STARSHIP TOUR - TYPE-8 SHUTTLECRAFT
Specifications from http://www.ditl.org
Image by Brian Minosh of Bravo Fleet
Type
|
Light short-range warp shuttle |
Unit Run
|
2,485 in service. 1,366 lost during the Dominion war. |
Commissioned
|
2371 - present |
Dimensions
|
Length
: 6 m Beam : 4.4 m Height : 2.7 m Decks : 1 |
Mass
|
3,380 kg |
Crew
|
2 flight crew, with 6 passengers in standard model, 2 in diplomatic model |
Armament
|
Normally
none; 2 x Type V Phaser emitters on special operations models, total output 200 TeraWatts |
Defense Systems
|
Shield
system, total capacity 13,500 TeraJoules Light Duranium/Tritanium single hull. Low level structural integrity field. |
Warp Speeds
|
Normal
Cruise : Warp Factor 2.6 Maximum Cruise : Warp Factor 3 Maximum Rated : Warp Factor 3.2 for forty eight hours Maximum Rated : Warp Factor 4 for thirty six hours in uprated model |
Grade 1 | |
Expected Hull Life
|
60 years |
Refit Cycle
|
Minor
: 1 year Standard : 5 years Major : 15 years |
When discussing the Type 8, comparisons to the Type 6 are inevitable. The Type 8 is slightly longer and more streamlined to increase the operating efficiency within planetary atmospheres and to provide slightly greater internal volume. The nacelles are of a considerably more advanced design and include Bussard Collectors which allow self-replenishment of the Deuterium tanks and so allow the range to be extended almost indefinitely at Impulse speed. A considerable improvement in warpfield efficiency has also allowed much higher warp speeds to be achieved in the Type 8. Internally the layout is virtually identical to the Type 6, although the field of view for the crew has been somewhat reduced and there is slightly more room in the passenger compartment. The use of an integrated hull design rather than the 'bolt-together' sections of the Type 6 has led to an increase in the overall structural strength of some 15%, and has extended the expected hull life from 45 to 60 years. As with the Type 6, the standard Type 8 carries no armament but there is a special operations model. This is equipped with the same low capacity shield system, but has Type V rather than Type IV phaser emitters. The special ops version of the Type 8 also features several classified measures to reduce the radiated energy signature virtually to nothing and so make the craft much harder to detect. Although Starfleet policy forbids special operations craft from operating without markings, the Type 8 special ops shuttles are usually completed in a black color scheme with markings in a slightly greyed shade which makes them virtually impossible to identify from more than a handful of meters away.
The Type 8 has proved extremely reliable and useful in service; the original plan was to replace the Type 6 in frontline service, relegating that shuttle to less important theatres and eventually relacing it altogether. However, with the Dominion war ongoing it has been decided to retain the Type 6 in service alongside its more modern successor. Production of the Type 8 continues, but it is thought that the proportion of these craft produced to the special operations standard has risen from 1% to over 75% since the outbreak of the Dominion war. This would make the Type 8 Starfleet's standard near-system and in-system special ops craft.