The Type-10 class marks one of those rare instances in Starfleet history that a shuttlecraft has been designed primarily for military purposes. Starfleet shuttles do come equipped with limited defensive systems; but their primary mission profile does not typically involve combat, but rather short-range personnel transfers, planetary ops, and limited deep space scouting, and emergency starship escape. The Type-10 class, while sharing these capabilities, comes equipped with more powerful weapons and larger warp coil assemblies for increased speed and is more heavily shielded. The Type-1O Class shuttlecraft can also act in a tactical assistance role during combat, and provide a stronger defence for escape pods in the event a starship is damaged or destroyed.
Building on the lessons learned from successful modifications to the Defiant-class, the Type-10 Class shuttlecraft shares many similar systems with its “big sister” starship. The Type-10 shuttle’s most noticeable Defiant-inspired feature is its recessed, armored engine pods. No longer situated away from the hull on potentially vulnerable support pylons, the protected engines eliminate a tactical weakness. Based on a Type-6 shuttle spaceframe design, the insides of the Type-10 more closely resemble those of a starship. Subscale versions of starship warp and impulse propulsion systems give the Type-10 shuttlecraft an impressive capacity for speed. Weapons systems include standard phaser arrays, but also feature the capability to launch modified quantum torpedoes through micro-torpedo launchers. Onboard computer systems are based on a scaled-down version of the computer core utilized by the Danube-class runabout.
Specifications:
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