Class 2 shuttle The Class 2 shuttle , also referred to as a Type 9 shuttlecraft , was an auxiliary space vessel utilized by Starfleet for use as an embarked craft from starship s . This class was widely used during the 2360s by Starfleet Academy as a Training vessel , and were often the cause of " Class 2 claustrophobia " for the cadet s who served aboard them , as they were , according to B ' Elanna Torres , " " fast , maneuverable , but not built for comfort . " " Tom Paris added that " " they used to shoehorn half a dozen cadets into one of these things for weeks at a time , " " adding , " " you did not want to be around when they opened up that airlock . " " ( ) A Type 9 shuttle had the top speed of warp 4 . ( ) However , in 2372 , the crew of discovered a new form of dilithium that could remain stable at a much higher warp frequency , and modified the Class 2 shuttle to achieve high - warp engine performance , reaching significantly past warp 9 . ( ) A Class 2 shuttle ' s hull was made from a tritanium alloy . ( ) As with other Starfleet shuttles of the era , these shuttles were equipped with phaser s , and could be retrofitted with photon torpedo es . ( , " et al . " ) According to Tom Paris , the decision to construct the " Delta Flyer " was based on the fact that " " Class 2 shuttles just don ' t cut it in the Delta Quadrant . " " He added that " " we ' ve needed something bigger and better since we got here . " " ( ) Appendices . Background information . This type of shuttlecraft was consistently referred to as a " Class 2 shuttle " on - screen . In " Resolutions " , a reference was made to a " Type 9 shuttle " that was never shown in the episode . According to the , " " Class - 2 shuttles included shuttlecraft of Types 6 , 8 , and 9 . " " However , Rick Sternbach designed this shuttle as the " Type 12 shuttlecraft " . " " ( p . 162 ) used the designation Type - 9A to indicate a large long - range cargo shuttle . Studio model . The design of the shuttle originated from the desire of the art department to introduce a " cool and sleek shuttle " , but the opportunity only presented itself when entered pre - production . Sternbach was charged with designing the new shuttle early summer 1995 . " " We knew that " cool and sleek " was going to mean long , low and streamlined , but we also had to insure that our actors could stand up inside , so the minimum ceiling height was kept at almost six feet . If we were required to make the speedboat as sleek as , say a Lotus or Ferrari automobile , they ' d have to crouch inelegantly to enter their seats , " " Sternbach remembers . Working closely with production designer Richard James and set designer John Chichester in order to match interior with exterior , he was able to come up early with a design that approximated the final look of the shuttle , which was very soon dubbed by the art department staff as the " Speedboat Shuttle , " a name also adopted by fans . The design was a break from the established look for Starfleet shuttles , which until then were variations of the classic box shaped design . Further detailing and refining meant that Sternbach was only able to produce blueprints in November 1995 for forwarding to Tony Meininger ' s Brazil - Fabrication & Design where the physical studio model was built . Since was in the middle of the process of transition to CGI , it proved to be the last physical shuttle model built for the show and no full scale mock - up was ever built . ( ) As of 2009 , the studio model itself , having never been modified save for some additional paneling paint touch - ups , is still in the possession of Paramount Pictures , having escaped the and the It ' s A Wrap ! auctions , and has been on tour in displays such as the " Star Trek World Tour " , " " and " " . As late as 2008 it was relabeled the " Harris " ( NCC - 74656 / 05 ) . It is not known if the model appeared under this name in an episode of " Star Trek : Voyager " , though a " Voyager " shuttle of that name is flown in the Jeri Taylor - penned novel " Pathways " . For appearances in later seasons , a CGI model was built at Foundation Imaging where Rob Bonchune was among the artists who worked on the graphics for this model .