Designer: Robert C. Dunehew E-mail [email protected]

D'K'Leth Mission-Configurable Frigate intelligence report.

Star Fleet Intelligence (SFI) has given this report a 97% reliability rating.

General Specifications:

Minimum configuration:

Length: 55.5m (Confirmed)
Width: 30.25m (Confirmed)
Height: 8.75m (Confirmed)
Max Warp: 9.1
Cruise: 6.9
Max. Impulse: .9 lightspeed
Crew: 7 officers, 14 enlisted

Armaments: 7 disruptors (4 fwd, 2 aft, 1 coupled to phased array in command section), 4 torpedo launchers (2 fwd, 2 aft).

Length: 35m (Confirmed)
Width: 30.25m (Confirmed)
Height: 8.75m (Confirmed)
Max Warp: 7.5
Cruise: 5.5
Max. Impulse: .9 lightspeed
Crew: 3 officers, 6 enlisted

Armaments: 6 disruptors (4 fwd, 2 aft), 4 torpedo launchers (2 fwd, 2 aft).

Length: 60.75m (Confirmed)
Width: 23.25m (Confirmed)
Height: 8.75m (Confirmed)
Max Warp: 0.0 (not warp capable)
Max. Impulse: .89 lightspeed
Crew: 4 officers, 8 enlisted

Armaments: 1 disruptor coupled to phased array.

Type: Frigate, mission configurable

About Ship: The D'K'Leth frigate was originally conceived as a contender for a requirement for a heavily-armed escort for military and commercial transports. The other competing designs were planned as derivatives of pre-existing vessels, modified to include the specified capabilities. The D'K'Leth design team was tasked to come up with a clean-sheet design, and had limited resources at their disposal. The D'K'Leth's designers had enjoyed considerable cross-talk with their Federation counterparts, and were intrigued by the talk of "modular starship design" which was, at the time, in vogue. They decided upon a basically simple design with add-on capability to allow it to perform a variety of functions other than the primary mission.

The D'K'Leth minimum configuration consists of a stardrive section (aft) with a forward-mounted command section. The command section holds the main bridge and primary control, sensors, fire control and navigational systems. The command section may be detatched for use as an auxiliary vehicle with impulse propulsion systems and surface-landing capability. The stardrive section also holds a 4-person shuttle for surface landings when using transporters is inadvisable. By long-standing tradition, the command section has its own armament, a single disruptor. Originally, this would have required an external port in the hull for the emitter, but the design was changed to utilize a phased array when this technology became available during a Klingon/Federation technology exchange.

The D'K'Leth's stardrive section can perform at least 65% of the stated design goals on its own. Most of the armaments are housed in this section, consisting of 6 disruptors and 4 torpedo launchers. Auxiliary command, sensor, deflector, and fire control systems are installed to provide redundancy in case the primary systems are damaged or unavailable. Power is provided by a compact dual M/ARA system with secondary power provided by the impulse engines.

The minimum configuration (so-called because this configuration can perform all required tasks) is a very compact vessel, with a minimal sensors cross-section. The warp nacelles are drawn in close to the hull, sacrificing ideal warp dynamics for a stealthier form. The hull, in keeping with current design philosophy, provides few cues as to the location of vital internal systems.

The D'K'Leth prototype performed quite well during trials, but the design was passed over in favor of another design that could be more economically produced by refitting older Targ (SFI designation: Wolf) class frigates. While more expensive to produce than the refit Targs, the D'K'Leth is still less expensive to produce than new Targs built to the refit specification, and so the Klingons wisely decided to keep the design in continuous low-priority development. This strategy bore fruit during their war against the Cardassians and later against the Dominion, when many of the uprated Targ-class vessels, along with many other small ships, were destroyed or damaged beyond economical repair.

Shortly after the retaking of Deep Space 9, the Klingons began limited production of the D'K'Leth. Thus far, approximately 75% of all completed ships are minimum configuration vessels. The remainder are configured with one of several types of mission-specific module. Known mission-specific modules include the following:

1. Heavy Disruptor Platform (HDP): This module adds additional power generation capacity, heavy shield generators and a total of 7 forward and 7 aft heavy disruptors. The HDP is designed to get in close with an enemy and slug it out. Apparently the HDP is good at this, as its unofficial nickname is reported as "Mauler".

2. Fast Torpedo Platform (FTP): A modification of the HDP module, the FTP provides six forward and four aft-firing torpedo launchers, and carries additional torpedoes for this purpose. The FTP also provides "boosters" which allow the vessel to temporarily exceed its normal attack speed by a factor of [Classified Information Deleted]. Not as popular as the "Mauler", the FTP is designed to quickly neutralize heavy targets by overwhelming defenses with a barrage of torpedoes, both going in and departing. By all reports, this version is quite effective at its task, being roughly similar in mission profile to the "Spetum" class light escort. It must be presumed that the lack of enthusiasm for this class springs from the less-heroic tactics required to use it successfully.

3. Cargo Platform, type I (CP-I): This module is simply a cargo-carrying "plug" that may be inserted between the stardrive module and the command module.

4. Cargo Platform, type II (CP-II): This module allows even more cargo-carrying capacity with a module that attaches behind the stardrive module. Since this module blocks the stardrive module's impulse engines, it comes equipped with a heavy-duty impulse engine of its own. The CP-II may also be used as a sub-light transport, either alone or attached to a CP-I.

5. General-purpose Combat Platform (GCP): An intermediary design between the HDP and FTP, this module provides 6 additional torpedo launchers (3 fwd, 3 aft) and four additional heavy disruptors. Some additional power generation and shield augmentation is provided, but not to the extremes used in the more specialized versions.

A total of 135 of D'K'Leth and its variants have been produced at last report. It must be presumed that high production levels will continue until Klingon fleet strength begins to approach something like its former levels.