Warp Drive

The standard method of faster-than-light travel for nearly all known powers in the Milky Way, warp drive is a method of bending subspace to move objects faster than would be possible under relativistic physics. The power demands required to take a ship to warp are extremely large, and so the majority of spacefaring races use controlled anti-matter/matter reactions to generate sufficient energy, but other methods including forced singularity cores and exotic particle reactors are also used.

Federation Warp Engines

Warp drive systems in the United Federation of Planets are derived from the planetary engineering traditions of dozens of different worlds, with the United Earth Starfleet's influence the most strongly felt in Starfleet itself. Federation warp technology is based on energetic plasma produced by a matter/anti-matter reaction and channelled through warp coils mounted either in external nacelles or separated from the main body of the vessel with sufficiently-thick hull plating to shield the crew and passengers from radiation. As of 2399, the most advanced warp drive system in service is the Class 10, but given the Federation's size and the sheer number of vessels in both Starfleet and civilian service, this advanced system is restricted to the newest and most elite Starfleet vessels.

Class-10 Warp Drive


Year Introduced	2399
Maximum Theoretical Speed	Warp 9.995
Debut Vessel	Vesta-class explorer

The Class-10 warp drive was developed for the Vesta-class explorer, which entered service in the late 2390s. The key feature of this design is to sustain the and exceed massive speeds produced by the Class-9 warp drive for even longer journeys into deep space. The warp core developed for this engine uses a quadricyclic input manifold and up to eight concurrent matter/energy streams, which makes it capable of generating enormous (and quite dangerous) amounts of power, necessitating enhanced shielding and a well trained, attentive engineering staff.

Vessels using Class-10 Warp Drive

Vesta-class explorer

Class-9 Warp Drive


Year Introduced	2371
Maximum Theoretical Speed	Warp 9.99
Debut Vessel	Intrepid-class light explorer

First developed for use aboard the Intrepid-class light explorer, the Class-9 warp drive is the most advanced propulsion system in widespread service as of 2399. With nearly thirty years of service, this design has been highly tuned and now sits at the heart of many of Starfleet's fastest and most powerful vessels. A key feature of this design is a tricyclic input manifold, which allows for extremely efficient power production. On the Intrepid-class itself, a ship could cruise without new antimatter fuel for up to three years. Originally designed with a maximum speed of warp 9.975, by the 2390s many vessels have been tuned to hit speeds as high as warp 9.99. Vessels using this engine type do require constant maintenance as a trade off for this phenomenal performance.

Vessels using Class-9 Warp Drive

Class-8 Warp Drive


Year Introduced	2370
Maximum Theoretical Speed	Warp 9.95
Debut Vessel	Sovereign-class explorer

Vessels using Class-8 Warp Drive

Sovereign-class explorer
Luna-class light explorer
Reliant-class light cruiser

Class-7 Warp Drive

Defiant-class escort

Class-6 Warp Drive


Year Introduced	2356
Maximum Theoretical Speed	Warp 9.6
Debut Vessel	Nebula-class heavy cruiser

Vessels Using

Galaxy-class explorer
Nebula-class heavy cruiser
Akira-class heavy cruiser
Norway-class light cruiser
Saber-class frigate
Nova-class surveyor
Parliament-class light cruiser
California-class light cruiser

Class-5 Warp Drive

Ambassador-class

Class-4 Warp Drive

Excelsior Class

Class-3 Warp Drive

Constitution-class Refit

Class-2 Warp Drive

Constitution Class

Class-1 Warp Drive

Bonaventure