Kumari class

The Kumari-class was a type of Andorian Empire starship, a battle cruiser in Andorian Imperial Guard service in the 22nd century and in the 24th century. The Kumari vessels were combatant vessels on the side of the Coalition of Planets allies during the Earth-Romulan War. The Kumari-class were equipped with ractor beams and particle beam weapons, and had a maximum speed exceeding warp 5. A capable and powerful warship the Kumari was able to combat large Vulcan starships. It was equipped with multiple particle cannons for combat. Its hull was composed of duranium and protected by a deflector shield.

In the mirror universe, Kumari-class ships were widely used by rebels against the Terran Empire.

History
The first ship of this class, the Kumari, was commanded by Commander Thy'lek Shran from 2142 to 2154.

Since their launch in the 2140s, several Andorian warships of this type had been reported missing. When the Enterprise was attacked by a Romulan drone-ship disguised as an Andorian battle cruiser, Shran suggested that the Tellarites may have been responsible, using one of these missing ships after enhancing its systems.

In 2154, several Andorian battle cruisers were incorporated into an Andorian-Tellarite-Vulcan fleet which consisted of some 128 ships, formed in response to a Romulan marauder that threatened the entire region.

In the mirror universe, the Andorian rebels utilized this class of vessel to engage the Terran fleet in 2155. At least two of these vessels were among the rebel ships attacking the ISS Avenger. By the 24th century Kumari class battle cruisers were refited with new technology and new weapons. The Kumari class was refited with disruptor cannons, photon torpedoes and more powerful particle cannons and more powerful shields along with a stronger shield generator.

Technical data
The Andorian battle cruiser was considerably more rugged than the designs utilized by contemporary United Earth Starfleet vessels. Like all Andorian combat vessels, the Andorian battle cruiser was constructed using a "significant quantity" of duranium alloy. Despite the vessel's fairly large size, it was crewed by a complement of only eighty-six. In comparison, Starfleet's smaller NX class had a standard compliment of eighty-three.

Physical arrangement
The outboard plan of the Andorian battle cruiser's design consisted of a central "spine" that contained a vertically bifurcated forward hull containing several decks. The central "spine" gradually narrowed toward the aft section of the ship where it connected to two vertically stacked warp nacelles. Located midway down the "spine" were a pair of forward-swept wings which contained the impulse engines and defensive systems.

Defensive systems
The defensive systems utilized by the Andorian battle cruiser included a formidable array of particle cannons composed of multiple forward cannon emplacements, port and starboard wing emitters, as well as dorsal and ventral emitters capable of firing in 180 degree arcs.

The Andorian battle cruiser enjoyed an advantage over other less advanced vessels of this era due to its utilization of deflector shield technology. Nevertheless, this class was somewhat susceptible to attacks directed towards its shield generator. The shield generator itself was located distantly from the vessel's power grid, leaving it vulnerable to damage. By the 24th century Kumari class battle cruisers were refited with new technology and new weapons. The Kumari class was refited with disruptor cannons, photon torpedoes and more powerful particle cannons and more powerful shields along with a stronger shield generator.

During the 2150s, Andorian technology was considered to be more advanced than analogous Tellarite technology. One Tellarite cruiser was said to not be able to "stand a chance" against two Andorian warships. The Andorian battle cruiser had a level of firepower comparable to the Xindi-Reptilian warship and the Vulcan D'Kyr combat cruiser.

In the mirror universe, this class proved significantly inferior to a mid-23rd century Federation Constitution class starship. This was clearly illustrated when the USS Defiant, defending the Terran warship ISS Avenger from rebel attack, engaged and destroyed one Andorian battle cruiser within seconds and inflicted heavy damage to a second before allowing it to escape.

Propulsion systems
Andorian battle cruisers utilized warp drive technology that was more advanced than Starfleet's warp five engine, allowing Andorian vessels to be "considerably faster" than Earth's NX class starship. These vessels could travel at speeds that were described at the time as "high warp."

One of the technological innovations contributing to the high performance of the ship's warp drive was the utilization of advanced antimatter injectors with variable compression nozzles. In 2153, knowledge of this of "sophisticated piece of technology" was still considered to be "rather sensitive information."

Additional systems
The long-range sensors utilized on board the Andorian battle cruiser were more sophisticated than those utilized on board Starfleet's NX-class. These sensors were capable of scanning a star system from a distance without betraying the vessel's presence. Conversely, usage of its short-range sensors was detectable by vessels that were being scanned by them. Commander Shran attempted to innocently explain away these sensors to Degra as being "omni-directional" during a ruse to scan the second prototype of the Xindi superweapon during its test in the Calindra system in 2153.

Much like Vulcan ships of the era, Andorian battle cruisers were equipped with a tractor beam. The tractor emitter was located on the ship's forward ventral section.

Additionally, these warships were equipped with transporters capable of performing site-to-site transport. Use of these transporters was only detectable by internal sensors as a brief energy surge.

Auxiliary craft
The Andorian battle cruiser housed at least one shuttle. They also carried multiple escape pods.

Bridge
Capable of operating with a crew of five, the bridge of the Andorian battle cruiser directly supervised all primary mission operations and coordinated all departmental activities. Its design was not unlike the layouts used aboard Earth and Klingon vessels of that era, and of Federation starships of later eras. The most significant difference was the placement of the wall consoles, which faced away from the captain rather than towards him.

The layout consisted of an inverted "half-moon"-shaped viewscreen located on the forward bulkhead, directly in front of the ship's side-by-side helm and navigation console.

In the center of the bridge was the captain's chair, with two large convex dishes on either side of the chair. A semi-circle of four station consoles, each with its own stool, surrounded the captain's chair, one each to port and starboard, and two near the aft. All four consoles were each attached to a support column which braced the bridge's vaulted ceiling.

Along the rear bulkhead were several display monitors, separating the entry way to the captain's ready room on the port side from the entryway to the bridge on the starboard side.

Ready room
The ready room was located adjacent to the bridge and provided the commanding officer with a private place to conduct ship's business. The ready room on board the Kumarihad a large viewscreen located on the bulkhead opposite the entryway and a desk and chair located between the entryway and the viewscreen. Behind the commander's desk was a shelving display that contained the officer's personal effects.

Interrogation room
The interrogation room was a small area that contained an interrogation chair located opposite of the entryway and a free standing control console located in the corner, near the door. The interrogation technology utilized a machine that created a neuro-synaptic field which caused the victim's emotional threshold to be lowered rather than causing physical discomfort.

Cargo bays
The Andorian battle cruiser contained at least three cargo bays, with the third being located on the ventral section of the ship, near the center of the vessel. These cargo bays were shielded against potential radiation by use of a force field.

Ships of the class

 * IGS Kumari
 * IGS Shran