Vessel Hangar

The Vessel Hangar (previously called Fighter Hangar or Fighter Bay) is an internal module that can accommodate Ship-Launched Fighters and Vessels. It is only compatible with a subset of ships that have been specifically designed to hold it. Vessel Hangars allow a ship to deploy SLFs, and also automatically manufacture replacements for destroyed craft in the thick of combat.

For details about Ship-Launched Fighter models, see Ship-Launched Fighters.

A module designed to house ship-launched vehicles.

— In-Game Description

The higher-capacity Mk II Vessel Hangar is available for some newer ships.

Usage

Main article: Ship-Launched Fighters, Ship-Launched Vessels

Inside a Vessel Hangar

Imperial Fighter docks with an Anaconda

Each Vessel Hangar module has one or more fighter bays, and each bay can carry a different SLF and Vessel model, including variants with different loadouts. In other words, the more fighter bays that a Vessel Hangar has, the greater the variety of SLFs it can carry. Each bay of a Vessel Hangar also has a maximum SLF capacity that determines how many replacement SLFs that bay can produce; once all replacements are exhausted, the module must be restocked at a port. Vessel Hangar modules do not include any SLFs at the time of purchase, and all SLFs must be purchased separately, just as vehicles must be purchased separately from Planetary Vehicle Hangars.

The Role Panel is used to launch SLFs, determine whether the player or a NPC pilot is controlling the SLF, and to issue orders between the two. Deploying multiple SLFs simultaneously requires a Class 6 or 7 Vessel Hangar and coordination with other players via Multicrew.

The Vessel Hangar module only needs power to launch the SLFs, but not to dock them. If a ship's power output is maxed out while hardpoints are deployed, SLFs will need to be launched before deploying hardpoints, and hardpoints will also need to be retracted in order to deploy any subsequent replacement SLFs.

When a SLF is destroyed there is an 80-second delay while the fighter bay it was deployed from builds a replacement unit. If the Vessel Hangar has two bays and both are stocked with SLFs, however, then the unused SLF in the second bay can be launched immediately since it is already built.

Compatible ships

Ships that can equip a Vessel Hangar include:

Compatible ships

Ship	Class	Hangar type	Landing pad size
Alliance Crusader	Class 5-6	Mk I	Medium
Anaconda	Class 5-7	Mk I	Large
Beluga Liner	Class 5-6	Mk I	Large
Caspian Explorer	Class 5-7	Mk I, Mk II	Large
Federal Corvette	Class 5-7	Mk I	Large
Federal Gunship	Class 5-6	Mk I	Medium
Imperial Cutter	Class 5-7	Mk I	Large
Keelback	Class 5	Mk I	Medium
Krait Mk II	Class 5-6	Mk I	Medium
Panther Clipper Mk II	Class 5-7	Mk I, Mk II	Large
Type-9 Heavy	Class 5-7	Mk I	Large
Type-10 Defender	Class 5-7	Mk I	Large
Type-11 Prospector	Class 5-6	Mk I, Mk II	Medium

Hangar types

This is an internal bay designed to house ship-launched vessels.

Vessel Hangar

The vehicle slots can hold any mix of combat and non-combat vessels.

Mk I Vessel Hangar Specs
Class	Rating	Mass (T)	Integrity	Power Draw (MW)	Boot Time	Vehicle Slots	Reproduce Vessels	Cost (CR)
5	D	20.00	60	0.25	5S	1	?	505,128
6	D	40.00	80	0.35	5S	2	?	1,822,607
7	D	60.00	120	0.35	5S	2	30	?

Mk II Vessel Hangar

The Mk II Vessel Hangars were introduced with the Nomad on 30th June 2026. They can hold and deploy the same vessels as the original model, but weigh half as much as the original Vessel Hangars. They are exclusive to certain ships: Caspian Explorer, Panther Clipper Mk II and Type-11 Prospector.

Mk II Vessel Hangar Specs
Class	Rating	Mass (T)	Integrity	Power Draw (MW)	Boot Time	Vehicle Slots	Reproduce Vessels	Cost (CR)
5	D	10.00	60	0.25	5S	1	6	697,076
6	D	20.00	80	0.35	5S	2	?	2,263,678
7	D	30.00	120	0.35	5S	2	30	?

Purchase Locations

Class	Rating	System	Station
All	D	Shinrarta Dezhra	Jameson Memorial
All	D	Brestla	i Sola Prospect
All	D	Duamta	Hurston Arsenal
All	D	Kokary	Faraday Enterprise
All	D	EQ Pegasi	Merbold Ring
All	D	Chi Orionis	Carey Terminal
All	D	Agartha	The Lucent Embrace
All	D	Eotienses	Parkinson Dock
All	D	Cernobog	Kirkwood Vision
All	D	Mizar	Judson Station
All	D	Holiacan	Hopi
All	D	37 Ursae Majoris	Oppenheimer Dock
All	D	LHS 2522	Enterprise Market
All	D	Edin	Viehbock Dock

Notes

• The Fighter Hangar was introduced in Elite Dangerous: Horizons 2.2, "The Guardians". Purchasing the module requires owning Horizons.
• It's called the Fighter Bay in the shipyard and on the starships page of the official Elite Dangerous website.
• The Fighter Hangar was renamed to Vessel Hangar with the Operations update in June 2026.

Gallery

• 
  Imperial Fighter docks with an Anaconda
• 
  Inside a Vessel Hangar
• 
  Vessel Hangar and SLF
• 
  Imperial Fighter Docking
• 
  Docking at Vessel Hangar of Krait Mk II