Challenger Class
The Challenger-class light cruiser is a capable and maneuverable mid-sized starship developed as part of the Fleet Modernization Program that led to the Galaxy-class explorer. Being one of only a few Starfleet vessels designed with its warp nacelles aligned vertically rather than horizontally, this capable but unusual class was developed as a partnership between the Advanced Starship Design Bureau and the Andorian Imperial Guard. Because of Starfleet's shift towards vessels with a more tactical bent following the Battle of Wolf 359, the Challenger was only built for twenty years, from 2350 to 2370, but she remains a modern and capable design.
Science and Exploration
As a light cruiser, exploratory duties are part of the Challenger's standard mission profile. While she lacks the expanded capabilities of her contemporary, the Springfield-class science vessel, a band of lateral sensors wraps around the middle of the ship, from the rim of the saucer to the stern, which allows her to carry hundreds of individual scientific instruments. In addition, the ship features an oversized sensor dome on the underside of the saucer, which can carry anything from heavy-duty planetary sensors to heavy-duty probe deployment systems. With the youngest members of this class now over thirty years old, Challenger-class vessels are generally kept to low-priority surveys and exploratory duties within the vast interior of the Federation. Their relative luxury compared to newer vessels, however, is making them increasingly popular as exploratory support vessels for larger expeditions.
Diplomacy
Initially deployed in tactical roles during the Federation-Cardassian War, the Challenger was used widely during the Dominion War and in later decades as a diplomatic courier, because of her high top speed and comfortable facilities. Even in the early 25th century, they are used both to transport Federation envoys and to serve as transports for races who do not have adequate interstellar transportation of their own. While they do also have conference facilities aboard, more often their purpose is to take diplomats to negotiations, rather than to host those negotiations onboard. This class is frequently selected for missions that are beyond the capabilities of a California-class vessel (which is much slower) but do not require the attention of an emissary-type vessel like an Ambassador or Obena.
Engineering
Very unusual for Starfleet ships, the Challenger-class has its nacelles arranged vertically rather than horizontally. In addition, these nacelles are slightly off-center from one another, which makes them more efficient at higher speeds than other ships, though inefficient at lower speeds. These warp nacelles are proportionally large compared to the ship's hull and can propel the ship at speeds similar to their much larger contemporaries, the Galaxy and Nebula-classes. Impulse power is provided by a pair of engines located on either side of the saucer adjacent to the long, thin secondary hull.
The warp core is an enhanced version of the core developed for the California-class utility vessel, which is much larger than those found on other medium-sized vessels of this era. Unlike the California, though, the Challenger can easily exceed warp nine, thanks to her hardened struts and large warp coils. The core is further forward than those found on most vessels, both to balance the center of gravity for orbital operations and to provide the core with easier egress for ejection procedures. It is located directly aft of the main bridge, spanning the entire height of the primary and secondary hulls. A horizontal power transfer conduit goes aft from the center of the core until it splits at the center point of the secondary hull into twin vertical conduits to transfer warp plasma to the nacelles.
Maintenance needs for this class of ship are above average for a vessel of her size, balanced between engines that need constant fine-tuning and other primary systems that are less complicated. The unique engine arrangement presents challenges for engineers used to a more traditional configuration.
Shuttle and cargo facilities aboard the Challenger are well-equipped and occupy most of the hump-like fairing on the dorsal surface of the secondary hull. The shuttle bay is on the stern with clamshell doors that can accommodate small craft up to the size of a runabout, though the ship itself typically only carries personnel shuttles. Many vessels of this class retain their original type-7 personnel shuttles, as they are very useful for diplomatic transport duties because of their combination of luxury with a compact frame.
Tactical
Challenger-class vessels were developed during the height of the Federation-Cardassian War when Starfleet's Miranda-class fleet was proving to be insufficient to meet the challenge presented by Galor-class destroyers. While the New Orleans-class frigate saw a larger production run and is more commonly known as a major player in resolving this conflict, the Challenger is a faster and more heavily armed tactical platform. The class has two forward torpedo launchers in the upper nacelle pylon and two aft launchers on the stern, which allow her to excel at hit-and-run attacks, blinding enemies with torpedo salvos and closing to deal pin-point strikes with her phaser arrays.
Because of her engine arrangement, the Challenger is not only very maneuverable at impulse speeds, but its handling characteristics are quite different from other Starfleet vessels of the same size. This novelty makes her both an exciting challenge for new flight controllers, but also a surprise for threat vessels unfamiliar with her capabilities. Indeed, many Starfleet historians and flag officers maintain that wider production of this class during the 2350s and 2360s would have substantially reduced the attrition seen during the Dominion War among classes like the Miranda II.
While the Challenger has received several rounds of upgrades over the decades since production on the class ended, the design is showing its age, and its tactical systems are now quite modest by 25th-century standards. Even still, a Challenger-class starship makes an excellent component of a starbase's defensive screen or as a patrol vessel in lightly populated areas, as she is more than capable of driving off average raider or pirate vessels. Her top speed is also still relatively high, which makes her a good candidate for advanced reconnaissance duties to support newer and more tactically capable vessels.
Shipboard Life
Life aboard Challenger-class ships is comfortable and generally without much excitement. They have similar accommodations to Galaxy-class ships, given their role as a first impression for the Federation in diplomatic situations, which means access to holodecks and other recreational facilities. Most of them have been retrofitted with shipwide holographic projectors and their medical facilities are oversized and more capable than other small ships. Crews aboard these vessels tend to be relatively junior, especially their captains, as they’re not often sent on assignments without direct supervision by a senior diplomat or admiral.
In addition to their diplomatic role, they are often chosen by flag officers as transports within Federation space, when it is assumed that they will not need to engage in any command and control responsibilities. They are often also assigned as support ships to larger starbases, given their low crew requirements and lack of utility for exploratory missions.
82 six-person escape pods give this ship an upper safe capacity of 492 passengers and crew, though they usually operate with much smaller numbers.
Class History
Like the other vessels developed during the Fleet Modernization Program, the design process for the Challenger-class light cruiser began in the 2340s. This vessel was envisioned as a solid generalist that could step into any of the roles then filled by the Miranda II and Constellation, while also relieving the Excelsior class from some of its tactical and diplomatic functions. Challenger was slated to prototype the full-size version of the nacelles that were to be built for the Galaxy and Nebula projects—and which would also be retrofit to the existing Niagara and Freedom classes in due course. In addition, it was the only member of its generation to test the largest version of the pre-Galaxy primary hull: convex on both the dorsal and ventral faces to maximize total internal volume. As the program evolved, Starfleet made tactical survivability one of the top priorities for this design.
The Advanced Starship Design Bureau saw an opportunity to create something entirely new, as the requirement to test both of those systems would require significant deviations from the norm to handle such large nacelles without becoming so wide as to be excluded from the docking bays of the Spacedock II-class station which was then in widespread production across the Federation. The ADSB partnered with the Andorian Imperial Guard, as the Andorians had explored many hull configurations over the centuries to settle on lean, efficient, and tactically proficient designs. During a three-year design process, the combined ADSB-Andorian team settled on a vertically stacked arrangement of two nacelles, a configuration seen very rarely in prior classes like the Akula of the 2280s. While many at Starfleet Command preferred the New Orleans-class frigate (some because of its more tested design but others on purely aesthetic grounds), the Challenger's design was quickly approved out of deference to the Andorians.
Challenger, Buran, and Atlantis were laid down in 2347 at the Procyon Fleet Yards orbiting Andor. The Buran was chosen somewhat ironically by the Andorians, because of its name ("Snowstorm"), over other names that would also tie the class prototypes to crewed space shuttles. Construction proceeded swiftly, with all three prototypes launching in 2350. Following a year of shakedown cruises with these three ships undertaking scientific, tactical, and diplomatic missions, they were commissioned for full service and the class entered production. Unusually for Starfleet vessels, construction of this class was almost entirely handled by a single shipyard, Procyon Fleet Yards, which was both an olive branch to the Andorian government for co-sponsoring the design and because other shipyards were now fully taxed with producing components for the upcoming Galaxy and Nebula-class vessels. The narrowness of the production chain would prove to limit the Challenger's overall reach across the fleet, but the Andorians lobbied for a ten-per-year order. Starfleet Command approved this, skeptical that they could reach those levels of production, but Procyon was stubbornly committed to delivering these ships, and by 2355, there were 43 vessels of the class in service.
Joining their cousins, now including the Cheyenne, New Orleans, and Springfield, on the Cardassian Front, the Challenger was seen as an exceptionally valuable tactical platform, but its speed and luxury were quickly identified as being bonuses for diplomatic missions, too. This class helped the Federation prove to the Cardassians that their new shipbuilding program would quickly leave the Cardassian Union in the technological dust, as the eventual launch of the Nebula and Galaxy were no secret. Along with her peer classes, the Challenger represented a level of engineering achievement that was leaps and bounds past the Miranda II she was replacing.
When the Federation-Cardassian War ended in 2366, the Challenger class was quickly absorbed in Starfleet's next conflict with the Borg at Wolf 359. There, one of the original ships of the class, Buran, was destroyed by the Borg with the loss of all hands. Given the astonishing losses Starfleet faced during this battle, no design flaw was identified with the class itself, but it would still mark the beginning of the end for her production line. Convinced by hawkish members of Starfleet Command, a preference for heavily armored and tactically geared vessels changed the landscape of starship orders immediately following this battle. Ironically, the Andorians (who had long argued for Starfleet needing to have real warships) were able to continue production of "their" class for another few years to finish out production in 2370. By this point, 193 Challenger-class vessels had been built and 190 of them remained in service after only three hull losses, including Buran.
Challenger-class vessels in the early 2370s were often assigned to patrol duties, but they were quickly reassigned into primarily diplomatic and scientific roles when the hardened Akira and Norway-class vessels entered more widespread service. Indeed, they were quite popular as transports for diplomats and ambassadors because they retained the creature comforts of other vessels of their generation that were beginning to be phased out of the leaner vessels of a Starfleet gearing up for defense. When the Dominion War broke out, Challenger-class starships served in the mainline fleet and in support roles. Many of them were used as ambulance vessels, with their high top speed allowing them to transport the wounded out of battle zones back to starbases. While they suffered losses, their survivability was much higher than the antiquated Miranda II-class vessels still being used as frigates.
Following the Dominion War, the Challenger class received its first mid-life upgrades, and Starfleet considered resuming production on the class to help shore up the fleet's numbers, but it was ultimately decided to instead continue building Norway-class light cruisers. As of the start of the 25th century, the youngest Challenger-class light cruisers are now over 30 years old, but they are expected to remain in service until at least 2450. With newer and faster light cruiser designs now in service, the class is increasingly relegated to a support role, but the upgrades they have received over the decades allow them to continue to serve with distinction. While unusual, the Challenger-class light cruiser remains a capable and well-respected design.
In Play
- This class of starship is not as flashy or as capable as her larger cousins from the same era, namely the Galaxy and the Nebula, but rather is a small cruiser now suitable mainly for courier missions and limited exploration. This class of ship is ideal for a starbase support ship (either formally as a support vessel for a station command or as its own command set operating close to a base) or another role in which it is not expected to be independent for long periods of time.
- Fans often consider the New Orleans to be a tactically inclined vessel, but the Challenger is objectively better armed. It's also very maneuverable and would give many pirates a real surprise if they attacked. Still, there are many threats that a Challenger captain would need to run away from, with tactical systems designed before The Next Generation even started.
- This class would be a good starter ship for a character's first command. Old but not completely antique, it's reasonable that a Lieutenant Commander or Commander might be assigned to captain such a vessel, especially for missions within Federation space. The vast majority of these ships serve quietly and without much fanfare, performing the milk runs that keep Starfleet going behind the scenes.