Imperial Clipper, built by Imperial Gutamaya Shipyards and sold mainly on Imperial-owned stations. But it is not uncommon to find it on Federation stations as well. To purchase it, you must have earned the rank of Baron in the Imperial Navy.
Tactical and Technical Specifications
In its price range, this is one of the weakest ships in terms of firepower. Yes, there are two large bays, yes, there are two more medium bays. BUT. The big damage-causing compartments are located on the left and right wings, respectively, and the distance between them is very small, so using two fixed guns simultaneously is impossible (Note: possible, but at a distance of over 2 km, when the damage dealt penalty is very high, it becomes meaningless). As a result, you have to juggle either by setting two gimbal weapons or one fixed / one gimbal, or setting two guns of different types (e.g. a fixed laser on the left wing, a fixed plasma booster on the right), and twisting the wings depending on which one you are going to use. Only the two middle bays are conveniently located. The next disadvantage is that not very strong propulsion system does not allow you to fully enjoy the use of energy weapons, the energy runs out rather quickly. And the last serious disadvantage - with increasing load on the ship (in the form of cargo or massive B-class modules) Imperial Clipper gets the most serious in-game penalties to its running characteristics. Many pilots in battles against NPCs on the Clipper will notice that sometimes they are extremely slow, clumsy and barely move their body in space. The answer is simply that this NPC has his hold full. To see how fast and frisky they really are, it's better to go to the conflict zones, where the galactic powers or small factions that belong to the Empire are fighting - this is where they don't fill up their holds with loot. Attack a couple of Clippers and try to get away from them, the author of the article has never succeeded, they were always forced to take the fight.
Separately we should note the size of the Imperial Clipper, in terms of size it is one of the largest ships that currently exist in the game. It is because of its size that many players disagree on its combat effectiveness. Opinions are usually split on two sides; on the price point of the ship, its combat performance and capabilities are very, very good. Two large and two medium-sized weapon slots, the ability to support class seven shields, and unusual speed and maneuverability for an object of its size. However, there is an equally reasonable opposing viewpoint based not on the cost but on the size of the ship, which means that the Imperial Clipper's shields are rather weak (considering that it's much easier to hit a large ship), and its armament is rather small and uncomfortable (relatively to its analogues in size Fer-de-Lance and Python), mainly due to the awkward arrangement of its ports and relatively small propulsion system for such a large ship (only the 6th class). Which of these two opinions is the most correct is up to the pilot of this ship to decide.
Bottom line: The ship was primarily designed by the Empire to transport VIPs and cargo as quickly and safely as possible, and it does a pretty good job of it.
