Cobra Mk.3 (Oolite)

Cobra Mk.III
Size (metres, W×H×L)	130 × 30 × 65
Cargo capacity	20 TC
Cargo bay extension	15 TC
Maximum speed	0.35 LM
Manoeuvrability	Roll: 2.0 Pitch: 1.0
Energy banks	4
Energy recharge rate	Good (4.0)
Gun mounts	Fore, Aft Port, Starboard
Missile slots	4
Shield boosters available	Yes
Military shields available	Yes
Hyperspace capable	Yes
OXP or standard	Standard
Available to player	Yes
Base price	150000 Cr

Overview

The Cobra Mk.III first rolled off the production line at Cowell & MgRath's vast factory shipyard in Lave in 3100. The successor to the already successful Cobra Mk.I, it went on to be the mainstay of small trading operations. Priced competitively, the Cobra Mk.III continues the success of the Cobra series of ships. Cowell & MgRath later capitalised on the popularity of this ship by releasing a more expensive sister model Cobra Courier for their more demanding customers. Even later, they produced a very high-tech model, the SuperCobra, allowing Mk.III owners a familiar upgrade path, but also causing some worried talk at the GalCop headquarters...

Notable Features

The Cobra Mk.III is one of those ubiquitous multi-role ships you see everywhere. There isn't a space station where you can't find half a dozen Cobras parked. It is a ship that is 'good enough' in every aspect - not universe shattering, merely good enough. This has made the ship poke into virtually every market segment apart from midget fighters and trading behemoths. Every class of spaceborne being has some Cobra Mk.IIIs in its number from pirates to traders to government officials.

Controversy

Paynou, Prossett and Salem, the original designers of the Cobra Mk.I, filed for bankrupcy following bad publicity after the failure of successive Cobra Mk.II prototypes. They were bought out by Cowell & MgRath, who redesigned the structural and internal layout from the ground up whilst retaining much of the external design features. The Cobra Mk.III is substantially a Mk.II hull with the internal structural engineering and design flaws corrected. When this became public knowledge, Cowell & Mgrath were accused of covering up the fact that the Mk.III was really just the Mk.II in all but name, and the Lave authorities investigated the company, threatening to revoke its ship manufacturing license. The investigators discovered no foul play and, more importantly, no evidence of any design issues with the new ship, and the company recovered from the bad publicity magnificently (as shown by the popularity of the Cobra Mk.III).

Pimp my Cobra

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the release of the Cobra Mark III, Cowell MgRath in concert with What Spaceship? magazine engineered a competition. The competitors were given a standard Cobra Mark III and were allowed to freely modify it's engines, interior space and design, exterior design and equipment. The response was so great and the standard of entries so high, that Cowell MgRath sold manufacturing rights of these 'pimped Cobras' to their modders to allow them to continue making their ships. This had a two-fold benefit for the financially-sparce company, first it increased the popularity of the Cobra Mk. III and second, the modders paid a fee to Cowell MgRath for each modified Cobra they sold.

A number of these Cobra variants are:

• The 'Chopped Cobra' by Aegidian Shipyards
• The Cobra III NjX by Seldar Shipyards
• The Teretrurus MK.I Purple Haze/Shieldtail by O.C.C.
• The 'Dark Wheel' Cobra Mk. III by Ramon Security Ltd.
• The Cobra Clipper SAR by Murgh Shipyards
• The Cobra Rapier by Wolfwood Interstellar Technologies

Additional Equipment

Optional equipment available for this ship.