Remove Tag?

Do you want to untag yourself from this post?

Engineering Department

Ship Submission - Jerboa Class Light Shuttle - 9-19-26

The following ship submission by Jeremy Harris is open for review until 9/19/26. All constructive comments, suggestions, and such are welcome. These can be from any active member in the club. Any questions on the review process please let me know.

====

JERBOA-CLASS
CATEGORY: SHUTTLECRAFT
VARIANT: LIGHT
DESIGNER: Jeremy Harris
Mark I
Draft 1
DATE: 22 August 2026
REFERENCED URLs: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Class_2_shuttle
https://imgur.com/a/PJokWen

History And Mission Overview
In 2400, Starfleet initiated the Jerboa-class Development project with the aim of designing a replacement for the aging Class 2/Type 19 shuttle, which had been serving in Starfleet for almost 40 years. While the Armadillo still served as the well-rounded workhorse of the shuttle fleet and the Opossum provided improved sensors and utility, the fleet needed a fast shuttle to serve as a rapid transport while remaining flexible enough to support away missions and short-range scientific studies. The existing hull was an exceptional starting point, and the design team’s key focus was designing a small but powerful Warp Core that would fit within the light shuttle and incorporating variable geometry nacelles to maximize maneuverability and speed. By the middle of 2402, the project had completed all acceptance trials, and the Jerboa-class light shuttle was integrated into the fleet.

It was primarily designed as a planet hopper, a light and fast shuttle to transport personnel and critical supplies. Its powerful engines, low mass, and aerodynamic shape make it ideal for navigating harsh atmospheric conditions or gravimetric eddies and anomalies.

The Jerboa-class’s compact size and variable geometry nacelles give it a much smaller hangar footprint than its larger cousins, meaning more light shuttles can be fit in a single hangar, and they can be outfitted on smaller ships that cannot house standard-sized shuttles.

Mission Profiles

Rapid intra-system and inter-system transport of Starfleet personnel and supplies.
Short-term scientific missions.
Navigating unstable atmospheric or celestial conditions.
Structure And Construction
The Jerboa Class shuttle is a small, compact, and sleek shuttle. It has a sleek, arrowhead-shaped profile with a tapering nose, curved hull, and wraparound forward windows to provide the crew with maximum visibility.

Toward the aft end of the shuttle, the fuselage splits into sleek sponsons, which stay level at the top but the bottom edges slope sharply upward as they extend a few more meters. The two variable geometry warp nacelles are mounted on these sponsons. When in flight, the pylons extend out to a forty-five-degree outward angle to maximize maneuverability and warp field efficiency. When landing, the pylons rotate to a ten-degree inward angle placing the nacelles up against the ventral side of the hull.

Between the split sponsons is a rear access hatch, which is the primary means of entry to the shuttle.

To increase speed and maneuverability, the Jerboah-class shuttle’s hull is comprised entirely of Duranium and ceramic plastics to reduce mass. The outer hull is just .8 millimeters thick, comprised of dual layers of Duranium, with polymer insulation pads and a ceramic outer layer. The hull is transport-welded for durability and for ease of repair, allowing starships and stations to create and replace entire sections of the fuselage without sacrificing structural integrity. Its sleek design and minimal mass make the structural integrity field highly efficient.

Science And Remote Sensing Systems
The Jerboa-class is outfitted with a single isolinear computer core that is housed in the deck of the forward cabin. The shuttle employs the standard LCARS operating system and MAJEL interface for maximum utility.

It is equipped with a Type-II sensor suite that has a high-resolution range of .7 light years and a low-resolution range of 1.2 light-years. The Jerboa’s scientific utility is a combination of its sensor package and its ability to reach locations that starships and larger auxiliary craft cannot.

Warp Propulsion System
The Jerboa is equipped with a Class-5M auxiliary craft Warp Core that is much smaller than a traditional Class-5 core while still outputting over 20,000 milli-Chocranes. It is located under the deck at the center of the ship, which is the forward end of the aft cabin.

The powerful warp core, coupled with the variable geometry nacelles and the shuttle’s minimal mass, enables the Jerboa to maintain a cruising speed of Warp 3 and achieve a maximum sustainable speed of Warp 3.7 for 48 hours.

Impulse Propulsion System
The Jerboa has two small but highly efficient impulse engines that are integrated into the nacelles. The shuttle is capable of reaching its full impulse speed of .30c in 10 seconds, and a full stop in 13.5 seconds.

Tactical Systems
Defensive Shields
The Jerboa is not designed for combat and is only equipped with a Type 2 Shield Generator for emergency situations. It is capable of maintaining a 134 MW graviton load and has a maximum dissipation rate of 3.6 x 10^4 kW.

Phaser Systems
Light shuttles are not outfitted with any phasers as part of their standard design. If the mission profile requires it, the Jerboa can mount an external Type V phaser on the aft dorsal section of the fuselage.

Command And Support Systems
Cockpit
The front of the cockpit is narrow due to the arrowhead shape of the shuttle. The front console includes two stations, the pilot on the port side and the co-pilot on the starboard side, with a short center console extending back between them.

The pilot’s chair slides back enough to enable easy access. Behind the pilot’s chair, near the bulkhead separating the cockpit from the aft cabin, is the shuttle’s two-person transporter pad.

The co-pilot’s station extends all the way along the starboard bulkhead of the cockpit, and the co-pilot’s chair is on a track that allows the chair to shift forward and aft to access the entire console. The extended station provides access to flight control, communications, engineering functionality, an extended sensor display, and transporter controls.

The Isolinear Computer Core is below the deck of the forward part of the cabin, accessible underneath the forward consoles.

Aft Cabin
The bulkhead separating the cockpit from the aft cabin is made of crystalline ceramic for the upper third, enabling passengers in the back to see into the cockpit. There is an archway to allow access, but no door. The Warp core is housed under the deck and just aft of the bulkhead.

There is a bench on either side of the aft cabin, each approximately two meters in length. Under each bench is an EVA suit and additional storage, and the benches can fold out to serve as cots for long missions.

The overhead storage of the starboard side houses two emergency med kits, a survival kit, and an engineering repair kit. The port side overhead storage houses the replicator and a small lockable storage safe that would contain the type 2 phasers, if carried.

A low-level force field can be generated in the archway between the cockpit and aft bulkhead that allows the cabin to serve as an airlock. Alternatively, a simple holographic field can be activated to block vision and dampen sound between the two compartments so one shift can sleep in the cabin while the other is on duty in the cockpit.

The area in the aft of the cabin, right in front of the rear hatch, can generate additional force and holographic fields via a small control panel on the port bulkhead. These fields grant personnel privacy while using the refresher or the sonic shower. The ceiling and upper bulkheads of this section house a few sonic shower heads. A small locker on the port side can store clothing and other items while showering, while the starboard side bulkhead has a basic refresher that folds out when needed, as well as a small retractable sink.

Utility Systems
Transporter Systems
The Jerboa has a single transporter pad installed in the rear port side of the cockpit, which can transport a single person at a time up to 5,000 kilometers.

Tractor Beam systems
The light shuttle is equipped with one transporter emitter at the aft end of the shuttle above the access hatch. It can handle up to 750 metric tons out to a range of 1 kilometer.

Crew Support Systems
The Jerboa manages to pack in a fair amount of crew support systems despite its small size. There is a small replicator with a limited menu, capable of replicating one meal at a time. The shuttle also contains basic refresher and sonic shower capabilities.

The two benches convert into small beds for long-term missions. There is storage for two EVA suits (with thruster packs), a survival kit, survival rations to support two people for two days (four person days), an engineering repair kit, and two med kits. There is a small lockable safe for valuables that is large enough to fit two Type II personal phasers, but they are not standard issue.

Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Structure
Length
8.6meters
Beam (Width)
4.1 meters in flight (3.3 meters when docked)
Height
2.95 meters
Decks
1
Crew Complement:
Officers and Crew
1-2
Total Capacity
6
Maximum Evacuation Limit
10
Computer Systems:
1 Isolinear Computer Core
Software
Starfleet Library Computer Access and Retrieval System (LCARS)
Interface
MAJEL
Warp Systems:
Power Plant
One 20,000+ milli-Cochrane Class-5x M/ARA core feeding two variable geometry nacelles
Cruising Velocity
Warp 3
Max. Sustainable Velocity (48 Hours)
Warp 3.7
Impulse Systems:
Full Impulse
0.30c
Zero-0.Xc
10 seconds
0.Xc-Zero
13.5 seconds
Defensive Systems
Shield Maximum Graviton Load (Continuous)
134 MW (Type 2)
Shield Maximum Energy Dissipation Rate
3.6 x 10^4 kW
Offensive Systems:
Phaser system
None standard (may be fitted with 1 external Type V phaser

Conclusion
The Jerboa is a vital component of the Federation’s fleet of auxiliary craft. It is a fast and agile shuttle capable of rapid transport, scientific study, and navigating extreme conditions… both in the atmosphere and in space.

Submitted on 22 August 2026 by Jeremy Harris

====

Robert Archer EDir

Use the full posts index to browse this ship's thread list.

Open Full Posts Index