D4 class The D4 class was a type of small Klingon patrol ship used by the Klingon Empire in the alternate reality in the mid 23rd century . ( ) Specifications . The D4 class was armed with two directed energy cannons on top of the wings near the fuselage . The homing green energy blasts from the cannons could arc through the air before impacting a target . The engine had a single aft exhaust . The wings could be angled in various ways , giving the ship high - speed atmospheric maneuvering capabilities and allowing it to maneuver through tight spaces . The ship had landing capabilities . Troops from the ship could also be deployed on cables mid - flight from four hatches in the underside of the craft . ( ) History . In 2259 , three of these vessels intercepted the K ' normian trading ship that was confiscated by the crew of the during the Mudd Incident . The trade ship was carrying , , , and another security officer over the Ketha Province on Qo ' noS . The D4 class ships forced the trade ship to land . Two of the ships were destroyed by with a boolean gun . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Concept artist James Clyne designed the original sketch for the D4 class Klingon fighter . Visual effects artists at Pixomondo heavily detailed the industrial - type fighter ship design . Their refinements of the class came from extrapolating how it might look , based on how they envisioned Qo ' noS to look in " Star Trek Into Darkness " . At Pixomondo , the D4 class was modeled by CG Supervisor Enrico Damm and Compositing Supervisor Dan Cobbett , rendered in V - Ray . The Pixomondo team gave the D4 class a " Bird - of - Prey " feel . Alex Kurtzman said about the Bird - of - Prey , " " You can ' t really reinvent the basic shape of it . You can update it in a way that ' s consistent with the way we ' ve updated the rest of [ " Star Trek " ] , so there ' s a highly militarized take on it . It was always militarized , but even more so now . " " Pixomondo Visual Effects Supervisor Ben Grossmann has stated that the ship was designed “ " not in the traditional namesake of the Klingon Empire , but more of like [ … ] a bad - ass predator . You had this larger more predatory hawk . " " Grossmann also regarded the Klingon ship as slightly less " nimble " than the trading ship . Pierre Drolet designed another version of the ship , which more closely resembles the prime reality ' s Klingon Bird - of - Prey . It was rejected by the film ' s art department before he finished modelling it , but he opted to complete it after receiving requests from fans who looked at the unfinished version . In , Vorok ' s battle cruiser was originally designed by John Eaves to be a prime universe counterpart D4 class starship . However , the " K ' t ' inga " - class CGI model was reused to represent the ship when it appeared in the episode . Apocrypha . According to the novelization of the film , the D4 was a “ Bird - of - Prey ” scout ship and patrol vessel . In " Countdown to Darkness , Issue 4 " , a Klingon starship with a very similar hull configuration was shown as a much larger ship which approached the size of a starship . In , the IKS " Chonnaq " " " had several of these vessels assist in attacking and boarding the " Enterprise . " Hot Wheels released a miniature of the D4 class in and identified it as a " Klingon Bird - of - Prey " . The Kre - O version is also packaged under the same moniker . In April 2015 , Eaglemoss Collections released a " special issue " of the " " which featured a " D4 Bird - of - Prey " model . " Star Trek Online " released a version of this ship during the release of the third expansion " Agents of Yesterday " . Classified as the " Kelvin Timeline D4x Pilot Bird of Prey " , the ship was similiar to the D4 introduced in " Countdown into Darkness " , but is scaled up to be roughly the size of a Bird - of - Prey . It is also an enemy ship that players must face off against in the mission " Terminal Expanse " .