Keldon Class Heavy Cruiser

Comments:

The Keldon class heavy cruiser was developed on a tight budget to replace a cancelled large warship intended to be comparable to the Federation Ambassdor class. To keep costs down, much of the basic design work employed on the Galor class was carried over, however a significantly enhanced sensor suit and more powerful weaponry make the Keldon class a much more formidable proposition. Certainly superior to the Galor in nearly all respects. The forward firing phaser bank is now comparable to the type X phaser array, which gives it some real bite. Also, the torpedo tubes are of significantly higher quality than the Galor's, although burst fire technology has eluded the Cardassians much as it has eluded the Romulans.

Unfortunately, the Keldon is still incapable of tackling the more powerful vessels employed by the Federation and Klingon Empire, meaning that the Keldon is actually no more capable in real terms than the Galor. Additionally, the considerable extra expense and complication involved in the construction of a Keldon makes the Keldon considerably less cost effective than the Galor despite it's extra capability. Given that Cardassia's current military capabilities can produce a Galor nearly twice as quickly and at two thirds of the cost of a Keldon, Star Fleet Intelligence predicts that Keldon production will be cut back for the duration of hostilities. Although this policy could be considered short sighted, the Cardassian Navy is considered to be unable to maintain the major building program under which the Keldon project was started and may not have much choice over the matter.

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