Type-7 TransporterMining

The Type-7 Transporter makes an affordable high-volume miner: ~310 tonnes of capacity for a big ore hold plus a full mining suite, all for under 17M credits. Its good laden jump range — better than most freighter-miners — lets it reach distant, less-crowded hotspots efficiently and haul a full hold home without endless jumps. For a trader-turned-miner on a budget, it's a natural step up in volume.

It's lightly defended and slow, though, and can't fight off the pirates that hunt laden miners — it relies on a shield and escape. Awkwardly, the medium-pad Type-8 actually holds more ore while landing more flexibly. So the Type-7's appeal is narrow: a cheap large-pad miner with good reach, best suited to mining safer, distant hotspots where its range pays off and pirates are scarce.

Four things define the Type-7 as a miner:

• Big hold for the price. ~310 tonnes of capacity for a large ore haul, on a hull under 17M credits.
• Good laden jump range. Reaches distant, quieter hotspots and hauls a full hold home efficiently.
• Cheap and rank-free. An affordable large-pad volume miner anyone can buy.
• Ten optionals. Room for a full mining suite plus a big ore hold and a shield.

A ~310t hold and ~34 LY engineered laden range for under 17M Cr rank-free lead the case; escape-only defence and a large pad the medium Type-8 out-holds cap it.

The 78/100 headline is a verdict against the mining 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 mining specifically. The role column is the maximum cargo capacity in tonnes — though practical ore capacity is lower once the mining suite is fitted.

Same class — large-pad miners

Among large miners the Type-7 is the cheap entry point. The capital ships and the dedicated Type-11 out-haul or out-specialise it, but cost far more. For an affordable large-pad miner with good reach, the Type-7 is the budget choice.

Other classes — the medium alternatives

Awkwardly, the medium Type-8 holds more ore than the Type-7 and lands more flexibly, and the Python mines more safely. So the Type-7 makes most sense only as the cheapest large-pad miner, or when you already favour large-pad logistics; for most miners, a Type-8 is the smarter buy.

At ~16.8M Cr the Type-7 is cheap for a large-pad miner, with no rank gate. A mining fit keeps the all-in cost around 30M Cr.

It's an affordable volume-mining pick, best where its good laden range pays off — but weigh it honestly against the medium Type-8, which holds more ore and lands more flexibly for a bit more money.

A cheap volume laser-mining fit with a big ore hold and an escape-grade bi-weave shield. Initial is the cheapest buy-only suite that can actually mine — one laser, refinery, prospector and collector controllers; A-rated is the full mining baseline; Engineered targets the ship's reach and survival — the mining tools are not meaningfully engineered.

Buy the hull (~16.8M Cr) and fit the cheapest suite that can still mine: one 1D Mining Laser, the 4A Refinery, a 3A Prospector and a 5A Collector limpet controller, two 6E cargo racks and a 1I Detailed Surface Scanner. Core internals stay stock E, and the hull keeps its free Lightweight Alloy bulkhead — no armour spend on a ship that mines and runs.

Everything else is left empty buy-only — the second mining laser, the Abrasion Blaster and Sub-surface Displacement Missile, all four utility mounts (Pulse Wave Analyser, shield boosters, heat sink) and the bi-weave shield. They come with the A-rated suite.

From there, A-rate the Power Distributor and FSD first for sustained laser power and reach, then fill the remaining optionals with ore racks.

A-rating priority for a budget large miner:

• 1Power Distributor → 4A — Sustained laser power and limpets. ~4M Cr
• 2FSD → 5A — Exploit the good laden range to reach distant hotspots. ~5M Cr
• 3Power Plant & Thrusters → 5A — Power headroom for the laser and limpet load, plus the burst to break interdiction laden. ~4M Cr
• 4Complete the mining suite — Second mining laser, Abrasion Blaster, Sub-surface Displacement Missile and Pulse Wave Analyser. ~3M Cr
• 5Shield Generator → 6C bi-weave, plus utilities — Tank a pirate while you flee; round out the four utility mounts with two 0A Shield Boosters and a 0I Heat Sink Launcher. ~3M Cr

Leave the Lightweight Alloy bulkhead stock — a Military-grade hull adds dead mass and costs you laden jump range for no real survivability gain. This Type-7 runs from pirates, it doesn't trade blows.

Mining engineering is light and targets the ship, not the tools. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Recommended order

• 1FSD Increased Range first to exploit the good laden range for distant hotspots.
• 2Engineer the ship's escape and survival — thrusters, bi-weave, boosters.
• 3Low-Emissions plant for cool, long sessions.
• 4Leave the mining tools stock.

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

Engineered, the Type-7 mines a ~260t hold with good reach, cheaply — best in distant, quiet hotspots its range unlocks. The bulkhead is engineered Lightweight (G5) with Deep Plating: it trims hull mass to feed the ~34 LY laden range and ~340 m/s boost while adding a little raw hardness for the dash back to supercruise. It still can't fight pirates and the medium Type-8 actually out-holds it, so its niche is narrow: an affordable large-pad miner for far-flung, safer rings.

• Exploit the range — work distant, quieter hotspots where its weak defence matters less.
• It can't fight pirates — keep a shield and mine safer, far-flung sites.
• The medium Type-8 out-holds it and lands more flexibly — weigh that honestly.
• Don't engineer the mining tools; engineer the ship's reach and survival.