Near the end of the Dominion war, some people in Starfleet began to ask for Fighters and Attack craft with longer ranges. These could be used to patrol the space near planets and starbases, and even for Starships if their sensors were off-line due to battle damage.
January: CO and crew of the U.S.S. Tolkien submits a brief for a third class of Attack Fighter. General brief is as follows. Long-range, small, well armed, maneuverable craft, able to mass together to attack a target from several different directions, or scout/patrol if needed. Capable of a maximum of warp 4 and fitted with shields and weapons.
February: Starfleet approved the general idea. Design work begins. J-Type phaser designed for the class to increase firepower.
April: Design work is completed and prototype begins construction. Basic space frame is laid out according to the design. Mini computer core installed. Rogue class Micro Cochrane engine is used.
May: Warp engine is fitted, however to allow for longer flight times, maximum speeds fall. Computer core is deemed operational and basic testing on the Fighter begins.
June: Ship passes all regulatory control and proceeds with testing.
July: Ship is proved to be operational and Starfleet examines the performance. The fighter is commissioned and Starfleet places an order for 400+ Fighters to be distributed within the Federation.
Commissioned 2376 - Present
Classification: Long-range Fighter / Interceptor
Structure:
Length: 6 meters
Width: 4.5 meters
Height: 4 meters
Decks: 1
Warp Systems:
Normal Cruise: Warp Factor 1
Maximum Cruise: Warp Factor 2
Maximum Rated: Warp Factor 4 for 6 hours
Impulse Systems:
Power: Fusion
Engines: 1
Tactical Systems:
Phasers: 2 micro Pulse Phaser emitters, 1 Type-J phaser emitter
Torpedoes: 2 Mk II micro torpedo launchers, 1 under each wing tip
Quantum: 8
Shields: Grid-projected (TDS) / Distance-projected.
High level Structural Integrity Field
Duranium with added Ablative Armor Matrix.
Crew and Auxiliary Systems:
Officers: 1
Enlisted Crew: 0
Passengers: 0
Transporters: 1 Emergency Transporter.
Diplomatic Capability: None