Cobra Mk IIIExploration

The Cobra Mk III has carried explorers to the stars since the dawn of the genre, and it still makes a lovely budget deep-space ship. A light-enough hull and class-4 FSD give it a solid ~50 LY engineered, while eight optional internals (three class-4) carry a proper expedition kit — scoop, scanner, AFMU, SRV bay — with room left for cargo. It's fast, it handles beautifully, and it lands at any outpost.

Like everywhere else, the Cobra's exploration strength is versatility rather than specialisation. The dedicated explorers jump further and carry more single-mindedly, but few match the Cobra's blend of decent range, real cargo capacity, speed and charm at so low a price. For a flexible explorer that can also haul or run missions — and as the sentimental favourite of a generation of pilots — it remains a wonderful choice.

Four things make the Cobra Mk III a fine budget explorer:

• Solid range plus cargo. ~50 LY engineered and real cargo room — the rare cheap explorer that can also carry a load.
• Fast and lovely to fly. A 403 m/s boost and superb handling make in-system travel and surface work quick and enjoyable.
• Deep, flexible optionals. Eight internals carry a full expedition kit with room to spare for cargo or extras.
• Cheap and beloved. Around 200k credits, on a hull with decades of goodwill behind it — the sentimental explorer.

A versatile ~50 LY all-rounder with deep eight-slot internals, fast 403 m/s boost, superb canopy and ~208k Cr cost; the class-4 FSD range ceiling is the limiter.

The 71/100 headline is a verdict against the exploration role's priority-ordered factors. Each factor carries a weight (its share of 100); this hull earns part of each based on how it performs against the whole field. The points sum to the rating.

Both tables rate ships for exploration specifically. The role column is the maximum engineered jump range in light-years — the headline number for deep-space travel.

Same class — small-pad explorers

Among budget small-pad explorers the Cobra Mk III is the versatile, fast pick. The Diamondbacks out-range it as dedicated explorers, but none matches the Cobra's blend of decent range, real cargo, speed and charm. The flexible all-rounder that also explores well.

Other classes — and its own successor

The Cobra Mk III's nearest rival is its own modern successor, the Cobra Mk V, which is roomier and tougher. For dedicated range, a DBE or Asp Explorer is the step up. The Mk III endures as the fast, versatile, affordable classic that explores as happily as it does everything else.

At ~208k Cr the Cobra Mk III is very cheap, with no rank gate, and a full explorer fit stays around 5M Cr all-in — a fast, versatile deep-space ship for very little.

It's a value-and-versatility pick: cheap enough to own alongside other ships, and flexible enough to explore, haul or run missions by swapping its deep optionals.

A versatile explorer fit that keeps cargo room. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the expedition baseline; Engineered maximises range while preserving the Cobra's flexibility.

Buy the hull (~208k Cr) and run it on stock E-rated cores plus the 4C Fuel Tank — all bought, nothing engineered. The default Lightweight Alloy bulkheads ship with the hull, so there is nothing to buy there.

Fit a buy-only 4E Fuel Scoop and a 0I Heat Sink Launcher in Utility 1; a 4E Cargo Rack fills the second size-4 for early hauling.

Leave Utility 2, the third size-4, all three size-2 slots and both size-1 slots empty (—) — the Guardian booster, SRV bay, AFMU, bi-weave shield and scanner all arrive on the A-rated pass.

A-rating priority for a versatile explorer:

• 1FSD → A — Jump range is everything; A-rate the drive first. ~400k Cr
• 2Fuel Scoop → A (class 4) — A good scoop keeps the trip moving. ~1M Cr
• 3Guardian FSD Booster 4 — A flat range bonus — a Guardian-site run. material cost
• 4Detailed Surface Scanner — Cartographic payouts. ~250k Cr
• 5AFMU + SRV bay — Self-repair and surface access. A single 2G Planetary Vehicle Hangar in the size-4 slot — one SRV is all an explorer needs, and the lighter unit saves mass against range. ~1M Cr
• 6Bi-Weave shield + booster — A 2C Bi-Weave shield with a 0A Shield Booster in Utility 2 for thin but useful crash protection. cheap

Bulkheads stay stock Lightweight Alloy — an explorer keeps armour light; the mass-reduction engineering comes later, not a Military-Grade swap.

The exploration engineering pattern on the beloved classic. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; Professor Palin or Mel Brandon does the thrusters; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Recommended order

• 1FSD Increased Range to G5 with Mass Manager for the Cobra's ~50 LY range.
• 2Lightweight life support and sensors to shed mass.
• 3Low-Emissions plant for cool scooping.
• 4Clean Drive Tuning thrusters — the Cobra is already fast; keep it efficient.

Approximate progression across the three states (figures are representative, not exact rolls):

Engineered, the Cobra Mk III jumps ~50 LY, rockets around systems at ~480 m/s, and carries a full expedition kit with cargo room to spare. The Lightweight Alloy bulkheads take mass-reduction engineering and the SRV bay drops to a single-SRV 2G hangar, so the hull stays light for range; the power plant re-rolls to Low Emissions for cool, stable power on long hauls. A fast, flexible, affordable explorer — the dedicated ships out-range it, but few out-charm or out-flex it.

• Lean on speed and versatility — the Cobra explores well and re-roles brilliantly.
• FSD and a class-4 scoop first; then fill the deep optionals with full kit and a little cargo.
• Only two utilities — manage heat sinks carefully on hot scoops.
• Its modern successor the Cobra Mk V is roomier and tougher; the DBE out-ranges it as a dedicated explorer.