Schematics:
Type: Escort
Accommodation: 40 Officers and Crew
Height: 30.1m
Length: 170.68m
Beam: 134.11m
Mass: 355,000 Metric Tons
Weapons: Two Torpedo Launchers
Four Pulse Phaser Cannons
Warp factor: 9.982
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Summary:
The Defiant Class is a heavily armored, limited-role Starfleet vessel developed at the Antares Fleet Yards in 2366. The study vechicle, designated NXP-2365WP/T, was designed as a fast torpedo attack ship for high-warp penetrations of threat defenses. The Defiant Pathfinder would have mounted six torpedo launchers, four in the primary hull and two in the engineering hull, capable of firing photon and quantum torpedoes at speeds up to warp 9.982.
It was decided to compact the platform with the warp nacelles and other structures, which were pulled in closer to the engineering hull, minimizing the sensor cross-sectional area and vulnerable appendages. The Defiant Class was designed with the best tactical systems available such as quantum torpedoes, ablative hull armor and pulse phaser cannons. The former prototype USS Defiant was even equipped with a Romulan cloaking device.
Unlike other Starfleet ships, the Defiant class is
primarily designed for military purposes. It was
developed in order to oppose a Borg invasion.
Besides conventional weapons the ship has
pulse phaser cannons and quantum torpedo
launchers. While further ships of this class have
been built in the meantime, the USS Defiant
was probably the only one with a Romulan
cloaking device and was still in experimental
status at the time of its destruction.
The Defiant is a warship, built for war and only war, in heavy use by Starfleet because of the Dominion War. Now that the war has ended the need for the Defiant Class as a warship is no longer needed. The current ships will remain on active duty for defense of the Federation, but production will stop or slow down. Since the Defiant cannot serve any other roles such as science or diplomatic, the Federation will view this class no longer neccessary.
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