Guide:Class G4
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| Class G4 | |
|---|---|
| Class Overview | |
| Category | heavy shuttle |
| Operational | 2257 - 2279 |
| Constructed | 429 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 13.8 m |
| Beam | 5.2 m |
| Height | 3.8 m |
| Mass | 104.2 mt |
| Performance | |
| Cruise Speed | w 2.0 |
| Max Speed | w 2.9 |
| Endurance | 8 weeks |
| Complement | |
| Crew | 2 |
| Passengers | 6-22
|
| Tactical Systems | |
| Shields |
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| Canonicity | |
| Design | ST XI |
| Name | Timo |
| History | ST XI (Timo)
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From outside appearances, the Chiokis Class G4 heavy shuttle design was just an inverted version of the preceding and still competing Arbing & Lidde Class G3 craft. The PB-850 nacelles on stub wings on the lower corners were not markedly more powerful than their predecessors, nor did they offer improved endurance.
There were important changes pointing towards the future of starship warpshuttles, however. The ion cascade powerplant was further compacted and mounted on the roof of the craft, while impulse engines moved to sponsons at the upper corners of the stern; fuel was stored in flat lateral tanks. As the result, the full-length flat floor now resided much closer to ground level, regardless of whether the craft rested on its engine nacelles or the four landing pads. Added ingress/egress options now became available: there were side doors just aft of the cockpit, with folding ramps reaching ground level. The stern again consisted of a powered ramp that would hinge down for loading or offloading of bulky items or small vehicles, but additionally featured two assault doors for rapid egress of personnel without the need to lower the ramp. The doors were ideally positioned and tilted for both exo- and endo-atmospheric gravidropping, too.
Internally, the cockpit area got more ergonomic, and the extended nose gave way to a smoothly contoured bow with six large, unshuttered windows. Protection against small arms fire, debris, or shrapnel could rather be obtained by carrying a forcefield generator in an underfloor compartment, in exchange for some fuel. A navigational deflector beam emitter was always carried under the bow, next to an array of sensors and landing lights. There was no provision for weaponry in this type, although non-modular phaser turrets were sometimes added for dedicated special operations craft.
Cabin interior in the new type could be partitioned off, although not as flexibly as in the Arbing & Lidde craft. Only the cockpit area was separated by a permanent bulkhead. The payload cabin featured long, narrow portholes and fold-out seats and bunks, but not in the sort of diversity and quantity as installed in the G3, which had been designed more with independent survey and VIP transport sorties in mind.
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The G4 saw service as a starship auxiliary more often than the somewhat longer and clumsier G3. Such operations paved way for the merging of F and G capabilities in the 2270s; for the time being, G4 and F3 served side by side on the largest starships, while an intermediary type, the F4, was introduced by Chiokis to help out the aging F1 aboard smaller vessels.
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