About the MISC Hull E

“We shot Star Robbery! on a retired Hull E that the studio purchased for the holo. Worst part was that a 300 meter long spaceship looks like a city on camera; spacious interiors, engines you have to walk a quarter mile to reach. We actually ended up renting a Hull C for a bunch of the second unit stuff! Then for the climax, where it was supposed to blow up while Jan [Halsey, holo star] is rocketing away, the [redacted] thing just wouldn’t [redacted] explode! We rigged the spine with explosives, which the demo guys said would give it a cool collapsing effect… just snapped one of the prongs off with nary an additional scratch. Had to tow it to a drydock, reattach the prong and then tow it back to be blown up again!”

- Ax Skart, Director, STAR ROBBERY!

“SUBJECT: Hull E versus Lagrange Station”

- Apocryphal Comm Message Forward

“The MISC Hull E is an unparalleled bulk freighter. The E doesn’t just dwarf the rest of the series, it knocks out the competition. Simply put, there is NO human-designed bulk hauler on the same scale on the market today. With extensive after-market options, the Hull E have been adopted as everything from colonial supply trains to survey equipment platforms to orbital defensive platforms. With space for the largest possible set of container types, the properly equipped Hull E can carry everything from iron ore to passengers to fully functional spacecraft! Co-leasing opportunities are available; in some cases, it may be beneficial for smaller corporations to share a single Hull E rather than purchasing separate smaller designs outright. Talk to your ship dealer today!”

- MISC Cavalcade of Transports! brochure, 2945

Backer Question and Answer

“Will the Hull-E be able to disable some thrusters when not fully loaded?”

This won’t just be possible, it will be necessary in many cases! In automatic flight, your thrusters will adjust based on the overall load, but you will also have the option to control them more directly yourself.

“Will the Hull E Fit inside any of the hangers, if so what ones? “

We’re making plans for larger hangar expansions to accommodate ships like the Hull E or the Orion. Until then, the Hull E will come with the standard deluxe Hangar.

“How will the perception of problem with the telescoping spine and apparent fragile nature of the spindles be resolved? “

We will take a look at making the spindles look ‘stronger’ during the next art pass, but the long term answer is that they just aren’t going to be fragile. The interiors are reinforced, they telescope out and then lock in place… they’re the same as the skeletons that form the basis of all other ships.

“What kind of options will there be for automated loading if that’s not the kind of task we want to worry about? “

Grabby Hands means that you can load every part of the ship if you so desire… but in all likelihood, you won’t ever want to do that on something as large as a Hull E. Loading can be done automatically via your mobiGlas under normal circumstances (and then the cargo itself can be organized through the console interface.)

“If the Hull E can drop escort fighters does this mean the pilots of said escort fighters need to stay in the fighters for the duration of trip, or will there be a way to enter said escort fighters from inside the Hull E? “

This is going to depend on the fighter! We have been experimenting with a system where you you must ‘construct’ a Hornet from components stored in standard containers. This would be something you do in flight, similar to sub-launched aircraft in the 1940s: unfold the container, put the ship together during an EVA and then take off. In these cases, which involve heavier ships like the Hornet, you would not be able to land on the Hull. We also plan to have smaller midget fighters (such as the Merlin) which could be launched and recovered with tractor beams.

“That Hull E looks big enough to stow away on with no one the wiser. If I fly my Aurora up to the back of a cargo crate and mag-clamp on to it, can I tag along wherever the Hull E is heading?”

Good to see that you’re already imagining the Star Citizen equivalent of Marty’s skateboarding in Back to the Future! The short answer is that yes, anything you can fit in a crate (Aurora included) can be carried by a Hull E. We expect to developed ‘manned’ modules as well, if you’d like to travel on a Hull as a passenger.

“In case I transport ships with the Hull E, what kind of insurance will be necessary? Will it need a hull insurance for the transported ships, do they count as cargo or does it need hull and cargo insurance?”

When a full ship is being transported, you would need the base hull insurance for that ship rather than additional cargo insurance.

“Is there a militarized Hull E version? “

Yes! It’s nowhere near as common as the Hull D, but the UEE military does on occasion utilize the Hull E as a transport. The military designation is R5M Proteus.

“Is only the Hull E capable of transporting, refueling and refitting escort fighters?”

No. Any ship in the series is capable of mounting this equipment where space allows, the Hull E just has more space for it. (That is: the Hull D can likely be modified with refueling equipment or smaller ship attachments, while the Hull A probably can not.)

“How is speed and maneuverability scaling with the load level. E.g. HULL E with no cargo, and non extracted spindle should be like a gigantic ‘racing truck’?”

The Hull is never going to be a speeder, but you will be able to push it quite a bit more without cargo.

“Will there be a reliable source of missions available for Hull E owners to move other people’s cargo, and how would that system work?”

Absolutely; think of the Hull E as being a pure space truck, like those you might see on a cross-country trip. The cabs are owned and operated by a driver (or a corporation) and the cargo is simply picked up and moved on behalf of other parties.

“Will there be some hauling loads that physically cannot be broken down into smaller pieces, and thus must be delivered by a dedicated Hull E?”

Absolutely! The galaxy is full of wonders, some of which are quite large. Whether it’s a Xi’an megapiano or a fully intact stasis unit, there’s always something out there that you won’t want to take apart to ship.

“Will you be able to have more than one midget fighter attachment at a time, and if so, how many will you be able to have?”

This will purely depend on what attach points are available. Someone who trades in a good deal of their cargo space might be able to attach a number of fighters!

“Can the Hull E internal corridor fit a Greycat?”

We’re going to leave that to you to figure out.

Thank you for keeping up with this Q&A series! In truth, we’re just as excited about new Star Citizen ships as you are. Since this seems to have gone well, we’re going to do the same type of post for all future concept sales. If you have any suggestions to improve the process, please post them below.