Imperial Courier
Template:Quote The Imperial Courier is a ship manufactured by Gutamaya for the Empire. Described as the quintessential Imperial ship that epitomizes elegance of form while packing a good punch, the Imperial Courier is one of the smallest ships available, barely larger than the Sidewinder MkI and with a lighter mass than all ships except the Sidewinder and Hauler. Although able to be adapted to several roles, the ship's agility and three medium hardpoints make it especially well-suited for combat. Officially, the Imperial Courier is used to provide transport for Imperial officials who do not warrant the privilege of an Imperial Cutter or a Majestic Class Interdictor. However, its flexibility means that it fills many roles for the Imperial Navy and prominent citizens of the Empire.
Overview
The Imperial Courier is well armed and very well shielded for its small size, making it a great and evasive fighter in combat. In terms of agility it ranks somewhere close to the Viper MkIII. While it has a good pitch rotation speed, its slightly weaker vertical-lateral thrusters cause the Courier to drift more than the Viper. Even though the Courier has the same top boost speed as Viper, due to its low hull mass relative to modules, it is slightly slower and can't boost as often as the Viper, dropping down from the top speed faster.
The Imperial Courier's shields are much better than the Viper MkIII's and Cobra MkIII's, being almost on par with those on a Vulture. Unlike the Vulture, the Imperial Courier does not have such severe power management issues, and is thus better able to equip shield boosters and Shield Cell Banks.
The weapon hardpoints are located in the following places: 1 medium hardpoint at the front of each engine nacelle, and 1 medium hardpoint underneath the nose. Utility mounts are located 1 on top of each nacelle and 2 more in-line top centre of the hull behind the cockpit canopy.
While the Imperial Courier can achieve an excellent jump range between 30-50 ly with Engineering, it is not suited for long-term exploration. The Courier's diminutive size and light weight works against it in this situation: it can only fit a Class 3 Frame Shift Drive. Thus, to keep the ship's mass low and achieve that 50 ly jump range requires undersizing the core internals and eschewing utilities along with most modules suggested for exploration, including a Planetary Vehicle Hangar. While this does not mean the Courier should never be used for exploration, there are better ships to choose from for the role, such as the Diamondback Explorer.
Purchase Locations
| System | Station | Date Seen | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinrarta Dezhra | Jameson Memorial | Always available | 10% discount |
| Brestla | i Sola Prospect | Always available | 20% surcharge |
| Lalande 4268 | Lowry Ring | May 28, 2020 | 15% discount |
| BD-15 447 | Good Enterprise | May 28, 2020 | 15% discount |
| Regira | Clayton Orbital | May 28, 2020 | |
| V374 Pegasi | MacKellar Hub | May 28, 2020 | |
| Izanagi | Manakov Ring | May 28, 2020 | |
| Oto | Gauss City | May 28, 2020 | |
| Vequess | Agnews' Folly | May 28, 2020 | |
| Atlantis | Kimura Terminal | May 28, 2020 | |
| Lombi | Xin Hub | May 28, 2020 | |
| GD 140 | Liwei Terminal | May 28, 2020 | |
| Tau-1 Hydrae | Priestley Port | May 28, 2020 | |
| LHS 274 | Teller Port | May 28, 2020 |
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 Imperial Courier.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Hardpoint | Pulse Laser (L) | F | 1 | 2 |
| Pulse Laser (L) | F | 1 | 2 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Utility Mount | Empty | -- | -- | 0 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloys | C | 1 | 8 |
| Reactor Bay | Power Plant | E | 4 | 4 |
| Thrusters Mounting | Thrusters | E | 3 | 3 |
| Frame Shift Drive Housing | Frame Shift Drive | E | 3 | 3 |
| Environment Control | Life Support | E | 1 | 1 |
| Power Coupling | Power Distributor | E | 3 | 3 |
| Sensor Suite | Sensors | E | 2 | 2 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x8] | C | 3 | 3 |
| Internal Compartments | Cargo Rack [x4] | E | 2 | 3 |
| Cargo Rack [x4] | E | 2 | 3 | |
| Shield Generator | E | 2 | 2 | |
| Cargo Rack [x2] | E | 1 | 2 | |
| Cargo Rack [x2] | E | 1 | 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
Videos
Gallery
- Sneak peek concept art of cockpit from Newsletter #65
- Possible Empire Courier Sketches
- Sneak peek from Newsletter #67
- Sneak peek cockpit view from Newsletter #71
- Sneak peek cockpit view from Newsletter #71
- Ship model concept art
- Imperial Courier deployed hardpoints.
- Fuel Scooping showing the Heat Vents
- Bounty Hunting Imperial Courier
- Gutamaya Imperial Courier Blueprint
- Imperial Courier cockpit
- Imperial Courier landed
- Imperial Courier ship docked
