Hydra Class

The Hydra class features a progressive design that resembles the Akira class and the Steamrunner class, both of which are ships of the same design era. Classified as an escort vessel, the Hydra class is equipped with powerful phaser arrays and four photon torpedo tubes. Initially the ships were intended to patrol along the Cardassian border. However, in order not to risk any provocation of the Cardassians after the peace treaty had been signed, the four ships were withdrawn to the Beta Quadrant. In spite of the small size, the starships turned out to be less maneuverable than expected, so soon after the battle of Wolf 359 it became obvious that production would not be continued. Improvement of offensive capabilities was a top priority now. The new, more maneuverable prototype USS Defiant was built, incorporating several experiences made with the Hydra class.