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The Empire's standard small class single man fighter is as famous for its agility as it is for its short range. If you see one of these then you know that something bigger is lurking nearby.

— Blueprint Description[1]

The Gu-97, also known as the Imperial Fighter, is a Ship-Launched Fighter manufactured by Gutamaya for the Empire. It is noted for its high maneuverability and firepower, but this impressive dogfighting capability comes at the cost of shield and armour strength. It is typically launched as a support craft for Majestic Class Interdictors, and is useless on its own if outflanked or outnumbered. It is most commonly seen in conflict zones which include an Imperial faction, or patrolling space stations within Imperial territory. The Gu-97 can be purchased in Imperial systems only, but can be restocked in any system. It is also one of the four vessels permitted in the CQC Championship.

Overview[]

Compared to the F63 Condor and Taipan Ship-Launched Fighters, the Gu-97 sacrifices protection for a dramatic increase in mobility. This results in a spacecraft that novice pilots may have difficulties adequately controlling, but which also rewards experienced pilots who know how to track targets and evade enemy fire.

As an SLF, the Gu-97 does not possess a Frame Shift Drive, and thus cannot jump to Supercruise or Hyperspace. Its operational area is limited to the vicinity of its deployment point, such as a station, outpost, carrier, or ship-mounted Fighter Hangar.

Due to the Gu-97's short length, light weight and high speed, it is prone to spinning out of control when it collides with another object at an angle. When this happens the pilot may lose control of the fighter for an extended period.

Variants[]

The Gu-97 is available in 5 variants, which differ only in weapons and utility slot. F-variants have fixed weapons and G-variants have gimballed weapons.

Variant Weapons Utility Damage Per Second Speed [Boost] (m/s) Pitch / Roll / Yaw Rate (deg/s) Cost (CR)
Aegis F 2x fixed pulse laser Point Defence Turret 44 312 [540] 78 / 144 / 36 15,270
Rogue F 2x fixed plasma repeater Chaff Launcher 36 312 [540] 78 / 144 / 36 15,270
Gelid G 2x gimballed beam laser Heatsink Launcher 25 312 [540] 78 / 144 / 36 15,270
Rogue G 2x gimballed pulse laser Chaff Launcher 12 312 [540] 78 / 144 / 36 15,270
Gelid F 2x fixed beam laser Heatsink Launcher 45 312 [540] 78 / 144 / 36 15,270

* This is the cost to initially outfit a Fighter Hangar bay for that fighter type/variant, or to change it to a different fighter type/variant. The cost to restock destroyed fighters is 1,030 CR each.[2]

Purchase Locations[]

The Gu-97 can be purchased in Empire systems only, but can be restocked in any system.

System Station Date Seen
Shinrarta Dezhra Jameson Memorial Always available
Brestla i Sola Prospect Always Available
Kaiakul Barlowe Station Dec. 2, 2019
Caspatsuria Binney Dock Dec. 2, 2019
Condovichs Walters Port Dec. 2, 2019
Cernobog Kirkwood Vision Dec. 2, 2019

Notes[]

  • The Gu-97 debuted in the Elite Dangerous CQC Update (1.4) as a fighter restricted to use in the CQC Championship Arena mode.
  • With the Elite Dangerous: Horizons "The Guardians" update (2.2), the Gu-97 was added to the main game mode as a Ship-Launched Fighter alongside the F63 Condor and Taipan.
  • Gutamaya designer Pascal Roux created the Gu-97 as a tribute to the late Emperor Hengist Duval. In an interview with the Imperial Herald, Roux said, "What I admired most about the Emperor was his balance of elegance and strength, and the fighter represents my attempt to reflect those qualities."[3]
  • The Gu-97 is not only the most maneuverable of the three Ship-Launched Fighters, it is the most maneuverable ship in the game.
  • During early development, the Gu-97 was named "The Hunter", and concept art showed it with a more angular cockpit canopy. Notably, a screenshot from a development build of the game shows the SLF interdicting a Sidewinder MkI, implying that, at one point, SLFs may possibly have been intended to equip Frame Shift Drives and operate like full-sized ships, capable of at least Supercruise.[4]

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