Elephant

Split Elephant Class TL Large Transport Buy: Distinguished Associate @ 17,415,102 Cr Speed (Min-Max) 87.9 - 131.9 m/s Acceleration (Min-Max) 6 - 9 m/s2 Steering (Min-Max) 0.4 - 0.5 RPM Hull Strength 120,000 Max. Shield (Total) 5 x 200 MJ (1,000 MJ) Shield Reactor 4,300 MW Cargo Class (Min-Max) 34,000 - 34,000 @ ST Laser Capacitor 27,300 MJ Laser Recharge 273 MW                                                                                                          Front x 2                                                                                                          Rear x 2                                                                                                          Left x 2                                                                                                          Right x 2 Docking 14 M3+ - M5

Overview

The Elephant is quick, cheap and efficient, making it the most popular TL to buy first.

Its utility suffers because it has the smallest freight space in its class, making it less effective than other designs in carrying and deploying stations or other high volume goods. However its speed is unmatched amongst TLs (and even among TS), which makes it ideal for smaller and faster cargo deliveries.

It was the ship of choice for eliminating pesky Kha'ak Destroyers in X3: Reunion due to its compatibility with the Beta Photon Pulse Cannon, which considerably out-ranged the Gamma Kyon Emitter. Nowadays, it uses no unusual weaponry for its class, though it sports an above-average weapon generator. It is often used as a mobile HQ due to its speed and large hangar.

Background

This huge Transporter is too large to dock at any space station and carries a number of smaller freighters to load and unload its trading goods. It is believed that this Transporter is an evolutionary form of a much smaller Transporter called the Rhino, which seems to have been phased out over the last hundred years. It is believed that a different Split family clan controls each transporter.

Physical Characteristics

The Elephant closely resembles the M1 Raptor and M2 Python, being essentially a rusty-red slab of metal, taller than it is wide. Its main distinguishing characteristics are a forward-jutting "chin" and a pair of stubby wings amidships.

Combat

The Elephant itself is nothing special in a fight, but since it is capable of carrying a sizable fighter wing to do its dirty work it counts as potentially quite a lethal vessel in player hands. The Elephant is the fastest and cheapest, has the strongest laser and shield recharge rate of the TLs and only the Hercules can carry more shielding as a TL. This makes it the most combat-capable TL out there, and good for supporting large fleets.

Equipment

Missiles

Mosquito Missile Wasp Missile Dragonfly Missile Silkworm Missile Hornet Missile Disruptor Missile Firefly Missile Thunderbolt Missile

Tempest Missile Hurricane Missile Cyclone Missile Tornado Missile Typhoon Missile Firestorm Torpedo Aurora Missile Remote Guided Warhead

Beluga Missile Hammerhead Missile Rapier Missile Firelance Missile Wildfire Missile Windstalker Missile Banshee Missile

Availability

The Elephant is available at all but two Split Shipyards.

Availability

Variant	Family Pride	Rhonkar's Might	Cho's Defeat	Family Tkr	Family Njy	Zyarth's Dominion	Patriarch's Conclusion	Rhonkar's Trial	Family Rhy
Elephant	x	x	x		x	x	x	x

Suggested Roles

Due to its low price, the Elephant is often the first TL bought by a new player, and excels at station-building missions due to its speed.

Its 14-berth fighter hangar also makes it effective as a temporary storehouse for captured fighters. For the same reason, it can prove useful as a light patrol carrier for defending factories from pirate fighter attack.

See Also

Ships by Class

TL Ships

Argon	Mammoth
ATF	none
Boron	Orca
Goner	Ozias
Kha'ak	none
OTAS	none
Paranid	Hercules
Pirate	none
Split	Elephant
Teladi	Albatross
Terran	Atmospheric Lifter • Mobile Mining Base-Ship
Xenon	none
Yaki	Ryu