Starfleet Design Bureau

[X] 0: 4 Torpedoes Forward, 2 Aft (Photonic) [Prototype] (+18 Industry)
[X] 1: 16 Pulsed Phase Cannons [Prototype] (+32 Industry) (Average Damage: 15)

In the end there was no doubt that the ship would be heavily armed, but precisely how armed was in question. The answer, it turns out, is as much as you can make it. With four photonic torpedo launchers and able to train eight phase cannons on anything in front of it, the Bulwark represents a serious threat to anything on the battlefield that it can lay eyes on. But the final configuration and the turreted phase cannons don't leave much in the way of safety for other approaches, either. Simulations suggest that no matter what arc the ship is approached from it can unload as much firepower as an NX-class starship at its target. Admittedly for twice the cost, so it won't be replacing the NX any time soon for general duty, but as a ship purely designed for fighting in a fleet action? Just what is needed. With the final systems fitted the design enters the testing phase.

Powering up the main deflector takes several minutes, each stage of the process being checked and double checked. But the new accelerator and targeting modules work as expected, allowing the Bulwark to deploy its deflection beams out several seconds ahead of the ship at warp and move more massive objects away from its path compared with its predecessor.

The main deflector conforms with specifications.

The photonic torpedoes perform surprisingly well, with their antimatter warheads creating a radiation spray that disrupts shields and degrades the stability of the graviton field. It's a happy side effect to the actual blast, but one that will significantly increase its value as a replacement for the atomic torpedo.

The photonic torpedoes deal more damage than expected.

The pulsed phase cannons on the other hand perform poorly. The idea was that pulsing the particle stream would allow higher concentrations, which is true, but what wasn't expected was that the interaction between the EPS system and the particle generators would cause the saturation level to drop. With fewer particles in each pulse, the damage inflicted has dropped compared to projections. Still better than the standard cannons for the same cost, at least.

The increase in phase cannon damage is less than expected.

With the ship confirmed operational, she only needs a name before she gets her final checks.

[ ] UES Brazilia
[ ] UES Bulwark
[ ] UES Aegis
[ ] UES Thunderchild
[ ] UES Warspite


Project Bulwark [2158]
Tactical Rating: 20
-Average Damage: 14.2
-Max Sustained Damage: 25
-Alpha Strike Damage: 42
-Coverage: 100%
-Maneuverability: Medium
Defense Rating: 42
Engineering: 6
Science: 1
Warp (Cruise): 3.6 (46c)
Warp (Max): 4.9 (117c)
Industrial Cost: 82