Shrike class

Inscription on commissioning plaque:
"Night shall be my friend. Darkness my shield."

--Werdan the Heretic (translated from the original)

Armaments: Six phaser cannon of classified output coupled to phased array (see vessel description); four quantum torpedo launchers of classified capability; and Fourteen semi-autonomous remotely-piloted expendable vehicles (SARPEVs).

Type: Patrol/Heavy Frigate

Status: At least one Shrike is currently undergoing operational testing. The results of these tests will determine whether any further examples of this type are built. Since the Shrike lends itself quite readily to covert and intelligence gathering missions, it is unlikely that the status of the program, other than its existence, will become public knowledge.

About Ship: The Shrike class vessel was commissioned as a design study to refine and advance technology first developed for the Sunfish class Scout/Reconnaissance vessel. A conformal sensor array similar to that developed for the Sunfish is used. As the Shrike class is significantly larger, its sensor array has far greater range and acuity.

The hull itself incorporates quite a variety of low-observables technology, including a cloaking device based on holographic technology. The output of the six phaser cannons are coupled to a distributed array incorporated in the hull structure of the vessel, allowing the entire hull surface to focus phaser energy at one or more targets. [Editor's note: this was the ship that inspired the Holographic Hull Projectors mentioned in the first VIVA LAS VEGAS report.]

The photon torpedoes are also equipped with cloaking technology, and are designed to be ejected at low relative velocity, after which they then accelerate to their target(s). The booster stages of these torpedoes were used to develop the prototypes of the enhanced quantum torpedo.

The SARPEVs are equipped with cloaking technology as well as a low-level artificial intelligence program. They may be given instructions prior to launch or controlled by operators aboard the Shrike. Each SARPEV warhead may be armed with either a single quantum torpedo or a high-power phaser cannon. The warhead itself may be substituted with a variety of sensor packages, depending upon the mission. These extend the sensing and attack radius of the Shrike. [Editor's note: this was the first reference to the SARPEV. See VLV 2 and the SARPEV entries for more data.]

The Shrike, unlike the Sunfish, is designed for atmospheric operation, and can be used in support of covert operations. Since it is the size of a late 20th Century jumbo jet, it is awkward to secretly deliver operatives to densely-populated planets. It is concievable that the shrike could bring covert operatives close to a special ops target and then insert them via SARPEV.