Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek content.

STARSHIP CLASS
Challenger-class
Affiliation:	Federation Starfleet
Service period:	24th century
Specifications
Defences:	deflector shields
Auxiliary craft:	Federation shuttlecraft

The Challenger-class was a type of Federation starship in use by Starfleet in the 24th century. (ST reference: Star Trek Encyclopedia; TTN novel: Taking Wing)

History

The Challenger-class was a 24th century design, consisting of a commonly-used type of saucer section, with a secondary hull attached directly to the aft saucer. Two warp nacelles were attached above and below the stardrive hull extension.

One of the famous members of this starship class was the USS Buran, lost at the Battle of Wolf 359. (TNG episode: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")

Known vessels

• USS Armstrong (NCC-57537)
• USS Buran (NCC-57580)
• USS Kearsarge (NCC-57566)

Appendices

Connections

Starship classes of the United Federation of Planets
By name	Aakenn • Achernar • Achilles • Advance • Aegian • Aeolus • Aerie • Akira • Akula (destroyer) • Akula (frigate) • Alaska • Ambassador • Andes • Andromeda • Andor • Antares • Anton • Apache • Apollo • Archer • Ariel • Ascendant • Ashanti • Avenger • Babcock • Bader • Baker • Baton Rouge • Bode • Bolarus • Bonaventure • Bonhomme Richard • Bradbury • Brenton • Canada • Canopus • Capella • Centaur • Centaurus • Challenger • Chandley • Charger • Chariot • Chesapeake • Cheyenne • Chimera • Christopher • Cle Dan • Cochise • Cochrane • Constellation • Constitution • Continent • Copernicus • Cygnus • Daedalus • Danube • Decatur • Decker • Defender • Defiant • Deneva • Derf • Dollond • Doppler • Dreadnought • Drexler • Durrett • Eagle • Edward • El Dorado • Enterprise (23rd century) • Enterprise (alternate future) • Epoch • Epsilon • Erewon • Excalibur • Excelsior • Federation • Fenlon • Fermi • Fiji • Freedom • Frontier • Gagarin • Galaxy • Geneva • Genser • Graceful • Grayson • Griffon • Hale • Hardin • Hermes (scout) • Hermes (fast cruiser) • Heston • Hogan • Hokule'a • Horizon • Huron • Icarus • Incursion • Indomitable • Intrepid • Iowa • Istanbul • Iwo Jima • Karekh • Keith • Keppler • Kethkin • Kiev • Kitty Hawk • K'Kmarak • Kolm-An • Korolev • Larson • Lauro • Laweya • Legacy • Lenthal • Lexington • Liberty • Loki • Loknar • London (troop transport) • Luna • Mackenzie • Makin • Mann • Marklin • Marshall • M'Benga • Mediterranean • Merced • Midway • Miranda • Mission • Missouri • Mockingbird • MoKal • Monoceros • Moscow • Nebula • Nelson • New Orleans • Newport • Niagara • Noble • Nomad • Northampton • Norway • Nova • Oberon • Oberth • Odin • Odysseus • Okinawa • Olympic • Oppenheimer • Orion • Osaka • Overfield • Paladin (destroyer) • Paladin (24th century) • Philadelphia • Pinnacle • Piper • Polarity • Pollux • Portsmith • Premonition • Prometheus • Proxima • Ptolemy • Pyrenees • Rakota • Ranger (cruiser) • Ranger (scout) • Reliant • Remora • Renaissance • Rickenbacker • Rigel • Royal Sovereign • Saber • Sagan • Saladin • Samson • Santa Fe • Sawyer • Scorpio • Scylla • Sequoia • Sherman • Shi'Kahr • Sierra • Siva • Solar • Sovereign • Soyuz • Springfield • Steamrunner • Surak • Sydney • Venture • Tangent • Thomas Paine • Thucydides • Thufir • Ticonderoga • Tikopai • Tritium • Typhon • Ukora • Ulysses • Ural • Utah • Vesta • Vigilant (scout) • Vigilant (tactical escort) • Voyager • Wambundu • Wilkerson • Wei-Fa • Wellington • Wells • Yeager • Yorkshire • Zodiac • unnamed
By type	Federation cargo ship • Federation colony ship • Federation construction ship • Federation galaxy ship • Federation mining freighter • Federation repair ship

Background

The Buran model was built for the battle sequence in "The Best of Both Worlds" and later described to Star Trek fans by Michael Okuda's appearances at conventions, where he showed slide with images of the behind-the-scenes models.

Apocrypha

The RPG The Dominion War Sourcebook: The Fires of Armageddon, published by Last Unicorn Games after they had lost their Star Trek license lists the USS Veliko (NCC-62503) as a Challenger-class vessel.

External links

• Challenger class article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
• Reconstruction of the Challenger Class from production photos, interviews, and on-screen analysis of "The Best of Both Worlds" can be found at Ex Astris Scientia.

The Star Trek Expanded Universe Database is for fanon and related content. See Memory-Alpha.org for the canon Star Trek wiki.

STARSHIP CLASS
Challenger
Type:	light cruiser
Length:	243.56 m
Beam:	140.3 m
Draft:	48.68 m
Max. speed:	warp 9.1
Armaments:	2 Type-VIII phasers, 2 photon torpedo launchers
Defenses:	Deflector shields
Crew:	212

The Challenger-class light cruiser was a type of starship on active duty in Starfleet during the late 24th century.

The four vessels of this class were commissioned in 2344. (Ships of the Star Fleet, Vol. 1: Cruisers. )

The design of the class was based in part on the USS Challenger (NCC-2032). The design is little more than a saucer section adapted from the Galaxy-class with a pair of warp nacelles attached aft. Two variants exist, one with the nacelles above and behind the saucer and the other with one nacelle above and one below the saucer. Compared to other light cruisers the Challengers were underpowered despite upgrades throughout its service history. The vessels of the class have served well as patrol ships, short-range explorers and scouts and as diplomatic couriers. (Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 1: The Ships of Starfleet)

According to the SRMV1 the class entered service in 2355.

The Challenger-class USS Buran was one of the ships lost during the Battle of Wolf 359. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")

Background information

• Specifications from the Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 1: The Ships of Starfleet.
• USS Marco Polo is designated Challenger class in a TNG comic story "Thin Ice" — but bears little resemblance to the Buran. There may have been another Challenger class extant earlier in the 24th century.

External links

• Challenger class article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Challenger class article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
• Challenger-Class Reconstruction