Cobra Mk IVTrading

The Cobra Mk IV is Faulcon DeLacy's fatter take on the Cobra: a small-pad hull that gives up the Mk III's speed and agility in exchange for a wider frame and two extra optional internals. Fill its ten optionals (4·4·4·4·3·3·2·2·1·1) with cargo racks and it moves around 92 tonnes — roughly half again what a Mk III hauls, and the most any small-pad ship carries short of the newer Cobra Mk V.

It still lands anywhere and needs no rank, so it's a genuinely useful early hauler. Two things hold it back. First, it's slow: a 300 m/s boost (against the Mk III's 400) means it can't reliably outrun an interdiction, so it leans on a deterrent gun and a light shield instead. Second, it was sold only as a Horizons early-adoption reward, so many commanders simply can't buy one. Where you can fly it, it's a solid small-pad hauler; the rating reflects the tonnage against those limits.

Three things make the Cobra Mk IV a workable small-pad hauler:

• The biggest small-pad hold bar one. Ten optionals carry ~92 tonnes — only the Cobra Mk V's ~110t beats it on a small pad, and it clears the Mk III's ~64t comfortably.
• Lands anywhere, no rank. A small pad reaches outposts and surface ports that lock out every dedicated freighter, gate-free.
• Room to defend the cargo. Two mediums and three small hardpoints let a hauler mount a real deterrent gun, and the deep slots leave room for a shield and reinforcement.

The second-largest small-pad hold in the game after the Cobra Mk V — ~92 t on a cheap, rank-free hull — but a slow 300 m/s boost that can't break interdictions and a Horizons-only shipyard keep it a mid-field starter rather than a step up.

The 52/100 headline is a verdict against the trading 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.

Every table rates ships for trading specifically, split by landing-pad class. The Max cargo column is maximum cargo tonnage behind a shield; the rating is the same 1–100 suitability verdict used across the site.

Same class — small trading ships

5 small-pad trading hulls carry a rating, led by Cobra Mk IV (52). Every same-pad rival lands where this one does — the direct field to shop.

Other classes — the bulk freighters

The large-pad trading field (10 rated), led by Panther Clipper Mk II (98) — bigger pads and bankrolls. They out-muscle this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.

Other classes — the medium haulers

The medium-pad trading field (9 rated), led by Type-8 Transporter (76) — cheaper hulls and tighter pads. They undercut this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.

At ~623k Cr the hull is cheap and needs no rank, and a full A-rated trade fit stays under 2M Cr — recoverable in a handful of good loops. The real barrier isn't credits: the Cobra Mk IV was sold only to Horizons early adopters, so it never appears in most shipyards.

If it's in your fleet, it's a low-cost, roomy small-pad hauler worth keeping. If it isn't, the freely-sold Cobra Mk V offers the same large-small-pad-hold idea with more speed and more cargo.

A cheap small-pad hauler that trades the Mk III's speed for a bigger hold: cargo first, a light shield to survive interdiction, and two medium multi-cannons as a deterrent. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the trade baseline; Engineered stretches laden range and protected cargo.

Buy the hull (~623k Cr), keep the stock E-rated core (plus the 4C fuel tank) and the factory Lightweight Alloy bulkheads, and fill the four big class-4 optionals with 4E cargo racks for an immediate ~64t to start running loops.

Both utility mounts, the hardpoints and the smaller optional slots stay empty for now — no shield, no gun, no scanner. Because the Mk IV can't outrun trouble the way a Mk III can, run cautious routes until you can afford the A-rate pass.

A-rate the thrusters and FSD as soon as funds allow so the laden ship keeps what pace and range it has.

A-rating priority for a roomy small-pad hauler that can't simply run:

• 1FSD → 4A — Laden jump range is route efficiency; the biggest single trading gain. ~400k Cr
• 2Thrusters → 4A — Reclaim what pace the heavy Mk IV has, laden. ~250k Cr
• 3Shield Generator → 4C bi-weave + 0A shield booster — A class-4 bi-weave in the first big optional plus one booster protect the cargo, since it can't outrun a pirate. ~300k Cr
• 4Two medium multi-cannons + Power Plant → 4A — A pair of deterrent guns on the medium hardpoints makes a pirate reconsider, and the A-rated plant runs them cool. ~350k Cr
• 5Cargo racks + scanner — Fill the remaining size-3, size-2 and size-1 optionals with cargo (one size-1 takes a Detailed Surface Scanner). cheap

The trading engineering pattern, kept light on a small hull, with a pair of deterrent guns added. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Recommended order

• 1Increased-Range FSD first — laden jump range is the trader's single biggest payoff.
• 2Dirty thrusters to reclaim what pace the heavy hull has, laden.
• 3Reinforced bi-weave shield plus a Heavy-Duty booster, then Overcharged deterrent guns.
• 4Lightweight Life Support and Sensors to claw back a little more range.

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

Engineered, the Cobra Mk IV hauls ~74t behind a light shield with two deterrent guns and ~26 LY of laden range, boosting to ~360 m/s. It carries meaningfully more than a Mk III, but it can't run the way a Mk III can, so it survives by discouraging pirates rather than escaping them. A capable, roomy small-pad hauler — held back by pace and by a shipyard most commanders can't reach.

• Availability first — the Cobra Mk IV was a Horizons early-adoption reward and isn't sold in most shipyards; check before you plan around it.
• It can't outrun trouble — fit the bi-weave and the two deterrent guns, and route around the hottest lanes.
• Capacity is the draw — ~92t unshielded, ~74t shielded; budget runs accordingly.
• If you're shopping rather than flying one, the Cobra Mk V is the same large-small-pad-hold idea with more speed and cargo.