Mat'Ha class
The Mat'Ha-class destroyer is one of the newer designs in the Klingon Empire and the first Raptor in the Klingon Defense Force in almost 300 years. The Mat'Ha-class derives much of its overall aesthetic, lineage from the much older Raptor-class design of the 22nd century.
Exploration and Science
Like most non-capital class Klingon ship designs, the Mat'Ha has very limited scientific and exploration duties. Although it has a state-of-the-art sensor suite, the primary purpose is for finding and tracking targets in combat. Like most Klingon vessels, if a Mat'Ha discovers anything of scientific importance, the ship will signal the nearest Klingon starbase or outpost to dispatch a ship better equipped for scientific endeavors.
Diplomacy
As a destroyer, the Mat'Ha has extremely limited diplomatic capabilities and would only serve as an emissary of the Klingon Empire if it were the only ship available. The ship has extremely limited guest quarters, only a single conference room that could serve for diplomatic purposes of any kind, and virtually no diplomatic amenities. In nearly any instance, a much more capable vessel would be dispatched by the Klingon High Council.
Engineering
The Mat'Ha largely follows the lineage from the original Raptor-class of the 22nd century, scaled up. The Mat'Ha is roughly twice the size of the Raptor while maintaining the sleek, low-profile design of the original. The Mat'Ha incorporates many new technologies built into the design, unlike other aging designs like the B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey which has merely received numerous refits to her internal systems over the decades. The most notable integrated design that allows the Mat'Ha to excel is her new generation engines which make her both maneuverable at sublight speeds in combat but also her warp engines which make her one of the fastest vessels in the Klingon arsenal. These engines allow the Mat'Ha to excel over most other Klingon vessels is the speed, allowing for rapid deployment to any battlefield.
Tactical
The Mat'Ha was one of the few new designs from the Klingon Empire that came as a direct result of the Dominion War. Where the B'rel was lost in the hundreds during the War, the Mat'Ha is designed to be battle-hardened against an enemy like the Dominion. The ship is more reinforced with armor plating, has more durable shields, and a more complementary weapons systems. Much like the B'rel, the Mat'Ha has its main weapons pointed forward. However, unlike the B'rel, the Mat'Ha comes standard with four disruptor emitters covering the remaining arcs of the ship if an enemy vessel would be able to outmaneuver it.
Where the Mat'Ha earns its keep as a destroyer is its torpedo payload. The Mat'Ha is equipped with seven forward-facing torpedo launchers and four reach torpedo launchers. Additionally, the standard payload for a Mat'Ha is 250 high-yield photon torpedoes. This allows the Mat'Ha to deploy torpedoes across a battlefield like few other vessels in the Klingon arsenal are capable. This makes the primary tactic of the Mat'Ha to bring an enemy vessel to its fore in the line of fire of the ship's main disruptors, or use the ship's torpedo capabilities to force a ship into the fore.
Shipboard Life
The Mat'Ha is the first in a generation of post-Dominion War vessels and as such has taken a different approach to Klingon ship design when it comes to life aboard. The thing that separates the Mat'Ha from slightly larger vessels like the Vor'cha or even K't'inga-classes is that it is purely meant as a space combatant. With that in mind, the ship is armed to the teeth but has very little to no troops on board for rapid deployment. While most lower decks crew are still packed into dorm-style accommodations, there are far more single occupancy rooms. With no accommodations necessary for ground troops that allows far more space for other crew accommodations. Therefore, the Mat'Ha is equipped with far more amenities such as holo rooms, recreation rooms, and mess halls. Far more luxurious, by Klingon standards, than the previous generation of vessels.
Class History
The Mat'Ha-class was first conceived in the early 2380s as a direct response to the massive losses the Klingon Defense Force suffered at the hands of the Dominion. Particularly the losses of the B'rel's in the hundreds and the need to fill the gap in a mid-sized warship between the B'rel and Vor'cha. One of the biggest design requirements the Klingon High Council had was a warship that could also hold its own with other highly maneuverable vessels. Up until the Dominion War, the B'rel had been able to outmaneuver almost anything in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants to keep its weapons to bear on enemy targets. However, the Dominion attack ships proved just as maneuverable and were often able to get into the B'rel's aft quarters. The design of the Mat'Ha turned from the original conception of a B'rel replacement to a supplement in a destroyer-type warship that could fight alongside the rest of the Klingon fleet.
With the Klingon Empire already well into a rebuilding effort, the Mat'Ha design was completed and approved, but put on the back burner until the Defense Force could get closer to full capacity. By late 2390, the Mat'Ha was revisited and approved by the Klingon High Council for construction as the first in the new generation of warships and the first truly new design in almost two decades.
In 2391, the first Mat'Ha left the fleet yards above Qo'noS and began its trial runs. After a successful shakedown, the Klingon High Council approved full scale deployment of the design among the Great Houses and within the Klingon Defense Force. The Mat'Ha proved to be able to be quickly produced in mass which complemented the B'rel well. By 2401, the Mat'Ha was deployed across Klingon space in the hundreds and is now a staple of the Klingon fleet.
In Play
- The Mat'Ha is a beefed up B'rel, but not a replacement for the ethos of the bird of prey. It is its own design for someone who needs a smaller Klingon ship with a little more punch.