Imperial Clipper: Difference between revisions

| type                = Multirole

| maxcargocapacity    = 250

|scooptimised=No}}

The '''Imperial Clipper''' is a large [[Ships|ship]] produced by [[Gutamaya]] for the [[Empire]]. It is the quintessential Imperial ship that epitomizes elegance of form while delivering speed and agility, and purchasing it requires achieving an [[Imperial Navy]] [[Empire/Ranks|rank]] of Baron. Due to its balance of speed, luxury, and strength, it is used for transporting valuable items and personnel of importance across the Empire. The Imperial Clipper is quite popular among [[Pirate|pirates]] and is considered to be the less expensive, smaller brother of the [[Imperial Cutter]], but its strengths lie in the adaptability of its design rather than its [[combat]] performance.

Pilots of any [[profession]] may appreciate the Imperial Clipper's high potential speed; with fully upgraded [[Thrusters]], it is comparable to that of smaller ships such as the [[Cobra Mk III]] and the [[Imperial Eagle]]. Additionally, its pitch rotation and yaw speed are higher than most ships, making it feel like a very hefty, weighted-down [[Eagle]] with a [[Boost Speed]] that is similar to that of the Cobra Mk III. Its only drawback, and likely the reason for its low overall agility rating, is its poor lateral thruster strength. Combined with very weak [[shield]]s for its size and wing-mounted [[hardpoint]]s ill-suited for fixed weapons, the ship is difficult to recommend for [[combat]] even with a specialized build. The Imperial Clipper is also one of the widest ships on the market, which can make manual docking complicated for less experienced pilots. Compared to the similarly-priced [[Alliance Chieftain]], the Clipper has superior shield strength and cargo capacity, but less overall firepower and weaker armour.

Its speed and manoeuvrability fall off more heavily when laden compared to other ships, meaning it loses that advantage when [[Trader|trading]]. Nonetheless, the ship is capable of carrying 248T of cargo, which is impressive given its price point and multirole capabilities. The [[Type-7 Transporter]] may be cheaper and can haul more cargo than the Imperial Clipper, but is not nearly as viable as an armed trader that can confront attackers as well as evade them if necessary.

The Imperial Clipper is also a good [[Miner]] with high cargo and numerous internal slots, but its two Class 2 and two Class 3 [[hardpoint]]s can be constricting. Taking the Clipper out to mine means either sacrificing damage output to equip the necessary mining tools, or mining with moderate defences and reduced mining efficiency. The ship's large body can also prove problematic when moving in clustered asteroid fields and Planetary Rings.

With around 28Ly of jump range potential, the Imperial Clipper is an average vessel for [[Explorer|exploration]]. It is more than capable of doing the job and is a good choice for jobs that require travelling long distances, but ships like the [[Asp Explorer]] easily outclass it in this role and cost substantially less.

The weapon hardpoints are located as follows: one Class 3 large hardpoint on the top of either wing-tip nacelle, and one Class 2 medium hardpoint on the underside of either wing where the wing attaches to the main fuselage. The wing-tip mounts are very far from centerline and will have trouble converging their fields of fire unless used with gimballed or turret mounted weapons. The underside mounts although closer together, also suffer the same field of fire convergence issues although to a lesser degree than the wing-tip mounts. Due to this, fixed weapons generally are not easy to use with this ship. However, if two fixed weapons are placed on the same side of the ship, it is possible to use fixed mount weapons.

The pilot's seat is offset to the right of the centerline of the ship while the copilot's seat is offset to the left of the centerline. Although the ship is compatible with [[Multicrew]], it cannot equip a [[Fighter Hangar]].

| [[Pulse Laser]] (L) || F || 1 || 2

| [[Pulse Laser]] (L) || F || 1 || 2

| (PAS) || I || 1 || 1

*''(PAS) = Reserved solely for the [[Planetary Approach Suite]] or [[Advanced Planetary Approach Suite]]''

File:Gutayama Imperial Clipper ad

File:Elite Dangerous Film Competition 2015 - The Imperial Clipper EliteDangerous

File:The Imperial Clipper Elite Dangerous

File:The Imperial Clipper - All Purpose, All Style? -Elite Dangerous Ship Review-

File:Elite Dangerous - Gutamaya's- iClipper Advert

File:The Byakhee - Destination Maia (Elite Dangerous)

<gallery widths="185">

File:Clipper concept.jpg|Imperial Clipper concept art

File:Bp-imperial-clipper.png|Gutamaya Imperial Clipper Blueprint

File:359320 20190118132614 1.png|Imperial Clipper cockpit with UI disabled

File:Imperial Clipper in Planetary Ring.jpg|Imperial Clipper in planetary ring

File:Imperial Clipper in White Hangar.jpg|Imperial Clipper in White Hangar

File:Imperial Clipper on Fleet Carrier.jpg|Imperial Clipper on Fleet Carrier

File:Imperial Clipper Chrome Paintjob.png|Imperial Clipper chrome paintjob

[[Category:Multirole Ships]]