Romulan Bird-of-Prey

The iconic Romulan warship of the mid-23rd Century, the Romulan Bird-of-Prey was a rude surprise for the Federation, a ship with 1/5th the mass of a Constitution class starship, but with nearly equal performance. It was not until the middle of the first decade of the 24th century that the Romulans at last confirmed what had been suspected for years-their iteration on the winged attack craft concept had the largest price tag in known space to match its impressive performance. Unleashed in 2267 on hundred year old asteroid forts along the Romulan Neutral Zone, the first mission of the Bird-of-Prey was at best a Pyrrhic victory-at worst, an embarrassing defeat. However, the design would remain a centerpiece of Romulan plans for the next four decades.

The ship features lavish use of exotic materials, everywhere from the hull armor, to the ultra-high power fusion reactor, to the massive signature weapon, the Plasma Torpedo. An unpractical weapon with short range and a fixed arc, the Plasma Torpedo was the primary weapon of the Bird of Prey, with a two light forward and a single light aft disruptor being the only other weapons. Extended recharge time for torpedoes and power requirements left Romulan ships starkly vulnerable as they recharged, and made their cloaking devices all the more important.

While extremely formidable for its time, and with the strongest hull for a frigate even in the modern era, advancing standards have finally caught up to the Romulan Bird of Prey; firepower is equal to battle-worthy modern Federation designs such as Comet and Centaur-B. Durability overall is comparable to a Comet, though with reversed shield and hull, and inferior to a dedicated combat design like Anacail. The noncombat value of the ship is inferior or equal to the retired Centaur-A model.

The Romulans have not retired the class yet, but would clearly like to once recovery from the war with the Klingons is well underway.