Ships

Ships are the central feature of Elite Dangerous, and are used to traverse space and perform a variety of different tasks. There are a variety of designs to suit various roles. Many ships were inspired by the classic wireframe and polygonal models of previous Elite games.

Evolution of the Cobra in the Elite Universe

Each ship has access to a range of different modules which they can fit to help specialize as traders, smugglers, bounty hunters, pirates, etc. All ships have been designed with the ship interiors in mind and for future gameplay opportunities.

As of Elite Dangerous: Beyond Chapter Four (3.3), there are 38 playable ships and 6 playable fighters, each built by one of several manufacturers with their own unique styles. Initially, there was a planned total of 30 playable ships with multiple variants in addition to some non-playable ships.

All commanders begin the game with a Sidewinder MkI. The player may upgrade components or purchase an entirely new ship based upon their needs and available funds. New ships can only be purchased at Stations with the Shipyard service, and modules can only be changed or upgraded at stations with the Outfitting service.

People can join other ships as a hologram with multicrew. Nearly all ships and stations are standard fitted with the GalNet system for market information, galactic news and communication.^[1]^[2]

Available Ships

All ships available to players are presented below. Some ships require attaining a specific rank with the Federal or Imperial navies before they can be purchased.

Small

Small ships are designed to dock with small Landing Pads.

Medium

Medium ships are designed to dock with medium Landing Pads.

Large

Large ships are designed to dock with large Landing Pads.

Other

The following spacecraft can be purchased by players, but are not classified as conventional ships.

Ship-Launched Fighters

Ship-Launched Fighters can only be deployed from Fighter Hangars installed on suitable ships. They cannot be customised in Outfitting apart from their Livery, and they lack their own Frame Shift Drives.

Capital Ships

Capital Ships are large jump-capable ships that cannot be directly piloted by the player. Capital Ship owners can customise their vessels' available services and Livery.

Comparing Ships

Specifications

Default ship specifications as equipped when purchased. Sidewinder can be obtained for free.

Model	Type	Jump Range [Laden] (LY)	Mnvr Rating	Cargo [Max] (T)	Pad Size	Speed [Boost] (m/s)	Armour	Shield (MJ)	Cost (CR)	Hull Mass (T)	Mass Lock Factor	Optional Modules (Restricted)	Model
Sidewinder MkI	Multipurpose	7.56 [6.96]	5	4 [12]	S	220 [321]	108	52	32,000	25	6	4	Sidewinder MkI
Eagle MkII	Combat	8.47 [8.27]	7	2 [16]	S	239 [349]	72	78	44,800	50	6	4 (1)	Eagle MkII
Hauler	Freighter	9.87 [8.08]	4	8 [22]	S	206 [309]	180	65	52,720	14	6	4	Hauler
Adder	Multipurpose	9.12 [8.47]	4	6 [26]	S	220 [321]	162	78	87,808	35	7	5	Adder
Imperial Eagle	Combat	8.22 [8.03]	5	2 [16]	S	298 [397]	108	104	110,830	50	6	4 (1)	Imperial Eagle
Viper MkIII	Combat	7.67 [7.35]	4	4 [22]	S	315 [394]	126	137	142,931	50	7	4	Viper MkIII
Cobra MkIII	Multipurpose	10.46 [9.78]	5	18 [60]	S	286 [408]	216	92	379,718	180	8	6	Cobra MkIII
Viper MkIV	Combat	10.36 [9.69]	3	18 [50]	S	271 [342]	270	103	426,990	190	7	6 (1)	Viper MkIV
Diamondback Scout	Combat Explorer	11.35 [11.35]	5	0 [28]	S	283 [384]	216	92	564,330	170	8	4	Diamondback Scout
Cobra MkIV	Multipurpose	9.37 [8.38]	3	34 [88]	S	200 [299]	216	125	745,610	210	N/A	8	Cobra MkIV
Type-6	Freighter	12.39 [10.07]	3	50 [112]	M	223 [355]	324	77	1,045,945	155	8	7	Type-6
Dolphin	Passenger	10.67 [10.11]	3	14 [84]	S	258 [361]	198	143	1,337,330	140	9	7 (1)	Dolphin
Diamondback Explorer	Combat Explorer	15.61 [15.12]	4	12 [56]	S	251 [328]	270	131	1,894,760	260	10	6	Diamondback Explorer
Imperial Courier	Multipurpose	8.83 [7.69]	4	12 [30]	S	280 [380]	144	230	2,542,931	35	7	6	Imperial Courier
Keelback	Combat Freighter	10.94 [9.48]	2	38 [88]	M	202 [303]	486	80	3,048,000	180	8	6	Keelback
Asp Scout	Combat Explorer	11.69 [10.84]	5	16 [72]	M	223 [304]	324	105	3,862,130	150	8	6	Asp Scout
Vulture	Combat	7.93 [7.75]	5	8 [56]	S	215 [348]	288	293	4,925,615	230	10	5 (1)	Vulture
Asp Explorer	Multipurpose	13.12 [12.07]	4	38 [128]	M	254 [345]	378	152	6,661,153	280	11	7	Asp Explorer
Federal Dropship	Multipurpose	7.25 [6.77]	3	56 [164]	M	183 [304]	540	104	14,314,210	580	14	7 (2)	Federal Dropship
Type-7	Freighter	10.68 [8.63]	1	128 [304]	L	181 [301]	612	78	17,472,252	420	10	8	Type-7
Alliance Chieftain	Combat	9.59 [-]	4	40 [120]	M	235 [338]	504	162	19,382,250	400	13	5 (3)	Alliance Chieftain
Federal Assault Ship	Combat	8.33 [7.69]	4	32 [96]	M	214 [357]	540	133	19,814,205	480	14	6 (2)	Federal Assault Ship
Imperial Clipper	Multipurpose	8.98 [8.05]	5	74 [248]	L	306 [388]	486	186	22,295,860	400	12	8	Imperial Clipper
Alliance Crusader	Combat	8.21 [-]	3	40 [122]	M	183 [305]	540	126	25,367,279	500	13	6 (3)	Alliance Crusader
Alliance Challenger	Combat	8.58 [-]	4	40 [152]	M	204 [316]	540	208	30,472,265	450	13	6 (3)	Alliance Challenger
Federal Gunship	Combat	6.66 [6.54]	1	16 [168]	M	171 [282]	630	186	35,814,210	580	14	5 (3)	Federal Gunship
Krait Phantom	Multipurpose	9.78 [-]	3	82 [190]	M	256 [358]	324	260	37,472,254	270	17	8	Krait Phantom
Krait MkII	Multipurpose	8.99 [-]	3	82 [228]	M	245 [337]	396	262	45,814,205	320	17	8	Krait MkII
Orca	Passenger	10.48 [10.04]	1	72 [192]	L	308 [390]	396	233	48,539,887	290	15	8 (2)	Orca
Fer-de-Lance	Combat	7.00 [6.59]	4	24 [70]	M	265 [357]	405	271	51,567,040	250	12	5	Fer-de-Lance
Mamba	Combat	6.79 [-]	3	20 [66]	M	316 [387]	414	244	55,867,041	250	12	5	Mamba
Python	Multipurpose	8.23 [7.36]	2	82 [292]	M	234 [305]	468	294	56,978,179	350	17	9	Python
Type-9	Freighter	8.68 [6.62]	0	348 [788]	L	151 [232]	864	110	76,555,842	850	16	9	Type-9
Beluga Liner	Passenger	9.83 [9.58]	2	44 [368]	L	197 [276]	504	92	84,532,780	950	18	11 (4)	Beluga Liner
Type-10 Defender	Combat Freighter	6.97 [6.07]	0	220 [532]	L	179 [219]	1044	99	124,755,342	1200	26	9 (2)	Type-10 Defender
Anaconda	Multipurpose	9.41 [8.52]	1	114 [468]	L	183 [244]	945	362	146,969,451	400	23	11 (1)	Anaconda
Federal Corvette	Combat	6.31 [6.03]	2	76 [616]	L	198 [257]	666	516	180,327,022	900	24	10 (2)	Federal Corvette
Imperial Cutter	Multipurpose	8.21 [7.57]	0	164 [792]	L	202 [323]	720	705	203,745,220	1100	27	9 (2)	Imperial Cutter
Model	Type	Jump Range [Laden] (LY)	Mnvr Rating	Cargo [Max] (T)	Pad Size	Speed [Boost] (m/s)	Armour	Shield (MJ)	Cost (CR)	Hull Mass (T)	Mass Lock Factor	Optional Modules (Restricted)	Model

A-Class Frame Shift Drive, Thrusters and Power Distributor and lowest mass on everything else except Fuel Tank. All Internal Compartments are Cargo Racks. Power Plant is the lightest available with sufficient power.

Model	Unladen Jump Range (LY)	Laden Jump Range (LY)	Manoeuvrability	Max Cargo (T)	Speed [Boost]	Armour	Cost (CR)
Sidewinder MkI	22.08	16.48	5	16	255 [372]	108	371,520
Eagle MkII	22.36	18.15	7	20	271 [395]	72	1,113,210
Hauler	29.64	16.14	4	26	232 [348]	180	408,060
Adder	26.14	18.15	4	30	255 [372]	162	1,165,400
Imperial Eagle	22.36	18.15	5	20	338 [451]	108	1,174,950
Viper MkIII	18.58	14.69	4	26	346 [433]	126	1,318,850
Cobra MkIII	25.59	20.23	5	64	320 [457]	216	3,759,820
Viper MkIV	24.61	20.30	3	54	306 [386]	270	3,831,710
Diamondback Scout	27.06	23.93	5	32	327 [440]	216	3,912,660
Cobra MkIV	22.59	16.82	3	92	223 [334]	216	4,209,960
Type-6 Transporter	29.10	18.62	3	114	255 [406]	324	4,591,040
Dolphin	28.46	20.14	3	88	290 [406]	190	8,312,300
Diamondback Explorer	36.09	31.00	4	60	263 [344]	270	9,021,900
Imperial Courier	25.50	17.04	4	34	325 [440]	144	3,705,470
Keelback	25.91	18.59	2	98	229 [344]	486	6,616,000
Asp Scout	27.93	20.73	5	74	240 [327]	324	7,882,100
Vulture	19.61	16.48	5	60	244 [395]	288	13,001,920
Type-7 Transporter	24.17	15.14	1	306	201 [334]	612	17,472,252
Asp Explorer	32.82	24.47	4	130	290 [395]	378	17,665,010
Alliance Chieftain	23.15	20.06	4	120	267 [383]	504	19,382,250
Alliance Crusader	19.01	16.00	3	122	209 [348]	540	22,087,940
Alliance Challenger	20.95	16.60	4	152	232 [360]	540	30,472,265
Krait Phantom	26.43	18.83	3	190	290 [406]	396	35,732,880
Federal Dropship	17.34	14.08	2	166	209 [348]	540	39,514,040
Federal Assault Ship	20.17	17.43	4	98	244 [406]	540	44,746,150
Krait MkII	23.87	16.51	3	230	278 [383]	220	45,814,205
Imperial Clipper	23.04	15.74	5	250	348 [441]	486	48,165,760
Federal Gunship	16.32	13.35	1	170	196 [322]	630	67,324,970
Orca	28.74	19.85	1	194	348 [441]	396	71,924,940
Fer-de-Lance	17.17	14.22	4	72	302 [406]	405	61,830,450
Python	22.62	14.72	2	294	267 [348]	468	88,412,870
Type-9 Heavy	20.12	11.68	0	790	151 [232]	864	154,485,880
Beluga Liner	25.08	19.73	2	370	221 [309]	504	192,677,380
Type-10 Defender	23.77	17.34	0	534	195 [238]	1044	235,147,912
Anaconda	27.82	17.46	1	470	209 [279]	945	241,415,150
Federal Corvette	17.03	11.52	2	618	224 [291]	666	283,970,450
Imperial Cutter	21.94	14.53	0	794	232 [372]	720	435,747,300
Model	Unladen Jump Range (LY)	Laden Jump Range (LY)	Manoeuvrability	Max Cargo (T)	Speed [Boost]	Armour	Cost (CR)

A-Class Frame Shift Drive and lowest mass on everything else except Fuel Tank. Internal Compartments contain biggest size A-Class Fuel Scoop, Advanced Discovery Scanner and Detailed Surface Scanner. Power Plant is the lightest available with sufficient power.

Model	Jump Range (LY)	Manoeuvrability	Cost (CR)	Relative Cost (CR per LY)
Sidewinder MkI	21.47	5	2,269,702	105,715
Eagle MkII	23.27	7	3,238,135	139,154
Hauler	28.55	4	2,907,482	101,838
Adder	27.40	4	3,277,509	119,617
Imperial Eagle	23.27	5	3,299,850	141,807
Viper MkIII	19.70	4	3,344,740	169,784
Cobra MkIII	26.41	5	6,587,410	249,429
Viper MkIV	25.37	3	6,685,320	263,513
Diamondback Scout	27.93	5	4,870,520	173,383
Cobra MkIV	23.23	3	6,985,350	300,704
Type-6	30.11	3	13,445,710	446,553
Dolphin	30.38	3	7,809,790	257,070
Diamondback Explorer	37.03	4	11,767,640	317,786
Imperial Courier	27.64	4	5,714,860	206,760
Keelback	26.71	2	15,528,770	581,384
Asp Scout	30.11	5	10,224,600	339,575
Vulture	21.75	5	17,307,900	795,766
Asp Explorer	34.76	4	42,079,470	1,210,572
Federal Dropship	18.99	3	49,693,790	2,616,840
Type-7	25.00	1	52,796,290	2,111,852
Alliance Chieftain	-	4	-	-
Federal Assault Ship	22.45	4	35,605,880	1,586,008
Imperial Clipper	-	4	-	-
Alliance Challenger	26.28	5	119,497,850	4,547,102
Federal Gunship	18.87	1	71,049,660	3,765,218
Krait MkII	32.95	3	78,487,395	2,382,015
Orca	31.12	1	64,851,300	2,083,910
Fer-de-Lance	19.81	4	63,919,800	3,226,643
Python	27.58	2	91,482,370	3,316,982
Type-9	19.16	0	381,456,730	19,909,015
Beluga Liner	26.46	2	167,740,990	6,339,417
Type-10 Defender	25.01	0	466,665,142	18,659,142
Anaconda	38.06	1	254,556,830	6,688,303
Federal Corvette	20.21	2	295,562,890	14,624,586
Imperial Cutter	25.32	0	544,970,390	21,523,317
Model	Jump Range (LY)	Manoeuvrability	Cost (CR)	Relative Cost (CR per LY)

A-Class everything, Bulkheads as Reactive Surface Composite which is the most expensive part of a ship. Hardpoints, utility mounts and internal compartments empty except Shield Generator which is highest possible size.

Model	Jump Range (LY)	Manoeuvrability	Speed [Boost]	Armour	Shield	Cost (CR)
Sidewinder MkI	17.84	5	245 [357]	210	68 [2A]	854,770
Eagle MkII	18.23	7	259 [377]	140	102 [3A]	1,981,830
Hauler	22.14	4	232 [348]	350	85 [3A]	1,365,130
Adder	20.76	4	244 [355]	315	102 [3A]	2,520,740
Imperial Eagle	17.98	5	322 [430]	210	136 [3A]	2,612,910
Viper MkIII	14.98	4	330 [413]	245	179 [3A]	2,841,390
Cobra MkIII	21.21	5	307 [439]	420	124 [4A]	8,040,840
Viper MkIV	22.06	3	299 [376]	525	226 [4A]	8,181,690
Diamondback Scout	22.98	5	316 [425]	420	139 [4A]	7,425,750
Cobra MkIV	19.11	3	214 [322]	420	173 [4A]	9,346,220
Type-6	23.49	3	247 [393]	630	153 [5A]	12,459,260
Dolphin	20.39	3	290 [406]	385	187 [4A]	14,986,320
Diamondback Explorer	30.49	4	262 [343]	525	191 [4A]	16,893,590
Imperial Courier	19.33	4	306 [415]	280	335 [3A]	11,851,200
Keelback	21.23	2	220 [329]	945	187 [5A]	20,513,520
Asp Scout	21.61	5	242 [331]	630	200 [4A]	20,664,720
Vulture	15.95	5	244 [395]	560	387 [5A]	31,577,410
Asp Explorer	25.45	4	282 [383]	735	234 [6A]	55,553,110
Federal Dropship	14.11	3	201 [334]	1050	228 [6A]	106,036,180
Type-7	19.87	1	192 [320]	1190	217 [6A]	86,817,860
Alliance Chieftain	-	4	- [-]	-	- [-]	-
Federal Assault Ship	16.36	4	242 [403]	1050	213 {5A]	113,526,110
Imperial Clipper	17.20	5	348 [441]	945	306 [7A]	168,364,300
Alliance Challenger	-	4	- [-]	-	- [-]	-
Federal Gunship	13.34	1	187 [308]	1225	286 [6A]	185,070,720
Krait MkII	17.88	3	278 [383]	770	350 [6A]	266,831,006
Orca	21.65	1	348 [441]	770	321 [5A]	198,948,560
Fer-de-Lance	13.59	4	301 [405]	788	468 [5A]	205,142,660
Python	17.47	2	267 [348]	910	397 [6A]	291,969,770
Type-9	13.86	0	139 [214]	1680	390 [8A]	505,433,850
Beluga Liner	20.25	2	211 [295]	980	204 [6A]	447,582,930
Type-10 Defender	18.59	0	185 [226]	2030	483 [8A]	848,756,112
Anaconda	19.74	1	208 [277]	1838	595 [7A]	825,479,020
Federal Corvette	13.62	2	213 [277]	1295	741 [7A]	962,815,660
Imperial Cutter	17.53	0	225 [360]	1400	947 [8A]	1,261,053,840
Model	Jump Range (LY)	Manoeuvrability	Speed [Boost]	Armour	Shield	Cost (CR)

Outfitting

External Hardpoints and Utility Mounts.

Model	Small	Medium	Large	Huge	Utility Mount
Sidewinder	2	-	-	-	2
Eagle	3	-	-	-	1
Hauler	1	-	-	-	2
Adder	2	1	-	-	2
Imperial Eagle	2	1	-	-	1
Viper MkIII	2	2	-	-	2
Cobra MkIII	2	2	-	-	2
Viper MkIV	2	2	-	-	2
Diamondback Scout	2	2	-	-	4
Cobra MkIV	3	2	-	-	2
Type-6	2	-	-	-	3
Dolphin	2	-	-	-	3
Diamondback Explorer	-	2	1	-	4
Imperial Courier	-	3	-	-	4
Keelback	2	2	-	-	3
Asp Scout	2	2	-	-	2
Vulture	-	-	2	-	4
Asp Explorer	4	2	-	-	4
Federal Dropship	-	4	1	-	4
Type-7	4	-	-	-	4
Alliance Chieftain	3	1	2	-	4
Federal Assault Ship	-	2	2	-	4
Imperial Clipper	-	2	2	-	4
Alliance Crusader	3	2	1	-	4
Alliance Challenger	3	3	1	-	4
Federal Gunship	2	4	1	-	4
Krait Phantom	-	2	2	-	4
Krait MkII	-	2	3	-	4
Orca	-	2	1	-	4
Fer-de-Lance	-	4	-	1	6
Mamba	2	-	2	1	6
Python	-	2	3	-	4
Type-9	2	3	-	-	4
Beluga Liner	-	5	-	-	6
Type-10 Defender	2	3	4	-	8
Anaconda	2	2	3	1	8
Federal Corvette	2	2	1	2	8
Imperial Cutter	-	4	2	1	8
Model	Small	Medium	Large	Huge	Utility Mount

Core Internal Compartments.

Model	Power Plant	Thrusters	FSD	Life Support	Power Distributor	Sensors	Fuel Tank
Sidewinder	2	2	2	1	1	1	1
Eagle	2	3	3	1	2	2	2
Hauler	2	2	2	1	1	1	2
Adder	3	3	3	1	2	3	3
Imperial Eagle	3	3	3	1	2	2	2
Viper MkIII	3	3	3	2	3	3	2
Cobra MkIII	4	4	4	3	3	3	4
Viper MkIV	4	4	4	2	3	3	4
Diamondback Scout	4	4	4	2	3	2	4
Cobra MkIV	4	4	4	3	3	3	4
Type-6	3	4	4	2	3	2	4
Dolphin	4	5	4	4	3	3	4
Diamondback Explorer	4	4	5	3	4	3	5
Imperial Courier	4	3	3	1	3	2	3
Keelback	4	4	4	1	3	2	4
Asp Scout	4	4	4	3	4	4	4
Vulture	4	5	4	3	5	4	3
Asp Explorer	5	5	5	4	4	5	5
Federal Dropship	6	6	5	5	6	4	4
Type-7	4	5	5	4	3	3	5
Alliance Chieftain	6	6	5	5	6	4	4
Federal Assault Ship	6	6	5	5	6	4	4
Imperial Clipper	6	6	5	5	6	5	4
Alliance Crusader	6	6	5	5	6	4	4
Alliance Challenger	6	6	5	5	6	4	4
Federal Gunship	6	6	5	5	7	5	4
Krait Phantom	7	6	5	4	7	6	5
Krait MkII	7	6	5	4	7	6	5
Orca	5	6	5	6	5	4	4
Fer-de-Lance	5	5	4	4	6	4	3
Mamba	6	5	4	4	6	4	3
Python	7	6	5	4	7	6	5
Type-9	6	7	6	5	6	4	6
Beluga Liner	6	7	7	8	6	5	7
Type-10 Defender	8	7	7	5	6	4	6
Anaconda	8	7	6	5	8	8	5
Federal Corvette	8	7	6	5	8	8	5
Imperial Cutter	8	8	7	7	7	7	6
Model	Power Plant	Thrusters	FSD	Life Support	Power Distributor	Sensors	Fuel Tank
* Note: All ships currently have a max Bulkhead class of 8.

Optional Internal Compartments.

Model	Class 1	Class 2	Class 3	Class 4	Class 5	Class 6	Class 7	Class 8	Total
Sidewinder MkI	4	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	6
Eagle MkII	3	1+1^[m]	1	-	-	-	-	-	6
Hauler	3	1	2	-	-	-	-	-	6
Adder	3	2	2	-	-	-	-	-	7
Imperial Eagle	4	1+1^[m]	1	-	-	-	-	-	7
Viper MkIII	3	1	2+1^[m]	-	-	-	-	-	7
Cobra MkIII	2	3	-	3	-	-	-	-	8
Viper MkIV	3	2	1+1^[m]	2	-	-	-	-	9
Diamondback Scout	2	1	3	-	-	-	-	-	6
Cobra MkIV	2	2	2	4	-	-	-	-	10
Type-6 Transporter	1	2	1	2	2	-	-	-	8
Dolphin	2	3	1	2	1	-	-	-	9
Diamondback Explorer	2	2	2	2	-	-	-	-	8
Imperial Courier	3	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	8
Keelback	1	2	1	1	2	-	-	-	7
Asp Scout	1	2	2	1	1	-	-	-	7
Vulture	4	1	-	1	1+1^[m]	-	-	-	8
Asp Explorer	1	2	3	-	1	1	-	-	8
Federal Dropship	1	1	2	1+2^[m]	2	1	-	-	10
Type-7 Transporter	1	-	2	-	3	3	-	-	9
Alliance Chieftain	1	2	-	1+3^[m]	1	1	-	-	9
Federal Assault Ship	1	2	1	1+2^[m]	2	-	-	-	9
Imperial Clipper	1	2	2	2	-	1	1	-	9
Alliance Crusader	1	2	2	3^[m]	1	1	-	-	10
Alliance Challenger	1	2	2	3^[m]	-	2	-	-	10
Federal Gunship	1	2	0	3^[m]	1	2	-	-	9
Krait Phantom	1	1	3	-	3	1	-	-	9
Krait MkII	1	1	2	1	2	2	-	-	9
Orca	1	2	1	1	3	1	-	-	9
Fer-de-Lance	2	1	-	2	1	-	-	-	6
Mamba	1	2	1	1	1	-	-	-	6
Python	1	1	2	1	2	3	-	-	10
Type-9 Heavy	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	2	11
Beluga Liner	1	-	4	1	2	4	-	-	12
Type-10 Defender	1	1	2	2	1+2^[m]	1	1	1	12
Anaconda	1	1	-	3	3+1^[m]	3	1	-	13
Federal Corvette	1	-	1	2	2+2^[m]	2	3	-	13
Imperial Cutter	1	-	1	1	2+2^[m]	3	-	2	12
Model	Class 1	Class 2	Class 3	Class 4	Class 5	Class 6	Class 7	Class 8	Total
[m] = Military Compartment, reserved for Hull Reinforcement Package, Module Reinforcement Package, or Shield Cell Bank.

Ship Roles

Multipurpose

Multipurpose ships are a jack-of-all-trades in that they can easily be fitted for whatever role the player needs; whether it be hauling cargo, ship-to-ship combat, or exploring the stars, multipurpose ships can do it all. Multipurpose ships usually can do most jobs just as well if not better than comparable ships targeted towards those jobs. They, while considered multipurpose, sometimes lean into a more specialized role. The Imperial Courier, for example, is called multipurpose while ending up being a superb combat and exploration vessel, as it isn't very good at trading/mining.

Combat

Combat ships are usually faster, more agile and more heavily armed than other ships of the same size. The exception to this would be gun boats, which have more weapon mounts designed for turrets, but sacrifice their agility for them.

Freighter

Freighters are typically slow, cumbersome and lightly armed, but provide extreme hauling capabilities. Useful for traders and smugglers alike.

Explorer

Exploration ships typically come with large default jump ranges, large Fuel Tanks for ships of their size, and should be fitted with lots of low class Internal Compartments for scanners to optimize jump distance. These ships are designed to be able to equip the multitude of scanning equipment needed for an expedition, then fly long distances into the void without the need for regular refuelling through the use of Fuel Scoops.

Passenger

Couriers who fly passengers and valuable items with small storage requirements have a special class of ships available to them. These ships are elegant and fast, designed to quickly and comfortably get from one system to the next. You can think of them as giant space-limousines.

Ship Interiors

We're designing all the ships with the interiors in mind. How the cargo is unloaded all of that sort of thing, how damage occurs. That's because another thing we are doing is, again down the line, is that you will be able to walk around inside your ship. You'll be able to get out of your ship, walk around inside space stations, other vehicles. All of that sort of thing. We've shown the damage on the ship, the damage models. Imagine looking at that from inside the ship outwards seeing your cargo fly out into space, seeing the flames trying to fight them. All of those things that we plan with time, they won't be at the first release, because we want to do them right, we want to do them well. All of these will be done as updates. The game has to be structured in a way to allow it from the start. So we're designing the ships so that they work that way and so that when we come to do it, it's not a problem.

— David Braben, December 2012^[3]

All playable ships in Elite Dangerous were designed in such a way that fully-modeled interiors can be added to them in future updates. Combined with other potential features, such as Space Legs, this would enable players to move around within the entirety of their ship, rather than remain confined to only the cockpit. During the very early stages of development for the game, David Braben expressed a desire to eventually implement ship interiors in order to add more complex gameplay opportunities such as boarding and stealing other ships, and manually repairing both external and internal ship damage. Ship interiors have not yet been confirmed to be in active development.

NPC-only Ship Types

Capital Ships

There are currently two types of Capital Ships in-game: the Federation's Farragut Battle Cruiser and the Empire's Majestic Class Interdictor. Both vessels are Battlecruisers. They are heavily armed, can launch several fighter squadrons, and are piloted by NPCs. However, Frontier said in their roadmap that they intend to add the "availability of giant ‘executive control’ ships to players" in a future content update.^[4]

In The Commanders Livestream, a viewer asked "any chance of playing capital ships in the future?", David Braben answered: "it's on the list, but a long way down it, because there's a lot of gameplay to make it work. The issue is what we call the difference between direct control and executive control. Where rather than flying by the seat of your pants you're giving orders to a giant ship. Because you can't expect it to change course very rapidly and that sort of thing. So it's certainly a long-term possibility, but it's long-term."^[5]

Megaships

A Megaship is a class of massive ships that travel through the galaxy, and are utilized in a wide variety of roles.^[6] Comparable in size to most stations, and in some cases much longer, a number of Megaships are also equipped with docking facilities for small, medium, and large vessels. All services normally available at stations are on offer, with the exception of the Shipyard. Currently, only NPCs can directly control Megaships, but certain Player Groups can petition for Community Goals to construct new Megaships, and those with docking facilities are usually placed under the control of the sponsoring Group's Player Minor Faction. Even more rarely, a Player Group may be permitted to relocate their Megaship to a different location, as with The Gnosis.

There are various types of Megaships:^[6]

Bulk Cruiser

Flight Operations Carrier

Generation Ship

Thargoid Ships

The Thargoids are known to have at least three ship types in their arsenal: Thargoid Scouts, Thargoid Interceptors, and Thargoid Motherships. Of these, both Scouts and Interceptors have been encountered thus far, whilst old logs retrieved from the Intergalactic Naval Reserve Arm's Carmichael Point base attest to the existence of Motherships.

Thargoid vessels employ radically different technologies from human ships, among them the ability to interdict ships during hyperspace transit and to make hyperspace jumps without leaving an identifiable wake signature. Their powerful offensive and defensive capabilities also make them deadly opponents in combat.

Development Notes: Fleet Hierarchy

The fleet-class ships that are available to the game's major factions follow a hierarchy.^[8]

Cruisers (Battlecruisers, Battleships, Interdictors)

Long range, independent ships that are capable of controlling entire systems. Heavily armed and capable of deploying large fighter squadrons. The capital ships already shown are an example of this class. In the Empire they are usually known as “Interdictors” – named after the first successful class of cruisers. Currently the most common and most successful Imperial Cruiser is the Majestic class – generally referred to as a “Majestic class Interdictor”. As ships that can also carry out ambassadorial missions they can be used for ‘soft’ power projection, as well as hard, the same goes for the Federation's most common and successful Cruiser, named the Farragut Battle Cruiser.

Frigates

These are large ships designed for escort duties. The actual vessels vary greatly between navies, but are all designed to engage multiple small, fast enemies (typically fighters and missile swarms) and are loaded with point defence batteries. They will also have some anti-ship capability, but are not designed to go up against other warships.

Destroyers

These are anti-warship vessels, but are generally no longer used in the front line, though some are still in service.

Carriers

Carriers are designed for the deployment of fighter squadrons. They have been considered obsolete and phased out of the fleets of the major factions due to the popularity of Cruisers, but small navies still make use of them and some have even been converted into transporters.

The 34th century saw the resurgence of Carriers with the introduction of the Drake-Class Carrier, a product of Brewer Corporation.

Transporters (Couriers)

Armoured warships designed specifically for transporting valuable assets and cargo quickly and safely.

Corvettes (Cutters)

Light multi-role warships, capable of reconnaissance, incursions and escort missions. These small warships are also popular with smaller factions, organizations and even wealthy individuals due to their adaptability. The Federal Corvette is a slower Corvette-class Ship with more maneuverability and firepower, while The Imperial Cutter is a lighter and faster Corvette-class ship, players will be able to get their hands on these ships in the game (assuming they can make the right contacts).

Fighters

Small short-range craft that generally cannot operate independently due to having no jump capability. Their main roles include the defence of stations and the large warships that they are deployed from. Commercial fighters are typically jump-capable and are therefore much more flexible than their faction-specific counterparts.

Drones

Small automated ships that have largely been phased out due to the existence of effective counter-measures. The closest setting-modern analogue would be Limpets, which are used almost purely for logistical/support tasks such as field repairs rather than direct combat, though some can be used for sabotage.