"Megalosaur" cruiser intelligence report.
Star Fleet Intelligence (SFI) has given this report an 75% reliability rating.

Update: In 2374, Starfleet engineers were permitted to examine several Gorn vessels including a mothballed "Megalosaur", as part of a technology exchange program. The engineers found that this type of vessel is called "Chass'ach tsiishess", (translation: "Readiness to engage in daring action". Ironically enough, this is one of the definitions of "Enterprise"). SFI Has upgraded this report to a 94% reliability rating.

General Specifications:

Length: 292m (Confirmed)
Width: 180m (Confirmed)
Height: 57m (Confirmed)
Max Warp: 7 (Confirmed)
Cruise: 6.5 (confirmed)
Max. Impulse: .5 lightspeed (Estimated)
Crew: 55 officers, 170 enlisted

Armaments: 8 heavy x-ray lasers (2 fwd, 2 aft, 2 port, 2 stb.); Two short-ranged (10,000 km) missile launchers.

Type: Heavy Cruiser

About Ship: The Megalosaur was the first Gorn vessel observed by Starfleet personnel when the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) responded to a Gorn attack at Cestus III in 2267. The only extensive sensor scans taken of the Megalosaur were done at that time. Starfleet engineers were permitted to examine a mothballed Megalosaur in 2274 during a technology exchange program in the early months of the Dominion war. Starfleet has since learned that this vessel was originally designed in 2258, and had entered Gorn service only one year before the encounter at Cestus III.

The Megalosaur was designed to perform as both a battlecruiser and an exploration vessel, replacing an earlier model of similar function but lower performance.

The Megalosaur's outer hull is constructed of a ceramic (artificial sapphire) composite material, overlaid with several layers of overlapping plates of monocrystalline metallic alloy armor. These plates are imbedded with circuitry similar to our multifunction phased array, providing sensor, deflector, and tractor beam capability. The Megalosaur's shielding technology was less capable than the equivalent Federation technology of the day, but this was compensated for by the armored hull and robust construction.

Main weaponry consists of eight heavy X-ray laser emitters, The X-rays start as a powerful visible-light frequency which is light-piped to the emitter. Frequency multipliers within the emitter mechanism then convert the visible light to X-rays. This system is considerably less bulky than the lasers formerly used by the Federation, but occupies more internal volume than conventional phasers. The Megalosaur was also equipped with two launchers for short-ranged (10,000 km) missiles, but these were usually used only to finish off an opponent. The missiles were armed with antimatter warheads, with a yield roughly equivalent to our photon torpedoes.

The Megalosaur is a highly robust, efficient design. It's warp dynamics are fairly efficient, even by todays' standards. It was formerly thought to still be in front-line service, but that is not the case. The Megalosaur is still in service, but as a general-purpose exploration cruiser. It has been replaced by improved designs.