Achenar | Bell Terminal | Mar. 11, 2018 | |
| Ra | Kazantsev Dock | Mar. 11, 2018 | |
| Alectrona | Marley City | Mar. 11, 2018 | |
| LFT 78 | Coye Orbital | Mar. 11, 2018 | |
| Yokusu | Edwards Port | May 14, 2019 | |
| Arigens | Ordway Ring | Apr. 21, 2018 | |
| Sauraratec | Murakami Ring | Apr. 26, 2018 | |
| Rabh | Friedman Terminal | Mar. 5, 2019 | |
| Shente | Hawker Station | Aug. 15, 2019 | |
| LTT 606 | Jeremy | Oct. 10, 2022 |
Outfitting[]
- Main article: Outfitting
All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Imperial Clipper.
| 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 | 5 | 5 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x16] | C | 4 | 4 |
| Internal Compartments | Cargo Rack [x64] | E | 6 | 7 |
| Shield Generator | E | 6 | 6 | |
| Cargo Rack [x8] | E | 3 | 4 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 4 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Cargo Rack [x2] | E | 1 | 2 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Supercruise Assist | E | 1 | 1 | |
| (PAS) | I | 1 | 1 |
- (L) = Loaned Module
- [x#] = Capacity
- (PAS) = Reserved solely for the Planetary Approach Suite or Advanced Planetary Approach Suite
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