Vader: No, I'm affraid that there isn't one in the current release. But this is a feature I want to add to the mod (maybe next version).
I want to add some very strong equipment, which is quite expensive and can only be bought by high level-players. This equipment, however can be mounted on hardpoints from level 3 to 10 (maybe 2 to 10), so that advanced players can fly the ship they want (for example a Defender), but can still stand against Nomad Fighters, or if they are very good pilots even against stronger ships. This would mean you just have a weak hull, but strong weapons, shields, missiles, torpedoes, etc..
For now this is not in the mod, but you can easily do this with the Ioncross Character Editor (just mount class 10 equipment on a ship of your choice and don't forget a good powerplant). Normally this works without crashing the game, but I cannot guarantee this.
If you can't wait until the next version (which might take some time), you could also change the inis by yourself, as this is a very easy thing to do.
BIGMAG:
At first many thanks for helping me with your suggestions. It's always good to get some help from other players and modders.
One Question: Could you maybe explain me (with an E-mail, as this forum is for the Monkeys mod and not about modding in general) how you made it easier to get battleship encounters or patrols (You said something like this. Mine work perfectly, but you may have a better method. My E-mail address is at the top of every post of me, thanks!
About the SimpleSaveEditor: This is a link to the download here on lancersreactor:
Simple Save Editor 1.0 Download
This is another Savegame decoder (savegames are also fl files, like the newplayer.fl. So it can be decoded with a savegame decoder):
Freelancer Save Editor Download
I hope this helps!
Black Eagle