Bellerophon class

## SPACECRAFT CLASS

Dorsal view

Ventral view

The ***Bellerophon*-class** was a type of spacecraft developed by Starfleet in the late 24th century. It was a refit of the *Intrepid*-class and was also classified as a scale 4 frigate.

## History

Under the auspices of the Fleet Modernization Program, Starfleet Command ordered updates to the *Intrepid*-class. The intent was to implement several technological advances developed or refined in the late 24th century. A key element was new neutronium alloys that drastically improved hull armor. Engineers soon returned with an extensive refit that also saw the integration of a quantum slipstream propulsion system.

The first refit was performed on the USS *Bellerophon*. The frigate put into the Antares Ship Yards in mid 2393 and thirteen months later was recommissioned as the first of the new *Bellerophon*-class. It’s first year in service proved the viability of the new design and the USS *Aephas* entered drydock for a similar overhaul and was relaunched in 2396.

Although the refit design proved a success, rising tensions with the Klingon Empire and continued technological advances meant that it was both more prudent and economical to perform retrofits on *Intrepid* frigates over full refits to *Bellerophon* specs. As such, the *Bellerophon* and *Aephas* were the only two vessels to undergo the upgrades.

## Technical information

The *Bellerophon*-class was developed in a galaxy that had drastically changed in the few short years since the launch of the first *Discovery*-class starship. Combining the best of the standard *Intrepid*-class and the two subclasses already in production, the *Bellerophon*-class was designed to be a hearty, combat-ready, long range explorer.

### Physical description

From fore to aft the class was 350 meters.

### Propulsion systems

In addition to its impulse engines and warp drive, the *Bellerophon*-class was the first design in the *Intrepid* lineage to include a quantum slipstream propulsion system as a standard feature. The slipstream tunneling projector, an essential part of the drive, was integrated into the class' deflector dish. The waveform attenuators were attached to the variable-geometry pylons, allowing for *Bellerophon* starships to achieve a higher slipstream efficiency than previous vessels.

### Auxiliary system

#### Landing mechanism

The class was designed with the ability to enter a planet's atmosphere and land on the surface. As such, vessels were equipped with antigravity generators and impulse lifters on the underside of both the primary and secondary hulls and landing pads on the lower section of the star drive hull. Vessels of the class would enter blue alert when performing a planetary landing.

### Auxiliary craft systems

#### Aeroshuttle

As with the other classes of the *Intrepid* line, the *Bellerophon*-class was equipped with a ventrally docked integrated craft: a VAR-6 *Aero*-class shuttle (generally known as an "aeroshuttle"). The craft was designed for atmospheric operations, and short-term missions as a support vessel, rather than as an independently operating small craft like the *Danube*-class on which it was based.

## Appendices

### Connections

**Project groups:** **Union Station** (*Geneva* • *Concorde* • *Presidio*) • **Century Cruiser** (*Springfield* • *New Orleans* • *Challenger* • *Niagara* • *Freedom II* • *Galaxy* • *Nebula* • *Cheyenne*) • **Multi-Mission explorers** (*Brigid* • *Esquiline* • *Palatine*) • **Deep Shadow** (*Eclipse* • *Phantom* • *Scryer*) • **Miracle Worker** (*Scott* • *Daystrom* • *Tucker* • *Gagarin*) • **Aeronaut** (*Mercury* • *Ajax* • *Icarus* • *Shran*)

**Other named classes:** *Aegian* • *Aerie* • *Akula* • *Atlas* • *California* • *Centaur* • *Challenger* • *Cheyenne* • *Constellation* • *Constitution III* • *Crossfield* • *Curry* • *Daedalus* • *Dauntless* • *Excelsior II* • *Freedom II* • *Gemini* • *Glenn* • *Guardian* • *Inquiry* • *Iwo Jima* • *Jupiter* • *Lexington* • *Niagara* • *Obena* • *Okinawa* • *Parliament* • *Perseus* • *Pioneer* • *Ranger* • *Sagan* • *Solanae* • *Springfield* • *Turing* • *Ulysses*

**Auxiliary craft:** *Aero* • Class C • Class F • *Danube* • *Flyer* • *Gondola* • *Kodai* • *Mollard* • *Peregrine* • *Selenic* • Type 4 • Type 5 • Type 6 (Type 6A • Type 6S) • Type 7 • Type 8 • Type 9 (Type 9A) • Type 10 • Type 11 • Type 14 • Type 17 • Type 19 • *Valkyrie* • *Venture* • *Waverider* • *Yellowstone*

**Leadership:** Commander-in-chief • Joint Chiefs • Chief of Starfleet External Affairs • Chief of Starfleet Operations • Chief of Starfleet Research and Exploration • Chief of Starfleet Tactical

**Agencies:** Operations (Engineering • Judicial • Materiel Supply • Mission Operations • Personnel Management • Records Service • Shipyards Operations • Starbase Operations) • Research & Exploration (Science • Medical) • External Affairs • Tactical (Intelligence • Security • MACO)

**Notable units:** Ktarn Fleet • Task Force 77

**Facilities:** Deep Space K-7 • Deep Space K-13 • Deep Space 9 • Masamichi Array • Starbase 45-Keepsake • Starbase 82-Maat • Starbase 234-Beskerm • Starbase 247-Vershina

**Agencies:** Starfleet • Diplomatic Corps • Department of Temporal Investigations • Federation Security Agency

**Facilities:** 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards • Antares Ship Yards • Beta Antares Ship Yards • Copernicus Ship Yards • Laikan Starfleet Shipyards • McKinley Station • Memory Project • New Aberdeen Shipyards • Proxima Maintenance Yards • Salazaar Shipyards • San Francisco Fleet Yards • TL-9139 Starfleet Maintenance Yards • Tranquility Base • Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards

### Sources consulted

* Bellerophon class article at *Memory Beta*.
* Bellerophon Long Range Science Vessel Refit article at the *Star Trek Online Wiki*.
* "Starfleet's Four-Quadrant Strategy," *TTC Jayce's Navy Interstellar* 244, no. 1 (Stardate 87086.07): 58-61.

### Footnotes

1. ↑ "Long Range Science Vessel Family Tree," *TTC Jayce's Navy Interstellar* 244, no. 1 (Stardate 87086.07): 61.