Akira class

The  is a Federation advanced heavy cruiser.

Description
In 2363 a new class of ship entered service. The ship was to carry more firepower then anything before her, yet still remain fast and maneuverable. The ship features a unique catamaran nacelle design and no less than 15 torpedo launchers. The USS Akira is one of the few Starfleet vessels which is heavily biased toward the combat role. The ships carry an extremely heavy torpedo armament of 15 torpedo launchers. Seven of these are mounted in the large roll bar pod, 5 facing forwards; the remaining eight are located in the saucer section, two of which face directly out to port and starboard, a unique feature in a Starfleet vessel. The USS Akira entered service in 2363, and a rapid production run put nearly a hundred others into the fleet over the next few years. Most were assigned to units on the outer Federation territories, performing patrol and presence missions as well as the normal mapping and exploration duties which any Starfleet vessel is expected to handle.

More recently the escalation of tensions at the Federations core has led to almost all of the Akiras being recalled to operate closer to Earth; thirty five were assigned to the Typhon Sector fleet in 2370, the remainder being assigned to the areas adjacent to the Cardassian, Klingon and Romulan borders. Akira class vessels featured prominently in the 2372 Borg attack on Earth, the Typhon Fleet, together with several reinforcement squadrons, fought a running battle with the Borg from the Typhon Sector to Earth. Many of the ships were destroyed during this battle. A notable participant was the USS Thunderchild, NCC 63549 under the command of Captain Paul MacLeod, which participated in the final assault that destroyed the Borg cube.

The Akira Class was due to cease production in 2373, but with the disastrous contact with the Dominion Starfleet decided to continue production at an increased rate. When the Dominion War began, production of the Akira was boosted to eighteen per year as the Federation converted its economy to a war footing. The Akiras have now become a common sight on the front lines, participating in most of the major battles. With the war over production has slowed to ten a year, and project build time was extended through 2382 to help recover losses Starfleet suffered.

Performance
The Akira, just as all post-Wolf-359 designs, is designed to combat Borg vessels, hence her more combat-oriented design.

The Akira serves as the most powerful cruiser in the federations arsenal. Its mainly focused on torpedo attacks, sweeping in for the kill with its forward torpedo tubes delivering a deadly blow to an enemy vessel. This also has a drawback, because it has a lesser amount of phasers its re-fire rate is lower then more rounded out cruisers like the Excelsior.

Another important feature of the Akira is her high survival rate. This makes the Akira a good candidate for engaging tougher opponents and even capital ships.

The high construction cost means the Akiras in a fleet is usually in a smaller number than the cheaper Excelsior, but when used in numbers the Akira can turn the tide in any battle.

External References
TBD