Danube Class Runabout

Type 9 Personnel Shuttle

type:	fast courier / general purpose light shuttle
crew:	1 or 2, plus 2 passengers
dimensions:	length: 9.17m beam : 3.8m height: 2.95m
mass:	850kg
warp speeds:	normal cruise: warp factor 5 maximum cruise: warp factor 5.4 maximum rated: warp factor 5.8 for three hours
armament:	2 x type iv phaser arrays (nacelles) 1 x type iv phaser emitter, total phaser output 200 terawatts (nose cone) 2 x micro torpedo tubes + 60 torpedoes
defense systems:	shield system, total capacity 40,500 terajoules light duranium/tritanium single hull.

Relatively few Starfleet shuttlecraft are capable of undertaking true interstellar journeys, and those that are tend to be the larger classes. Although Starfleet has occasionally requested the resources to correct this situation, such projects have never been a high priority and have tended to be cancelled in their early stages. It was 2368 before Starfleet finally decided to really push for a new design to correct this deficiency; in this year a request was made for a new type of shuttle capable of carrying one or two people across distances of several light years in relative comfort, or of carrying up to four persons on shorter duration missions. The speed requested was much higher than most previous vessels, in line with the general trend towards much faster vessels, which has been a recent feature of all Starfleet designs after recent advances in warp propulsion technology.

The design process was implemented late in 2368 and was almost completed by early next year when Starfleet halted the program and reassessed its requirement. It was decided that several new features should be included in the craft; these included an increase from one to two micro torpedo launchers, a more capable onboard computer system, and a beefing up of the armament by the addition of two Phaser arrays to the single emitter, which had been the only beam weapon.