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Based on the Federal Dropship, the Federal Assault Ship sacrifices the flexibility of its sibling in favour of a more combat-oriented profile. Faster and more manoeuvrable than the Dropship, and boasting two medium and two large hardpoints, this is a vessel that has been designed to strike fast and hard. The trade-off for this power and agility is a reduction in internal compartments, making the Assault Ship less versatile than the Dropship.

— In-Game Description

The Federal Assault Ship is a ship manufactured by Core Dynamics for the Federation. Purchasing it requires achieving a Federal Navy rank of Chief Petty Officer. It is a combat-specialised variant of the Federal Dropship, gaining improved speed and manoeuvrability without compromising firepower or defence.

Overview[]

The Federal Assault Ship's agility comes at the cost of fewer Internal Compartments, which makes it more of a fighter than a true multipurpose ship.[1][2] Like its sister vessels the Federal Dropship and Federal Gunship, the Assault Ship has weak shields but a resilient hull, which has given the three models a reputation as "hull tanks".

As a combat ship, the Federal Assault Ship's main competitor is the Alliance Chieftain. Both ships have identical core internal compartments, identical agility ratings (the Federal Assault Ship has higher boost speed but lower base top speed), similar defensive capabilities (the Assault Ship offers significantly better module protection than the Chieftain, but has a weaker shield) and very similar base price tags. The Chieftain has slightly better firepower, slightly better hardpoint placement, and slightly better optional internal compartments, but is mass locked by the Federal Assault Ship. The Assault Ship also requires earning Federal Navy rank, while the Chieftain has no rank requirement. In the end, the deciding factor for a prospective buyer may be aesthetics rather than performance.

One notable advantage that the Assault Ship has over the Dropship and Gunship is its jump range potential: of the three ships, the Assault Ship can jump the furthest with a lightweight loadout. This makes the Assault Ship an interesting choice for explorers, because although its internal compartment layout is not especially spacious and it cannot achieve the high jump ranges of exploration staples such as the Asp Explorer, its rugged design specs mean it can survive a stronger beating than typical exploration ships. It is not recommended for long-range expeditions, but may be suitable for trips to relatively high-traffic attractions close to the bubble, such as the Pleiades Nebula, Witch Head Nebula, and Thargoid-occupied systems, where the risk of explorers being drawn into combat is higher.

Convergence fass

Federal Assault Ship hardpoint convergence

The Federal Assault Ship's weapon hardpoints are located as follows: one Class 3 hardpoint above and behind the cockpit, one Class 3 hardpoint on the nose of the ship, and two Class 2 hardpoints underneath the base of the lower wings. The locations of the underside hardpoints are identical to those found on both the Federal Dropship and the Federal Gunship.

Purchase Locations[]

System Station Date Seen Discount
Shinrarta Dezhra Jameson Memorial Always available 10% discount
Brestla i Sola Prospect Always available 20% surcharge
KP Tauri Spedding Orbital Oct. 1, 2019 15% discount
Maikoro Hawking Port Oct. 1, 2019 15% discount
Dinda Mount Sunday Oct. 1, 2019 15% discount
Fiden Panshin Ring Oct. 1, 2019 15% discount
Kotigeni Shaw Port June 19, 2020 15% discount
G 41-14 Ramon Hub Oct. 1, 2019
82 Eridani Bresnik Port Oct. 1, 2019
Dulos Wilson Ring Oct. 1, 2019
HR 2283 Musgrave Dock Oct. 1, 2019
Dahan Dahan Gateway Oct. 1, 2019
LHS 302 Kavandi Dock Oct. 1, 2019

Outfitting[]

Main article: Outfitting

All ships are customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Federal Assault Ship.

Category Default System Default Rating Default Class Max Class
Medium Hardpoint Pulse Laser (L) F 1 2
Pulse Laser (L) F 1 2
Large Hardpoint Empty -- -- 3
Empty -- -- 3
Utility Mount Empty -- -- 0
Empty -- -- 0
Empty -- -- 0
Empty -- -- 0
Bulkheads Lightweight Alloys I 1 8
Reactor Bay Power Plant E 6 6
Thrusters Mounting Thrusters E 6 6
Frame Shift Drive Housing Frame Shift Drive E 5 5
Environment Control Life Support E 5 5
Power Coupling Power Distributor E 6 6
Sensor Suite Sensors E 4 4
Fuel Store Fuel Tank [x16] C 4 4
Internal Compartments Shield Generator E 5 5
Cargo Rack [x16] E 4 5
Cargo Rack [x8] E 3 4
Empty (M) -- -- 4
Empty (M) -- -- 4
Cargo Rack [x8] E 3 3
Empty -- -- 2
Empty -- -- 2
Supercruise Assist E 1 1
(PAS) I 1 1

Notes[]

  • The Federal Assault Ship was added in the CQC Update (1.4) on October 6, 2015.
  • The Federal Assault Ship was referred to in some pre-release materials as the "Federal Dropship MkII".

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