New ships were regularly added to Elite: Dangerous during the season 1, however season 2 slowed down these additions with only two passengers transports for now: the Dolphin and the Beluga. The game now consists of 31 ships in total + 3 fighters – F63 Condor 
, GU 97 Imperial 
and the Taipan 
– with different gameplays and possibilities!
This doesn’t seem to be enough and players want more designs, ways to play, ever bigger, faster, more explorers or fighters; In short, the community want new vessels to develop further/new playstyles. After some researches, I’m going to detail the possible ships that could join the catalog of Elite: Dangerous.
Panther Clipper
AH ! Obviously, I had to put the Panther Clipper (LX) in that list, it is one of the most awaited ships so far. This is a transport vessel that could move more commodities than an Anaconda or even a Cutter. Known as the ultimate carrier, the Panther is also quoted several times in-game and some advanced concept arts might allow us to think of a Launch for season 2. Maybe. Hopefully …
The ship was gigantic in the previous versions of Elite, superior to the Puma, but it seems that Frontier decreased its size for Elite: Dangerous. Still, it should be slightly longer and wider than an Anaconda. David Braben himself confirmed the ship, it was in 2014.
A possible Panther Clipper flying above a base
Hawk
The Hawk could be the big brother of our well known Core Dynamics Vulture. Although less maneuverable, it would offer better protection and firepower. A kind of Federal Fer de Lance.
Tempted by this vessel and its raw lines?
Possible Hawk from the official artbook
Krait
The community often tries to glean information about the Krait, but the answer is always the same « Nothing to say about it« . Quoted as even more maneuverable than the Eagle MkII, the Krait is only more fragile and would have only one weapon which would make a ship probably cheaper than the already inexpensive Eagle.
He also has a big brother: the Mamba. Maneuverability and breathtaking speed, we could here have our fighting ship at the same price as a Cobra MkIII, between 300k and 500k credits? Interesting, but nothing has ever been seen about it at stake or implied by Frontier Developments. We just know that the Mamba was appreciated by pirates.
Hunter
With its Lakon-like cockpit, and its Gutamaya-styled thrusters, the mystery of the Hunter remains.
Could it be the brand new GU 97 Imperial fighter? Or a special Alliance fighter? In the book reclamation, the author says that the Alliance design is a mix of bot Federation and Empire styles.
Concepts du Hunter
Other models
- The military Asp MkII from Lakon – quoted in the description of the Asp Explorer – could in fact be the Diamondback Scout, a fierce fighter with a long jump range? Or would it be the former Military Constrictor described as the poor man’s ASP, once specialised, pack a good punch or carry enough cargo?
- The Narwhal Liner is a Saud Kruger ship. It’s size is roughly as big as a capital ship. It usually carries wealthy or important personalities such as former president of the Federation Jasmina Halsey back in time.
- I heard you wanted big ships, the Boa is superior to the Anaconda but should cost a ton of credits, of course. Its speed is however described as very, very, very very slow. Its design looks like a huge Anaconda.
- Different carriers with unknown names are also represented here, including the little known Shark freighter.
- Or would you rather prefer small fighters? There are smaller versions of our small beasts:
- Falcon, lil brother of the F67 Condor, single weapon and the highest top speed in the galaxy. Great for hit & run tactics.
- Osprey, not necessarily smaller than the Imperial GU 97 but much less powerful with a single weapon. It keeps its incredible maneuverability that the Federals hate because almost untouchable. Its retro-acceleration is however pitiful, a weak point.
- Le Merlin is built by Perez Corporation. An Alliance and Federation corp. It consists of a mix of Falcon and Osprey but in addition it is more resilient and slower.
Fan-made
Always rocking on, the Elite: Dangerous community also produces some amazing fan-made ships. Design, stories, builds: here are 4 ships that I selected for you!
- The Imperial Corvette from 5pears – Overpowered for my taste, its concept embeds two C4 weapons on the sides, three C3, two C2 missiles/torpedoes as well as two C1 below the ship. Beautiful Gutamaya lines for a true Imperial Combat ship!
- The Lakon Type 2 from Aurélien – A small scout and very nimble vessel able to sneak everywhere.
- The Alliance Gunship from Alexander – Although not a big fan of the design that seems a bit fragile to me for an artillery ship, the Alliance Gunship here packs a total of nine weapons: Four C2, four C1 and one C3 which makes it ineffective against large vessels with great armors.
- The Smuggler Lakon from MixedSignal – Improved sensors, high speed, an interesting stealth system thanks to its high-tech heat vents, the Smuggler would be a perfect illegal cargo freighter… a real smuggler.
