Guide:Yravas
| |
| Yravas | |
|---|---|
| Class Overview | |
| Category | fightercraft |
| Operational | 2122 - 2183 |
| Constructed | 762 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 335.2 m |
| Beam | 15.0 m |
| Height | 17.3 m |
| Mass | 2,400 mt |
| Performance | |
| Cruise Speed | w 2.0 |
| Max Speed | w 5.0 |
| Endurance | 2 months |
| Complement | |
| Crew | 3
|
| Tactical Systems | |
| Beam Weapons | 1x phased particle beam emitter (1.0 GW) (ventral mount) |
| Missile Weapons | 2x fwd torpedo launchers (w/ 12 pulse wave torpedoes) (dorsal midhull) |
| Shields |
|
| Canonicity | |
| Design | John Eaves ENT concept art |
| Name | Martin: Beneath a Raptor’s Wings |
| History | Martin: Beneath a Raptor’s Wings
|
Background: Hobbyist's Guide
While engaging in interstellar expansion for most of the 20th and 21st centuries, the Andorian Empire also had major defensive commitments back home. The traditional approach, also tried out by Earth, was to field gunboats equipped with in-system warp drive. Andorian craft of this type tended to be somewhat larger than their Vulcan counterparts, with heavier armament. By the 2140s, their size had crept up to 30+ meters and several thousand tons. A typical example, the Yravas class saw widespread service with the Andorian Imperial Guard and equipped fighter regiments defending key installations during the 2150s and 2160s.
Four impulse and reaction control engines were positioned at the front of the craft and worked in tandem with the main drive field to provide blistering acceleration and tight turning ability. The centrally-mounted warp engine allowed for brief dashes at warp five, but also for sustained warp two that enabled interstellar deployments with the support of tender vessels. There was a forcefield shielding device aboard and twin ventral deflector beams, but no hull armor.
The crew of three comprised a pilot, tactical officer, and flight engineer. They operated the fighter from a cockpit positioned at the very front of the craft, with a transparent dome for situational awareness. A significant degree of automation simplified all operational aspects, from navigation to propulsion system supervision to combat management. Nevertheless, workload was high, especially in fast-paced FTL engagements, the typical mode of in-system defense operations.
A small cabin with food preparation and sanitary facilities directly behind the cockpit facilitated longer deployments, up to the theoretical propulsive endurance of two months. Above the cabin were the two torpedo launchers that provided the primary punch of the fightercraft, with a shared twelve-shot magazine of pulse wave torpedoes. The technology was obtained from Vulcan sources during the decades of conflict, being especially suited for the application. Few Andorian capital ships carried torpedo armament of any sort at the time, but small craft with humble power resources benefited from the ready-to-fire ordnance. There was a directed energy weapon aboard the Yravas as well, in a steerable belly mount, but this mainly saw use in discouraging pursuit after a formation of the craft had delivered their torpedo volley.
The craft enjoyed a brief moment of infamy during the Romulan War, being especially easy for Romulan telecontrol weapons to co-opt for use against their wingmen or in-system assets. As some 760 had been produced, though, there was little interest in withdrawing the type from service; hundreds continued in the system defense role beyond the founding of the Federation. A few dozen entered joint Star Fleet records if not active service—the Yravas was a favored adversary craft in the training of both small craft pilots and capital ship gunners.
Gallery
Notes
- The article suggests the fightercraft remained with the AIG, though often flown in exercises alongside Star Fleet vessels.