Riala-B

The Riala-B upgrade aims to keep Rialas at the core of Federation combat fleets for the next decade, until their eventual replacement enters service. They are remarkably heavily armed, firmly surpassing the Starfleet Ambassador-class ships, and also have a tougher hull and comparable shielding. For their role as the future sword and shield of the Federation they are quite well-equipped. A slight improvement in science suite, due to upgrades to sensors that improved weapons targeting as well, is another noticeable change, but perhaps the most surprising is the improvement of their sprint speed, for pre-battle maneuvering, yet the loss of some endurance over time. They have, however, finally reached Starfleet crewing levels, almost exactly matching the needed crew of an Excelsior-A.

Refit Cost: +1OET 45/60

Pennant Numbers
The Riala-B class ships carry over their pennant numbers.

Design
A product of legendary Amarkian designer High Castellan Ifrec Aniaellan KCT LCT in the 2280s and '90s, the original Riala was a revolutionary step forward. In terms of the advancements in Amarkian design, technology, shipbuilding, and capability, the Riala opened up a new world for the Amarkians. Pound for pound the superior in a scrap to the Excelsior and crewed by the cream of the CAS-N, the Riala was the premiere warship the Federation had to offer. It was easy to tell how close Commander, Starfleet was to a crisis by how closely they tracked the availability of a Riala.

When it came time to refit the class, the task was taken up by High Castellan Pibrieh Istraia, the protege of the original designer. The Amarkian Arsenal Design Bureau worked closely with the Starfleet Ship Design Bureau in order to produce a tremendous new lease on life for the design. Access to Starfleet short-range sensors and computers led to a potent increase in firepower, and a brand new set of Mark V-Super Heavy shield emitters help make the Riala-A one of the strongest, most well-protected, and mobile modern capitals.

The Riala-B is another tremendous improvement for the class. The -B refit, despite being started a year before phaser arrays would have become available, still increases the combat power of the class by an estimated 1.5 times, and massively improves the shielding and armor of the design. The entire hull is substantially reinforced with modern armor plate, and the shield grid is similarly massively upgraded, with every element being brought fully up to date with contemporary Federation design. All this comes at an extreme cost, however, with the refit requiring 50 more standard units of SR to construct, and the refit costs approximating those of a small frigate. The refit also focuses on combat to the exclusion of all other systems, actually decreasing the endurance of the class, though with a minor improvement in scientific capability.