DEFAINT CLASS STARSHIP - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
THE DEFIANT CLASS STARSHIP IS A HEAVILY ARMORED, LIMITED-ROLE STARFLEET VESSEL ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED AT THE ANTARES FLEET  YARDS  IN  RESPONSE  TO THE  BORG THREAT  TO THE WORLDS  OF THE  ALPHA AND BETA QUADRANTS.  THE PROJECT WAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN IN 2366 BY  STARFLEET'S ADVANCED STARSHIP  DESIGN BUREAU (ASDB) UNDER LESS THAN IDEAL CONDITIONS, AS  FAR  AS  THE  ACCEPTED  NORMAL  SEQUENCE  OF  RESEARCH,  DEVELOPMENT,  TESTING , AND EVALUATION WAS CONCERNED. FORTUNATELY,  A NUMBER  OF  HARDWARE  INNOVATIONS  AND  DESIGN  ADAPTATIONS  WERE ALREADY  IN THE INVENTORY  AND ALLOWED FOR AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF RELIABILITY VERSUS SPEED OF SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION.

   THE  DEFIANT  PROJECT,  OVERSEEN  BY ADMIRAL  BATELLE  TOH  OF  THE  ASDB,  BEGAN  WITH THE SELECTION OF AN EXISTING SPACECRAFT  DESIGN  THAT  HAD JUST ENTERED  THE  INITIAL  SYSTEMS-LEVEL  REVIEW  STAGE. NO SPACE FRAME HAD YET BEEN CONSTRUCTED,   AND   THE  HULL   SHAPE  WAS   UNDERGOING  WARP  FIELD  INTERACTION   SIMULATIONS.   THE  STUDY VEHICLE, DESIGNATED  NXP-2365WP/T, WAS BEING  CONSIDERED  AS  A  FAST TORPEDO  ATTACK  SHIP  FOR HIGH-WARP PENETRATIONS OF THREAT  DEFENSES.  THIS 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.

   WHEN THE BORG THREAT DROVE THE REDESIGN OF THE PATHFINDER VESSEL, IT WAS DECIDED TO COMPACT THE PLATFORM WITH WARP NACELLES AND OTHER STRUCTURES, WHICH WERE  PULLED IN CLOSER TO THE ENGINEERING HULL,  MINIMIZING THE SENSOR CROSS-SECTIONAL  AREA  AND  VULNERABLE APPENDAGES.   IT WAS ALSO  DEEMED  NECESSARY  TO  SURROUND  THE  HULL  WITH MULTILAYER ABLATIVE ARMOR, LONG CONSIDERED UNWORKABLE FOR PRODUCTION STARSHIPS. IN ITS INITIAL BORG-SUPPRESSION ROLE,  THE DEFIANT CLASS WOULD  HAVE PRODUCED AS FEW AS  SIX CUSTOM-BUILT COPIES.  THE MISSION OF THE  DEFIANT  CLASS DID  NOT  CHANGE  RADICALLY  UNTIL  IT  WAS  OUT  OF  THE  SYSTEMS  INTEGRATION  STAGE LATE IN 2370 AND INTO FINAL HULL REINFORCING.  INTELLIGENCE-GATHERING EFFORTS HAD COME UPON THE JEM'HADAR PROBLEM, AND IN THE FINAL YEAR OF SPACE WORTHINESS TESTING (2372),  THE NX-74205  WAS REDIRECTED  TO  DEEP SPACE 9 TO BECOME A MOBILE DEFENSIVE PLATFORM WITH ORDERS TO DEFEND THE SPACE STATION, THE WORMHOLE, AND BAJOR.  DEFIANT WAS ALSO TASKED WITH PATROL MISSIONS IN  THE  BAJOR  SECTOR  AND  THE  GAMMA  QUADRANT,  ENGAGING THREAT FORCES IF NECESSARY, AS WELL AS SPECIAL COVERT ASSIGNMENTS ORDERED BY STARFLEET COMMAND.

WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE DEFIANT PROTOTYPE AND THE SHIPS THA FOLLOWED,  STARFLEET COMMAND DECIDED THAT FULL SCALE
PRODUCTION OF THE DEFIANT CLASS WAS NEEDED TO COMABT THE DOMINION THREAT.

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