Frame Shift Drive (SCO)

The Frame Shift Drive (SCO) is a hyperdrive system manufactured by Achilles Aerospace. It was introduced to the market in 3310 after research on Thargoid Titan travel. The SCO Frame Shift Drive is capable of both supercruise and hyperspace jumps, with an additional capability of supercruise overcharge, allowing faster travel within a star system.

History

From 3297 to 3310, Frame Shift Drives manufactured solely by the Sirius Corporation were in predominant use among human civilisation. In 3308, during the Second Thargoid War, seven Thargoid Titans were observed travelling through interstellar space at faster-than-light speed, towards the core systems. Following the destruction of one of the Titans designated Taranis, Achilles Aerospace announced their research into the Titan's travel technology, requesting independent pilots to collect Titan drive components from the wreckage of Taranis. This initiative was successful, and Achilles Aerospace brought their prototype Frame Shift Drive to market on 10 April 3310. The line of SCO Frame Shift Drives was initially limited to C-rated modules, with safety limits restricting the potential range for hyperspace jumps. A full selection of SCO Frame Shift Drives became available in May 3310, with the safety limits being lifted at the same time.

The first pilots who used Achilles' Frame Shift Drives reported immense mechanical and thermal stress when using the supercruise overcharge function. Ship manufacturers started designing ships that could overcome overcharge stress. The Python Mk II was the first ship to be designed around the Achilles Frame Shift Drive, boasting improved performance and reduced fuel consumption.

Usage

In supercruise, the boost function will activate and deactivate Supercruise Overcharge by pressing the assigned button. During an overcharge, the Frame Shift Drive will accelerate rapidly, but there are multiple drawbacks: it will consume large amounts of fuel, generate a thermal load which can overheat the ship, and the ship's controls will suffer interference.

After deactivating a supercruise overcharge, there is a cooldown before the ship can start another overcharge. Commanders can see when another ship is in cooldown on their HUD's target info panel. The ship will decelerate to normal supercruise speed, but setting maximum throttle will reduce the rate of deceleration.

Supercruise overcharge will be deactivated during an interdiction.

Benefits

File:Frame Shift Drive (SCO) Leaving Planet.gif

An Adder exiting a planet using Supercruise Overcharge.

Supercruise overcharge (SCO) is very beneficial for shorter-distance travel rather than long-distance such as to Hutton Orbital. It can be used for short bursts of speed to overcome the gravity wells of celestial bodies, greatly speeding up the start and end of a typical journey within a system.

For example: the C7 FSD has the slowest and worst acceleration curve. When using the C7 FSD in a star system with a second star that is 182,000ls from the primary star; with normal supercruise the journey is 11 minutes, 30 seconds. If you do use SCO, the journey is just 5 minutes, 30 seconds. So travel time is cut by more than half. For shorter jumps it can cut travel time to 1/10th or less. Leaving a planet's gravity well is reduced from 1-3 minutes to 3 seconds.

The SCO enables rapid interplanetary travel, making planet mapping, exobiology, mining, and exploration activities in general much faster and more convenient, especially in combination with a Fleet Carrier.

Comparing the A-rated modules, the SCO-capable Frame Shift Drives have an "optimised mass" stat around 12% higher than the older Sirius drives, as well as a 4% higher "max fuel per jump" stat, meaning the Class 5A SCO drives offer more jump range when fully engineered than even the Engineered FSD V1 that is acquired through Technology Brokers.

Downsides

While using supercruise overcharge, acceleration increases rapidly and continuously until max speed is reached. The boost cannot be throttled. SCO also has a very high fuel consumption. During overcharge, a ship's handling is decreased due to turbulence, and has a similar effect to being interdicted. SCO also generates a substantial amount of heat while active, which can severely damage the ship and its modules if left unchecked. These effects are significantly amplified with ships released prior to the development of the SCO drive, such as the Sidewinder, Cobra Mk III, or Anaconda. As an example, a Krait Mk II using SCO has a fuel usage of about 1800 t/h, while a Mandalay has a fuel usage of about 93 t/h. These numbers vary by ship, module configuration, and engineering. The scale of the numbers is about the same.

If your ship ends an overcharged supercruise in an emergency drop, it will suffer severe damage to its hull and modules. If the ship runs low on fuel during supercruise overcharge, the safety mechanism of the Flight Assist will perform an emergency drop, leaving a small amount of fuel in the reserve fuel tank. You should refuel at the nearest station, settlement or visit a scoopable star. If you run out of fuel you can ask the Fuel Rats for assistance.

To sustain a supercruise overcharge for a longer period of time, any unoptimized ship needs to equip heat sink launchers and carry fuel tanks in its optional slots. Some SCO optimized ships might need those too, but some ship and module configurations do not need heat sink launchers and can carry enough fuel to use SCO over substantial distances.

Outfitting

Unlike standard Frame Shift Drives, only a full size Frame Shift Drive (SCO) is compatible with a ship's given Frame Shift Drive component slot. Using a lower class Frame Shift Drive (SCO) than the highest the ship can equip is not possible, producing an Incompatible Slot error.

Hyperspace Fuel Equation

The Frame Shift Drive (SCO) use the same equation for hyperspace jumps as standard Frame Shift Drives, however the linear constant for drive rating uses different values.

Rating	A	B	C	D	E
Linear Constant	13	12	12	12	8

E-rated SCO Frame Shift Drives match the jump range of a C-rated Sirius FSD, while C and B ratings match an A-rated Sirius FSD. The D and A ratings offer greater jump range than an A-rated Sirius FSD for different reasons; the D rating has a lower mass (except for class 2D), while the A rating has a higher optimised mass and max fuel per jump stats.

Ships designed for SCO

Ships designed from the ground up to utilize Supercruise Overcharge offer better handling, lower heat generation, less fuel consumption, and faster acceleration and deceleration while SCO is active. These ships are listed below.

Image	Name	Seats	Multicrew	SLF	Rank required	Landing Pad size	Cargo capacity	Jump range	Cost	Manufacturer
File:Anaconda Mk II Standard Sideview.png	Anaconda Mk II	4	Yes	Yes	No	Large			337,801,391 CR	Faulcon DeLacy
File:Caspian Explorer and Neutron Star.jpg	Caspian Explorer	4	Yes	Yes	No	Large	96 t (default) 434 t (max)	21.83 ly (default) 44.68 ly (upgraded)	201,699,840 CR	Zorgon Peterson
File:Cobra Mk V ship launch 1.jpg	Cobra Mk V	3	Yes	No	No	Small	12 t (default) 110 t (max)	16.75 ly (default) 34.37 ly (upgraded)	1,993,861 CR	Faulcon DeLacy
File:Corsair Ship Gutamaya Front.jpg	Corsair	2	Yes	No	No	Medium	48 t (default) 318 t (max)	12.96 ly (default) 39.58 ly (upgraded)	79,304,750 CR	Gutamaya
File:Kestrel Mk II at Gas Giant.jpg	Kestrel Mk II	1	No	No	No	Small	4 t (default) 70 t (max)	13.32 ly (default)	12,525,276 CR	Core Dynamics
File:Lynx Highliner Launch.jpg	Lynx Highliner	2	Yes	No	No	Medium	0 t (default) 142 t (max)	15.70 ly (default) 16.61 ly (upgraded)	60,801,508 CR	Zorgon Peterson
File:Mandalay in space ED.jpg	Mandalay	2	Yes	No	No	Medium	40 t (default) 154 t (max)	20.62 ly (default) 44.66 ly (upgraded)	17,639,220 CR	Zorgon Peterson
File:Panther Clipper Mk II In-game 1.jpg	Panther Clipper Mk II	3	Yes	Yes	No	Large	192 t (default) 1238 t (max)	11.74 ly (default) 25.71 ly (upgraded)	301,388,902 CR	Zorgon Peterson
File:Python MkII space.jpg	Python Mk II	2	Yes	No	No	Medium	10 t (default) 98 t (max)	18.09 ly (default) 26.26 ly (upgraded)	67,527,359 CR	Faulcon DeLacy
File:Type-8 Transporter base ship 1.jpg	Type-8 Transporter	1	No	No	No	Medium	176 t (default) 406 t (max)	23.39 ly (default) 29.06 ly (upgraded)	38,453,970 CR	Lakon Spaceways
File:Type-11 Prospector Closeup.jpg	Type-11 Prospector	3	Yes	Yes	No	Medium	64 t (default) 288 t (max)	15.81 ly (default) 38.11 ly (upgraded)	67,861,850 CR	Lakon Spaceways

Specifications

Unlike Frame Shift Drives, you can only install a Frame Shift Drive (SCO) if its size class matches the size of your ship's Frame Shift Drive Internal Compartment.

Frame Shift Drive (SCO) grades and SCO performance

Rating	Speed	Acceleration	Heat generation	Control interference	Fuel consumption	Niche
E	Lowest	Lowest	Highest	Highest	Highest	budget/low power
D	Balanced	Highest	High	Balanced	Highest	low mass (except class 2)
C	Balanced	Highest	Lowest	Balanced	Highest	low temperature
B	Balanced	Highest	High	Balanced	Lowest	low fuel consumption
A	Highest	Highest	Balanced	Lowest	Balanced	high performance

Class	Rating	Mass (T)	Integrity	Power Draw (MW)	FSD Optimal Mass (T)	Max Fuel Per Jump (T)	Overcharge Max Speed Increase (%)	Overcharge Max Acceleration Rate	Overcharge Heat Generation Rate	Overcharge Control Interference	Value (CR)
2	E	2.50	51	0.20	60	0.60	25	0.080	42.070	0.250	21,364
2	D	2.50	57	0.25	90	0.90	142	0.090	38.000	0.240	64,090
2	C	2.50	57	0.25	90	0.90	142	0.090	27.140	0.24	21,364
2	B	2.50	57	0.25	90	0.90	142	0.090	38.000	0.240	64,090
2	A	2.50	64	0.30	100	1.00	160	0.090	36.100	0.230	192,270
3	E	5.00	64	0.30	100	1.20	20	0.060	58.680	0.300	67,723
3	D	2.00	70	0.38	150	1.80	120	0.070	53.000	0.290	203,166
3	C	5.00	70	0.38	150	1.80	120	0.070	37.860	0.290	67,723
3	B	5.00	70	0.38	150	1.80	120	0.070	53.000	0.290	203,166
3	A	5.00	80	0.45	167.0	1.90	138	0.070	50.350	0.280	609,495
4	E	10.00	80	0.30	350	2.00	15	0.050	66.430	0.370	214,678
4	D	4.00	90	0.38	525	3.00	100	0.060	60.000	0.350	644,033
4	C	10.00	80	0.38	525	3.00	100	0.060	42.860	0.350	214,678
4	B	10.00	90	0.38	525	3.00	100	0.060	60.000	0.350	644,033
4	A	10.00	100	0.45	585	3.20	117	0.060	57.000	0.340	1,932,097
5	E	20.00	95	0.50	700	3.30	0	0.040	108.500	0.420	623,818
5	D	8.00	110	0.50	1050	5.00	80	0.055	98.000	0.400	2,041,582
5	C	20.00	110	0.50	1050	5.00	80	0.055	70.000	0.400	623,818
5	B	20.00	110	0.50	1050	5.00	80	0.055	98.000	0.400	2,041,582
5	A	20.00	120	0.60	1175	5.20	95	0.055	93.100	0.390	6,124,744
6	E	40.00	130	0.50	1200	5.30	0	0.045	139.500	0.670	2,157,272
6	D	16.00	130	0.63	1800	8.00	62	0.050	126.000	0.640	6,471,813
6	C	40.00	130	0.63	1800	8.00	62	0.050	90.000	0.640	2,157,272
6	B	40.00	130	0.63	1800	8.00	62	0.050	126.000	0.640	6,471,813
6	A	40.00	141	0.75	2000	8.30	76	0.050	119.700	0.620	19,415,438
7	E	80.00	131	0.60	1800	8.50	0	0.030	143.930	0.670	6,838,549
7	D	32.00	150	0.75	2700	12.80	46	0.040	130.000	0.640	20,515,646
7	C	80.00	150	0.75	2700	12.80	46	0.040	92.860	0.640	6,838,549
7	B	80.00	150	0.75	2700	12.80	46	0.040	130.000	0.640	20,515,646
7	A	80.00	164	0.90	3000	13.10	58	0.040	123.500	0.620	61,546,936
8	E	160.00	150	0.70	2800	13.60	0	0.034	143.930	0.670	6,838,550
8	D	64.00	169	0.88	4200	20.40	31	0.040	130.000	0.640	20,515,650
8	C	160.00	169	0.88	4200	20.40	31	0.040	92.860	0.640	20,515,650
8	B	160.00	169	0.88	4200	20.40	31	0.040	130.000	0.640	20,515,650
8	A	160.00	188	1.05	4670	20.70	42	0.040	123.500	0.624	61,546,940
8	A*	160.00	188	1.05	4670	6.80	42	0.040	123.500	0.624	82,042,060

* denotes the Mk II Supercharge Optimised FSD variant

Engineering

This module can be modified by Engineers to enhance its abilities.

Modifications

The following modifications can be applied to this module:

• Faster boot sequence
• Increased range
• Shielded

Experimental Effects

The following Experimental Effects can be applied to this module:

• Deep Charge
• Mass Manager
• Double Braced
• Stripped Down
• Thermal Spread

V1 Pre-Engineered SCO Drives

The V1 pre-engineered SCO drive, sometimes referred to as the PESCO drive, has the longest jump range for its class. You can purchase a pre-engineered SCO drive available in all sizes from human tech brokers. Once purchased, the drive will be located in the station's storage. As it is not an unlock, subsequent drives will need to be purchased again. Each purchase requires materials and a Titan Drive Component.

These drives have both Faster Boot Sequence and Increased Range applied, giving the full benefits of both. It is normally impossible to apply two different blueprints to a single module. This results in an approximate 10% jump range increase (actual increase varies by ship mass and drive size). An experimental effect can be applied to these drives at an FSD engineer, as with normal engineering.

CMDRs received one of every class (2A-7A) V1 SCO FSD for their help in fighting and destroying Titan Cocijo on Dec 18 3310.

Materials required for the various drive sizes

Class	Datamined Wake Exceptions	Tellurium	Electrochemical Arrays	Chemical Processors	Propulsion Elements	Titan Drive Component
2A	10	14	6	9	4	1
3A	12	16	9	11	5	1
4A	13	20	9	13	6	1
5A	15	24	12	14	7	1
6A	15	28	12	16	8	1
7A	16	28	14	18	12	1
8A	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Mk II Supercharge Optimised Frame Shift Drive (SCO)

Template:Quote The Mk II Supercharge Optimised Frame Shift Drive (SCO) is an improved FSD that provides a greater range multiplier for hyperspace jumps when supercharging off of a jet cone. The improved ranges are +200% (3x multiplier) for white dwarf stars and +500% (6x multiplier) for neutron stars (as opposed to +50% (1.5x multiplier) and +300% (4x multiplier) respectively for non-Mk II FSDs). Unlike all other Frame Shift Drives, the Mk II Supercruise Overcharge (SCO) Frame Shift Drive does not suffer the standard flat 1% damage when supercharging.

This module was developed by Zorgon Peterson along with the Caspian Explorer, the only ship on which it can be equipped. It was released on 2 December 3311 (2025), and is available in the 8A class rating only. Its published specs are identical to those of the regular 8A FSD (SCO) introduced at the same time, aside from the jump boost benefits, max fuel per jump, and purchase cost.

Notes

• Frame Shift Drives (SCO) were originally added in Classes 2 to 7 only, similar to the non-SCO FSD that came before them. Class 8 was added to Elite Dangerous: Odyssey in the v4.3.0.0 Caspian Explorer Update released on 02 December 2025, with the Caspian Explorer as the first ship capable of carrying a Class 8 hyperdrive. The Mk II Supercharge Optimised Frame Shift Drive (SCO) was added at the same time, and only in the 8A class rating.

Videos

• File:How to Engineer the New BEST FSD! - Elite Dangerous Guide 2024
• File:SCO - Possibly the Most Important Change to Elite Dangerous ever made
• File:Elite Dangerous SCO on the Mandalay is a thing of beauty.