SC-4



SC-4 was the designation of a shuttlecraft assigned to Captain Typhuss James Kira in 2380. Admiral Kathryn Janeway gave it to him on stardate 146 140.147 142, for doing a mission on stardate 145 139.146 141. The shuttlecraft was built at Utopia Planitia shipyards in 2380.

Technical data
The shuttle is equipped with ablative hull armor, a stealth cloak. It is armed with type 4 phasers and photon torpedoes. The shielding is capable of withstanding substantial enemy bombardment yet not retard the maneuvering ability or weapons capability of the vessel on which the armor is installed. Weapons fire is easily absorbed by the ablative armor. The shuttlecraft includes a defensive shield that is virtually impenetrable to both Klingon and Borg weapons although not to Borg-locating scans. The interior is entered through a large hatch built into the stern of the shuttle, and includes a variety of controls and monitoring stations for all of the ship's vital functions. The ablative armor generator for the shuttlecraft is a small element positioned on the top of the vessel, and comprises a raised, triangular-shaped module with a dark recessed panel toward its forward apex. Positioning the emitter at this roughly central point allows the ablative shields to be erected around the exterior hull of the shuttle within two seconds. This speed is very useful as the speed of deployment can be as important as the level of protection the system provides. The defensive system is initiated by the verbal command to the ship's computer, "deploy armor " made from within the vessel's interior. The emitter the glows briefly with a blue-coloured light then activates smaller satellite modules located on the forward port and starboard bow. Within a fraction of a second the exterior shielding begins to form,with the nose and cockpit covered by a series of individual shaped interlocking dark grey plates. From the inside of the shuttlecraft, the view from the cockpit is subsequently obscured,and the inner surface of the ablative armor appears as glowing blue hexagons through the transparent viewing ports. The interior lighting of the cockpit becomes subdued and the red alert status bars automatically indicate the vessel's condition when the ablative armor is initiated.