User:Gravitas Hunt/Type-6 Shuttle

Now Starfleet's most common shuttle design, the Type 6 was introduced in 2280. It has two variants, the Type 6-a, and the stretched -6b. The Type 6's predecessor – the Class F – was by then a significantly antiquated design. Having already received a number of refits, the Starship Design Bureau were directed to develop a replacement. With shuttlebays on line vessels increasing in size, especially on the then-upcoming Excelsior-class, many in Starfleet were pushing for a larger shuttlecraft; Starfleet Command agreed to a trial of a longer variant, which was to share components as far as possible with the base design. Designed by the Shuttlecraft Division at San Francisco Fleet Yards, the first two prototypes were constructed at the facility's headquarters in Sausalito, assisted by final-year cadets from Starfleet Academy. Both are now on display at the Starfleet Museum's London annex.

Design
A common complaint with the Class F was the insufficient cockpit viewports; the new design would have a single window covering entire dorsal nose, giving a significant field of view. This was well-received enough that the shuttle was quickly refitted with an additional pair to either side of the pilots. Significantly improved miniaturisation in the years since the introduction of the Class F allowed the impulse engines of the new shuttle to be placed into pods on the side, opening up the full length of the fuselage for use; as a result, the craft could be equipped with a large hatch on the stern. The 6a is currently the smallest Federation vessel capable of initiating a warp field by itself, rather than merely being able to sustain one after launch. This has greatly eased in-system transport, obviating the previous need for runabouts to fulfil this purpose. As with most Starfleet shuttle designs, the warp nacelles double as landing skids.

Type 6-a
The smaller Type 6-a has a length of 4.4 metres, slightly shorter than the Class F, but it utilises the space far more efficiently; the engines are in pods on the sides, and the rest of the engineering space is underfloor, and in the narrow nose ahead of the pilots. Entry and egress are only through the rear hatch, and, in an emergency, by blowing out the main windscreen. It is generally considered inappropriate for cargo transport.

Type 6-b
The stretched Type 6-b is, despite the similarities with its sibling, a rather different beast. With a more powerful warp drive, which necessitated different nacelles, this shuttle can be used for longer journeys, and has an additional access hatch in the cockpit area. It also has an uprated impulse assembly. Some examples omit the rear hatch.

Fittings
The 6a has two widespread interior configurations: one with 10 passenger seats, common in civilian transportation, and a more spacious layout with two benches along each side, usually seen in Starfleet and member navies. There is also a medical version carrying a single bio-bed, and a few examples of modification into a large worker bee with a pair of manipulator arms. It does not carry a transporter device. The 6b has the same common configurations writ larger: more seating, longer benches, multiple bio-beds and so on. It additionally finds use as a military dropship, and also for moving cargo unsuitable for transporters.

Control Systems
The avionics of the shuttle are highly customisable. Starfleet examples tend to go all-glass, sometimes even forgoing the side-stick. The expectation is generally that the shuttle will fly itself along a course selected by the pilot, though it can of course still be controlled directly through the primary haptic feedback displays.

STL Propulsion and Manoeuvring
Each shuttle carries a pair of impulse assemblies in the pods to each side. Manoeuvring is through differential thrust, thrust vectoring and the reaction control system. The engine pods also each contain an atmospheric engine.

Warp
In accordance with Federation laws, civilian models of the shuttle have a locked-down warp drive, capable only of warp 3 (4 for the 6-b). Military and government versions carry unlocked drives and can generally reach warp 6 or 7, depending on the model – though there are persistent rumours of Starfleet Type 6s regularly exceeding this.

Other items
There is space for a small mission pod on the dorsal side of the craft. This can hold, among other items, specialised sensors, a supplementary life-support system, or even (rarely) a small phaser bank.