Kestrel Mk II
The Kestrel Mk II is a small combat ship produced by Core Dynamics. Designed with maximum agility in mind, the Kestrel is the most maneuverable ship to date.[1] Early access for ARX began on 24 February 2026.[2][3] It became available to Odyssey owners for credits on 25 June 2026.[4]
The Kestrel is a purpose-built combat fighter engineered for speed, agility and lethal efficiency. Its compact frame and high-thrust maneuverability make it exceptionally effective in close-combat, interception, and rapid strike operations. The ship's sharper handling and turn of speed is also complemented with its ability to handle supercharged FSDs. In the hands of a skilled fighter pilot the Kestrel will prove itself to be unmatched.
— In-Game Description
Overview
The Kestrel Mk II is an extremely agile fighter developed by Core Dynamics for the Federal Navy, intended to replace the aging fleet of Vultures, and counter Gutamaya's new Corsairs.
The Mk II is a reimagining of the original Kestrel Airfighter of Frontier: Elite II. The Kestrel was derived from an atmospheric fighter and featured high marks for acceleration. It was often used as a fast courier or, in large numbers, a planetary attack craft.
The Kestrel Mk II features a generous array of weapon hardpoints: two Class 1 hardpoints are located on both sides and slightly in front of the cockpit, one Class 3 hardpoint behind the cockpit on top of the fuselage, as well as two Class 3 hardpoints underneath the front wings. The ship also features four Utility Mounts.
Core Dynamics chose to sacrifice the Kestrel’s internal space and raw armor protection, in pursuit of maximum speed and maneuverability. The wing-mounted reaction thrusters share design similarities with that of sentry skimmers, such as the S4 Sentry or the S9 Goliath, although the Kestrel's thrusters do not deflect nearly as much as those of the drones.
The ship features a size 5 Power Plant and a size 5 Power Distributor. A polymer weave hull structure enables full use of Supercruise Overcharge technology, and is equipped with a Size 4 Frame Shift Drive bay. Size 1 Life Support and Size 2 Sensors round up the Core Internal selection.
The Kestrel, due to its stripped-down nature, features a rather limited selection of optional internals. Featuring eight internal compartments, of which there are: one Size 5, two Size 4, one Size 3, three Size 2 compartments, and one Size 1 compartment. It should be noted that one of the Size 4 compartments is restricted for military modules only.
The Kestrel Mk II also continues the trend of ships featuring unique modules. The Kestrel coincidentally features two modules exclusive to it: the Mk II Maneuvering Thrusters, and the Plasma Shock Accelerator Mk II.
The Kestrel Mk II received the green light for full production and distribution on 25 June 3312.[4]
Capabilities
Combat
The new drives give the Kestrel Mk II incredible maneuverability, allowing it to simply run circles around larger vessels like the Anaconda or the Imperial Cutter, and even if the bigger ship does manage to land a hit, the Kestrel packs surprisingly durable shields. The Plasma Shock Accelerator Mk II functions much like the standard Shock Cannon, although it is fully automatic, and has a much larger ammunition reserve. It excels at short range, although its forgiving spread pattern allows for reasonably effective mid-range fire. It must be noted that the Plasma Shock Accelerator Mk II cannot be engineered at the time of writing this article.
Many players have noted that the ship is too maneuverable, making target acquisition very difficult, especially while boosting.
Other
The Kestrel Mk II is a pure-bred combat ship, and is wholly unsuitable for other roles, such as trading or mining, and its undersized FSD bay limits is capability as an explorer.
Its only secondary role is as a racing vessel, where its maneuverability and speed shine that much brighter, similarly to the Viper Mk III.
Purchase Locations
| System | Station | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinrarta Dezhra | Jameson Memorial | Always available | 10% discount, Founders Permit needed |
Outfitting
All ships are highly customizable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default loadout for the Kestrel Mk II.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Hardpoint | Pulse Laser | F | 1 | 1 |
| Pulse Laser | F | 1 | 1 | |
| Large Hardpoint | Empty | -- | 3 | 3 |
| Empty | -- | 3 | 3 | |
| Empty | -- | 3 | 3 | |
| Utility Mount | Empty | -- | -- | -- |
| Empty | -- | -- | -- | |
| Empty | -- | -- | -- | |
| Empty | -- | -- | -- | |
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloys | I | C | 1 |
| Reactor Bay | Power Plant | E | 5 | 5 |
| Thrusters Mounting | Thrusters | E | 5 | 5 |
| Frame Shift Drive Housing | Frame Shift Drive (SCO) | E | 4 | 4 |
| Environment Control | Life Support | E | 1 | 1 |
| Power Coupling | Power Distributor | E | 5 | 5 |
| Sensor Suite | Sensors | E | 2 | 2 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x16] | C | 4 | 4 |
| Internal Compartments | Shield Generator | E | 5 | 5 |
| Empty [Restricted] | -- | -- | 4 | |
| Cargo Rack [x8] | E | -- | 4 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Cargo Rack [x4] | E | -- | 2 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Advanced Docking Computer | E | 2 | 2 | |
| Supercruise Assist | E | 1 | 1 | |
| (PAS) | I | 1 | 1 |
- (L) = Loaned Module
- [x#] = Capacity
- (PAS) = Reserved solely for the Planetary Approach Suite or Advanced Planetary Approach Suite
Development
The Kestrel Mk II was first teased on the Elite Dangerous account on the site X (x.com) on 14 February 2026.[5] unveiled during the Developer Log on 16 February 2026.[2]
Videos
Gallery
-
Kestrel Mk II at a Gas Giant -
Kestrel Mk II with weapons -
Kestrel Mk II Features -
Kestrel Mk II above planet -
Kestrel Mk II bow and hardpoints -
Kestrel Mk II at an icy body -
Kestrel Mk II Ventral
References
- ↑ Kestrel Mk II Review – Medium-Ship Firepower in a Small Frame | Elite Dangerous - Mile 13 Gaming - YouTube - 22 Feb 2026
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elite Dangerous | Developer Log - 16 February 2026 - YouTube
- ↑ Elite Dangerous | Kestrel Mk II Update Out Now! - 24 Feb 2026 - Frontier Forums
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kestrel Fighter Enters Full Production - 25 June 2026 - Elite Dangerous
- ↑ Elite Dangerous - A new hangar door is opening - 13 Feb 2026 - on X