The BFF-1 Bulk Freighter is all and nothing more than what the name states. It can carry all one would ever want to have hauled. Basically the design comes down to a decent hyperdrive engine surrounded by lots of cargo containers. It acts rather sluggish at sublight speeds so a pilot with a steady yet gentle hand is a must. In fact, maintaining the full crew complement of seven is strongly advised although most ships seem to run well with just four experienced crewmen.
One advantage of this type of transport is that despite its significant size, the BFF-1 has the ability to land. Besides cargo of all sorts, the manufacturers managed to make later versions acceptable for passenger transport, making room for about a hundred people. One other important attribute is the BFF-1's tractor beam. This is very handy if there's even more to haul, but it also helps multiple ships to stay in formation which is very important because these ships tend to travel in convoy.
A significant flaw in the BFF-1 Bulk Freighter is the fact that it has no armament to speak of which makes it an easy target for pirates and the like. Its thick hide, boasting good deflectors and ionic shielding as well as the 'safety' in numbers, are the only things that can make sure this ship gets the goods where it's needed. |