Viper Mk IV
Template:QuoteThe Viper MkIV, built by Faulcon DeLacy, is a heavy fighter craft designed for ship-to-ship combat superiority. Its improved internal capabilities, such as its ability to fit a class-4 power plant, make it more capable as a multirole fighter compared to the Viper MkIII, of which it is the successor.[1]
The Viper MkIV has a delta-shaped hull which is significantly wider than the MkIII. The cockpit is situated just behind the bow, slightly raised. Compared to the MkIII, the MkIV's cockpit is less exposed.
The MkIV lands on two small rear struts and one large front strut which doubles as a boarding ramp to the cockpit.
By default, the MkIV has weaker shields than the MkIII due to its higher hull mass. However, the MkIV is capable of fitting a larger, class-4 shield generator, unlike the MkIII's class-3. This, combined with an improved hull, gives the MkIV superior protection.
These improvements over the MkIII come with the drawbacks of slightly reduced manoeuvrability and speed. The MkIV also features a larger hull, which makes it a bigger target. Like the MkIII, it has poor heat dissipation. Prolonged usage of high-output modules easily pushes the ship's temperature over its cooling capacity.
The Viper MkIV's hardpoint options are identical to its predecessor. It has two small hardpoints located on either side of the cockpit and two medium hardpoints located beneath it. However, unlike the Viper MkIII (which has underside-mounted class-2 medium hardpoints on a horizontally flat plane), the class-2 medium hardpoints of the MkIV are on a slightly angled part of the hull.
The Viper MkIV's underside-mounted class-2 medium hardpoints have a fairly narrow field of fire. Because they are placed further down the ship, gimballed and turreted weapons cannot aim very far above the center crosshair without the front of the ship obstructing their line of fire. The two class-1 small hardpoints, which are placed in front of the cockpit of the ship, do not suffer from this problem.
Purchase Locations
| System | Station | Date Seen | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenich | Wafer Terminal | 15/11/2016 | |
| Cebalrai | Hornblower Dock | 15/12/2015 | |
| Pareco | Webb Station | 18/03/2016 | |
| Chowei | Swigert Port | 16/12/2015 | |
| Kokojina | Ali Ring | 15/12/2015 | |
| Orcus | Tombaugh Station | 15/12/2015 | |
| Leesti | George Lucas | 15/12/2015 | |
| Cubeo | Medupe City | 16/12/2015 | |
| Kakas | Kube-McDowell Enterprise | 17/12/2015 | |
| TZ Arietis | Snyder Enterprise | 16/12/2015 | |
| Liburodo | Landsteiner Mines | 16/12/2015 | |
| Eta Serpentis | Haipeng Port | 17/12/2015 | |
| Lembava | Goldstein Port | 19/12/2015 | |
| HR 6828 | Celsius Hub | 19/12/2015 | |
| Noatiaca | Haisheng Orbital | 19/12/2015 | |
| Ugrivirii | Jefferies Port | 19/12/2015 | |
| 1 I Centauri | Ampere Dock | 19/12/2015 | |
| Kelish | Alphonsi Orbital | 19/12/2015 | |
| WW Piscis Austrini | Ivins Vision | 21/12/2015 | |
| Baldr | Keldysh Gateway | 22/12/2015 | |
| Kremainn | Wohler Terminal | 26/12/2015 | |
| LFT 37 | Onnes Gateway | 02/06/2016 | |
| Wuru | Schuster Hub | 24/12/2015 | |
| Nu | Syromyatnikov Horizons | 30/12/2015 | |
| Sol | Mars High | May 12, 2016 | |
| Wolf 562 | Hopkins Port | 26/01/2016 | |
| Wolf 865 | McCulley Ring | 02/01/2016 | |
| Ross 775 | Gamuw Gateway | 09/01/2016 | |
| LHS 452 | Behring Gateway | 20/01/2016 | |
| GD 219 | McKee Ring | 16/01/2016 | |
| LTT 15278 | Zholobov Enterprise | 18/01/2016 | |
| Neto | Ising Vision | 02/03/2016 | |
| Togher | Bondar Terminal | 24/07/2016 | |
| Tamor | Seven Holm | 17/03/2017 | 15% discount |
| Lwen | Oliver Enterprise | 28/12/2016 | |
| HIP 9191 | Sato Terminal | 04/18/2017 | |
| Asellus Primus | Beagle 2 Landing | 20/04/2017 | |
| Chamunda | Gidzenko Ring | 6/28/2017 | |
| HIP 54083 | Loewy Installation | 25/06/2017 |
Outfitting
- Main article: Outfitting. All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Viper MkIV.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Hardpoint | Pulse Laser | F | 1 | 1 |
| Pulse Laser | F | 1 | 1 | |
| Medium Hardpoint | Empty | -- | -- | 2 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Utility Mount | Empty | -- | -- | 0 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloys | I | 1 | 8 |
| Reactor Bay | Power Plant | E | 4 | 4 |
| Thrusters Mounting | Thrusters | E | 4 | 4 |
| FSD Housing | Frame Shift Drive | E | 4 | 4 |
| Enviroment Control | Life Support | E | 2 | 2 |
| Power Coupling | Power Distributor | E | 3 | 3 |
| Sensor Suite | Sensors | E | 3 | 3 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x16] | C | 4 | 4 |
| Internal Compartments | Cargo Rack [x8] | E | 3 | 4 |
| Cargo Rack [x8] | E | 3 | 4 | |
| Shield Generator | E | 3 | 3 | |
| Empty [m] | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Cargo Rack [x2] | E | 1 | 2 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Basic Discovery Scanner | E | 1 | 1 | |
| Planetary Suite | Planetary Approach Suite | I | 1 | 1 |
| [x#] = Capacity, [m] = Military Compartment reserved for Hull Reinforcement Package, Module Reinforcement Package, or Shield Cell Bank. | ||||
Trivia
- The Viper MkIV was added to Elite Dangerous in the 1.5 Update.
- At the EGX event David Braben said it "trades a bit of manoeuvrability and speed for better internals, but it's got the same hardpoint layout as the standard Viper".[2]
- In Newsletter #92 it was stated that every Kickstarter beta backer or above will find a Viper MkIV docked at a starport for free.[3]
Gallery
-
Viper MkIV as shown during the EGX event
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Viper MkIV
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Aft view
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Ventral view
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Viper MkIV with a Black Friday paintjob.
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A Viper within a Small Ship hangar.
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Faulcon DeLacy Viper Mk IV Blueprint
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Viper MkIV near a surface
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Viper MkIV planetary ring
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Viper MkIV landed
