Viper MkIII

Viper MkIII
Overview
Manufacturer	Faulcon DeLacy
Years Produced	3300-Present
Type	Combat
Cost	142,931 CR
Specifications
Landing Pad Size	Small
Dimensions	29.8m x 24.0m x 8.6m
Pilot Seats	1
Multicrew	No
Fighter Hangar	No
Hull Mass	50 t
Mass Lock Factor	7
Armour	126
Armour Hardness	35
Shields	137 MJ
Fuel Capacity	4 t
Manoeuvr-ability	4
Top Speed	315 m/s (default) 361 m/s (upgraded)
Boost Speed	394 m/s (default) 451 m/s (upgraded)
Unladen Jump Range	7.67 ly (default) 21.28 ly (upgraded)
Cargo Capacity	4 t (default)
Outfitting
Hardpoints	2× Utility Mounts 2× Small Hardpoints 2× Medium Hardpoints
Internal Compartments	3× Class 1 Compartments 1× Class 2 Compartment 2× Class 3 Compartments
Reserved Compartments	1x Size 3 Military Compartment

The Viper Mk III is a light combat ship manufactured by Faulcon deLacy. Fast and manoeuvrable, the Viper's comparatively low price point makes it a good option for aspiring bounty hunters, while its versatility has made it popular with security forces throughout the galaxy.

— In-Game Description

The Viper MkIII is a light fighter craft designed for agile ship-to-ship combat. Its minimal design combined with excellent modularity make it a popular choice for security units and bounty hunters. At a relatively low cost of just over 140,000 credits, it is also a great combat ship for entry-level Commanders.

Overview

The Viper MkIII made its first appearance in Standard Beta 1. It is a vessel used by Station security forces and law enforcement, and is currently one of the fastest ships available to purchase. It is primarily intended for combat; compared to the multi-role Cobra MkIII, it has the same weapons capacity, slightly stronger shields per shield class, slightly weaker hull, marginally slower turn rate, much faster strafe speed, faster speed under normal thrust and slower speed under boost.

Its main drawbacks are that its heat dissipation, power generation and hyperspace capacity do not equal that of the Cobra, which limits the value of having the same hardpoint capacity; mounting the ship's full weapon weight makes it very short-ranged, and an energy-heavy armament causes it to either overheat or use all available power very quickly. Fuel is also an issue as the ship comes with capacity of only four tons. In addition to its official police/security role, the Viper's speed, range, and combat capability make it ideal for bounty hunters, small-load couriers, mercenaries or smugglers, while its small cargo capacity makes it a very poor choice for traders, and a survivable but inadequately profitable platform for pirates. With proper fitting, the Viper is an excellent fighter capable of standing its ground against more expensive ships.

The Viper has a delta-shaped hull which tapers to form two prongs at the front. The cockpit is situated just behind the bow, slightly raised. This gives the pilot an excellent view without exposing the canopy to potential damage. The Viper lands on two small rear struts and one large front strut which doubles as a boarding ramp to the cockpit.

The weapon hardpoints are located as follows: 2 small hardpoints in front of cockpit on upper surface, 2 medium hardpoints on the underside of the ship with one on each side of the cargo scoop. This provides a range of options for weapons loadouts.

The Viper MkIII has an available 16 piece cosmetic Ship Kit that can be purchased from the Frontier store which allows you to "remodel your ship in your personal style". The ship kit does not affect gameplay.

An upgraded variant called the Viper MkIV is also available. It increases the hull and shield health and has more cargo space, at the cost of significantly reduced mobility and a much greater price.

Purchase Locations

System	Station	Date Seen	Discount
Shinrarta Dezhra	Jameson Memorial	Always available	10% discount
Brestla	i Sola Prospect	Always available	20% surcharge
Akkadia	Hotel Vogelsang Outpost	Jan. 18, 2018	15% discount
KP Tauri	Spedding Orbital	Jan. 18, 2018	15% discount
T'ien Mu	Grabe Ring	Jan. 18, 2018	15% discount
Shana Bei	Chu City	Jan. 18, 2018	15% discount
Barnard's Star	Haller City	Jan. 18, 2018
Altair	Solo Orbiter	Jan. 18, 2018
Exioce	Fort Lawrence	Jan. 18, 2018
Azrael	Extra Refinery	Jan. 18, 2018
LHS 331	Gold Station	Jan. 18, 2018
Hera	Bounds Station	Jan. 18, 2018

Outfitting

Main article: Outfitting

All ships are customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Viper MkIII.

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
Utility Mount	Empty	--	--	0
	Empty	--	--	0
Bulkheads	Lightweight Alloys	I	1	8
Reactor Bay	Power Plant	E	3	3
Thrusters Mounting	Thrusters	E	3	3
Frame Shift Drive Housing	Frame Shift Drive	E	3	3
Environment Control	Life Support	E	2	2
Power Coupling	Power Distributor	E	3	3
Sensor Suite	Sensors	E	3	3
Fuel Store	Fuel Tank [x4]	C	2	2
Internal Compartments	Cargo Rack [x4]	E	2	3
	Shield Generator	E	3	3
	Empty (M)	--	--	3
	Empty	--	--	2
	Empty	--	--	1
	Advanced Docking Computer	E	1	1
	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

• The Viper MkIII length (29.8m) is a bit shorter than the Space Shuttle orbiter (37m) that was operated by NASA.
• The Viper MkIII is the most common ship used by security forces and can be seen in use by all factions.

Videos

Pleasure Achieved - Elite Dangerous Viper MKIII

Viper MkIII - Faulcon DeLacy Elite Dangerous

Elite Dangerous - Nebula Canyon Race 1

Elite Dangerous 1rst CCN Race Event Highlights 4k60

The Viper Mk3 Elite Dangerous

Gallery

DockedViper.jpg

Viper03.jpg

Viper07.jpg

Viper08.jpg

Viper02.jpg

Police 05.jpg

Viper10.jpg

Type6WithViperOnItsTail.jpg

TrioOfVipers.jpg

359320 2015-04-16 00006.png

Viper deep space 01.jpg

Saitou orangeviper 0482a4d36d392.jpg

Docked Orange Viper

Elite - Dangerous (CLIENT) 4 21 2016 9 36 50 PM.png

Viper MkIII

Faulcon DeLacy Viper Mk III Blueprint

EliteDangerous64 2016-11-20 19-54-32.png

The Viper at Colonia

Viper walking pilot scale

Viper MkIII and Orbis Station

Coriolis-Station-Viper-MkIII.png

Coriolis station and Viper MkIII