The FK-7 is an airspeeder capable of scanning for mineral and gaseous deposits in almost all environments. This craft is, essentially, a light speeder with a geologic electronics suite mounted to the aft. It has room for two surveyors and employs full repulsor lift capabilities. As such, it can be deployed by a host ship to almost any surface condition. FK-7s can move through an atmosphere along any axis; they can scan for minerals in deep water or look for tibanna deposits on gas giants. This access does come at a cost; its detectors are not as sensitive as those of other vehicles in the field (such as the SX-65 Groundhog). But, with skilled technicians at the controls and a team of FK-7s on the task, the FK-7 can be used to great effect.
The FK-7 was born out of the need to do deep geologic scans in areas that larger craft could not reach. Usually, remote areas and aquatic environments would steer prospectors to easier mining locations. As a planet began to be depleted of readily available resources, miners would find that they were potentially leaving many areas of their project planets untapped. Given the costs of moving their mining operations, technicians cobbled together the earliest versions of this speeder. Today’s FK keeps many of the design elements of the prototype models, adding safety equipment and sealed cabins.
The FK-7 is used by government and commercial mining operations alike. Since the craft is speeder-based, it is easy to pilot with the appropriate license. Civilians owning a light freighter can move this vehicle with ease and earn a decent living prospecting for private companies and landowners. A small, independent outfit can deploy a number of these with little trouble to get a sense of what value their target world has. As long as there is a demand to make the most use of a planet's resources, the FK-7 will have a place in the galaxy.