STSTCSOLD&A | Romulan V-30 "Winged Defender" class

BRAD'S COMMENTS: Okay, this is it! If I could pick ONE design and ONLY one design from the Romulan book, and base an entire fleet design aesthetic around it, this would be the ship. The V-30 is a magnificent piece of art! Sure, it can be argued that nobody in their right mind would build a starship to literally look like a bird. But if we're going to hack away at Trek ships for having silly designs, we'd better back up and start off with the "cigars and saucer" aesthetic established by the Enterprise herself. But I'm not gonna do that. I like the Enterprise design, and I like the V-30 design too. A Romulan ship should look like a bird. And the V-30, to me anyway, is a superb example of what Romulan ships could/would look like during the era between ST:TOS and ST:TNG. Certainly this ship has the stats to carry its own weight in that time, packing enough guns and power to take out the largest of the Federation and Klingon cruisers single-handedly. In a navy that is actually fairly weak when compared to the other great powers of the day (Klingon, Federation) the Winged Defender is a true standout. Play it, and enjoy.
As with several of the other very-recent FASA Romulan ships, I've added two more types beyond those of FASA that carry this class forward into the 24th century, making it current with the tech of the TNG era, or at least capable of standing up to a fight with some of the TNG-era ships of the other governments. I reason that such a relatively modern class, a contemporary of the Excelsior, would likely have an effective lifespan similar to that of the Excelsior, undergoing one or more refits during its lifetime.

From the FASA Star Trek ROMULAN SHIP RECOGNITION MANUAL, circa 1985
V-30 (Winged Defender) Class XII Cruiser
Known Sphere Of Operation: Empire-wide use
Data Reliability: A
Major Data Source: Romulan Sector Intelligence; Project Grey Ghost
The V-30 is the most powerful of all Romulan warships. Exemplifying the new-style design, the cruiser looks like a bird and has variable wing positions.
        Introduced about Stardate 2/17, the Type 1 mounts eight disruptors arranged to give covering fire in all directions. The newest plasma weapon, the RPL-3, coupled with the cloaking device, allows the V-30 to use standard Romulan tactics and deliver a devastating first strike. The Type 2, introduced about Stardate 2/19, mounts the new RP-3 photon torpedoes both fore and aft.
        V-30s are used as flagships or focal points of a fleet, several of which have three or four of these vessels assigned to them. The V-30 is being deployed along the Neutral Zone and areas bordering the Triangle as a deterrent to possible incursions into Empire space. Furthermore, these ships have been used recently for 'shadowing' missions along the Neutral Zone, following a course parallel to and just outside sensors range of any Federation ships that approach the Zone. This has made exact identification of the vessel impossible, and has added to the confusion concerning the exact disposition of these cruisers.
        These cruisers, like the V-27s, never operate alone. On every occasion monitored, the V-30 has had an escort of destroyers and/or other cruisers. Although there are no recorded incidents of combat between these ships and Federation vessels, most experts agree that an encounter between a V-30 and an Enterprise Class cruiser would be a fairly even match of firepower. Unsubstantiated reports of Klingon encounters with these vessels have been received, with the V-30s reportedly being victorious in all cases.
        Of the approximately 35 built, all remain on active duty assigned to border areas. Current intelligence reports show that as many as seven Winged Defenders are being added per year.
        The class is named from the Romulan vas'deletham (winged defender), in reference to a small, flying creature native to Remus. These small birds have been known to fight to the death to defend their nest, driving away even full-grown Romulans.

Construction Data: Model Numbers- Ship Class- Date Entering Service- Number Constructed	Type 1 XII 2/17 20	Type 2 XII 2/19 15	Type 3 * XIII 2303 A.D. unknown	Type 4 * XIII 2322 A.D. unknown
Hull Data: Superstructure Points- Damage Chart- Size Length- Width- Height- Weight- Cargo Cargo Units- Cargo Capacity- Landing Capability-	30 C 187 meters 293 meters 94 meters 200,100 tons 40 units 2,000 tons none	31 C 187 meters 293 meters 94 meters 202,200 tons 40 units 2,000 tons none	35 C 189 meters 295 meters 94 meters 212,500 tons 40 units 2,000 tons none	42 C 189 meters 295 meters 94 meters 218,750 tons 40 units 2,000 tons none
Equipment Data: Control Computer Type- Transporters- Standard 9-person- Emergency 20-person- cargo- Cloaking Device Type- Power Requirement-	R6M 4 2 1 RCE 38	R6M 4 2 1 RCE 38	R6M 4 2 1 RCE 38	R6M 4 2 1 RCE 38
Other Data: Crew- Troops- Passengers- Shuttlecraft-	350 none none 2	348 none none 2	330 none 20 3	330 none 20 3
Engines and Power Data: Total Power Units Available- Movement Point Ratio- Warp Engine Type- Number- Power Units Available- Stress Charts- Maximum Safe Cruising Speed- Emergency Speed- Impulse Engine Type- Power Units Available-	68 4/1 RWG-1 2 24 G/L Warp 7 Warp 9 RIE-3 20	68 4/1 RWG-1 2 24 G/L Warp 7 Warp 9 RIE-3 20	75 2/1 RTWC-3 2 26 L/N Warp 7 Warp 9.9 RIF-VII 23	83 2/1 RTWC-3 2 26 L/N Warp 7 Warp 9.9 RIF-X 31
Weapons and Firing Data: Beam Weapon Type- Number- Firing Arcs- Firing Chart- Maximum Power- Damage Modifiers +3 +2 +1 Missile Weapon Type- Number- Firing Arcs- Firing Chart- Power to Arm- Damage- Plasma Weapon Type- Number- Firing Arcs- Firing Chart- Power to Arm- Damage-	RB-9 8 in five banks 4f, 1p, 1s, 1p/a, 1s/a W 6 (1 - 8) (9 - 16) (17 - 20) RPL-3 1 F T 8 (see chart)	RB-9 8 in five banks 4f, 1p, 1s, 1p/a, 1s/a W 6 (1 - 8) (9 - 16) (17 - 20) RP-3 3 in two bays 2f, 1a Q 1 10	RD-19 6 in four banks 3f, 1f/p, 1f/s, 1a U 14 (1 - 7) (8 - 14) (15 - 20) RTA-C 3 in two bays 2f, 1a M 2 15 RPL-4 2 1f, 1a U 13 (see chart)	RD-19 6 in four banks 3f, 1f/p, 1f/s, 1a U 14 (1 - 7) (8 - 14) (15 - 20) RTA-E 4 in two bays 2f, 2a N 1 20 RPL-4 3 2f, 1a U 13 (see chart)
Shields Data: Deflector Shield Type- Shield Point Ratio- Maximum Shield Power-	RSL 1/3 13	RSL 1/3 13	RSM-6 1/3 21	RSM-7 1/3 24
Defense Factor- Weapon Damage Factor-	129.8 96.9	131.3 103.3	unknown unknown	unknown unknown

* Denotes completely hypothetical model number and stats, devised by Brad R. Torgersen.