JAFFA

The JAFFA was born to replace the varied parasite frigates of the United Federation of Planets with a shared design. Initially conceived by the Apiatan and Caitian navies, the design was also adopted by the Sydraxians, as they moved into the Federation sphere of influence. While slight differences remain between the ships, mostly due to unique Apiata crewing requirements, the JAFFA project showed the way forward in multi-member ship design.

The class had more than its share of problems, however, and, along with the Caitian Arsharra N'Gir, prompted a massive wave of reforms in Federation ship design practices. Extreme prototyping and research times were cut by new streamlining procedures, allowing future ships to enter service much more quickly.

The class is built purely for combat, with the most powerful frigate-scale combat package of any ship in the Federation. High evasion and good sublight and warp speed also allow the class to participate in the skirmish line, and it has an impressive sensor package for a ship so weak on the sciences, allowing it to contribute to fleet scouting and minesweeping operations.

Components & Construction
The JAFFA is built on a modern frigate frame, and weighs in at about 700kt, smaller than most Starfleet-frigates, but well in line with the designs of most member worlds. It uses a number of specialized parts pioneered by the Apiata to achieve its impressive combat potential, for which it is designed first and foremost. The ship uses a sensor module to minimize the needed dockyard size.

Warp Core
The JAFFA project uses a standard size, but highly advanced frigate scale warp core, capable of delivering substantially more power than earlier design sketches. The new warp core's power-to-weight ratio also allows the design to avoid the usual terrifying nature of parasite-frigate warp cores, which frequently use near-Gaeni EPS safety assemblies.

Nacelles
The JAFFA project employs specialized nacelles, similar to those used by previous generations of parasite frigate, to give the class high maneuverability and speed, while offloading the usual crew costs from maintenance and upkeep to the tending vessel. Nacelle output is therefore difficult to modify from the bridge of the ship itself, but this is considered an acceptable tradeoff. In addition, the warp field cannot be sustained for as long as would be possible with standard nacelles, but the ability to piggyback off of tender warp bubbles for strategic deployment makes this point mostly moot.

Navigational Deflector
The JAFFA's navigational deflector, like the rest of the ship, is built for combat. The deflector ties directly into the shield grid, allowing the JAFFA to both run its shields at a higher partial power outside of combat, and to increase shield strength above what would otherwise be possible on a 700kt frigate.

Sensors & Sciences
The JAFFA has a unique sensor package, optimized for close range. The design uses a pair of high-powered sensor systems, a tactical sensor array which contributes substantially to the JAFFA's normal targeting sensors and evasive capability, and specialized set of high-fidelity sensors, allowing the JAFFA to screen for mines and cloaked ships, all to protect the tending mothership (or Fathership, in the case of the Caitian Grand Fleet). The high-fidelity sensors are mounted in a Miranda-style rollbar above the rest of the hull, minimizing interference.

Computing
The JAFFA partially makes up for the deficiencies of its long-range sensor package through the employment of the Type-IV-B duotronic computer core, the same as seen on the Federation's premier science frigate, the Kepler. This computer core allows the JAFFA to synthesize what little long-range information it does get from its sensors into a coherent picture of surrounding space.

Communications
The JAFFA's only real hint of diplomatic capability comes from its employment of a large communications array, tied directly into the navigational deflector. This system allows the JAFFA to maintain contact with its fellows, and its mothership, in combat, and allows it to respond more quickly to potential threats, as the sensor feeds from each ship are integrated into a coherent image of the battlespace. It also, however, allows any JAFFA which finds itself needing to engage in diplomacy to contact FDS or member government officials.

Deflectors and Armor
The JAFFA's deflector grid is incredibly strong for a ship of its size, drawing capability from across the ship. The main deflector is built in the Apiata style, using distributed nodes across the ship, backed by the direct integration of the main deflector. This is itself backed up by a strong structural integrity system, reinforcing both the shields and the hull, and the high-fidelity sensor package, whose exotic anti-cloaking elements can be instead used to reinforce the shield bubble when in direct combat.

Torpedoes
The JAFFA makes extremely heavy use of torpedoes, with 3 main batteries of microtorpedo launchers. The microtorpedo batteries are designed for extremely rapid fire, and take time to re-arm after they have been depleted. The alpha firepower, however, is more than enough to make up for this deficiency, or the batteries can be fired in a staggered fashion, to maintain continuous fire.

Phasers
The JAFFA employs an Apiata-style pulse phaser battery, giving it impressive close-range firepower. 4 interlinked pulse phasers provide additional forward firepower alongside the microtorpedo batteries.