| abstract | - The Class 7 Warp Drive is a type of warp drive used by the Defiant Class. It has a maximum speed of Warp 9.5. One distinctive feature are the tri-lobed matter and antimatter injectors.
- The first time multiple simultaneous injector streams were utilized occurred in early 2366. Geordi La Forge with the help of a holographic reproduction of Dr. Leah Brahms devised a way of increasing the warp energy output of the USS Enterprise-D by 14 percent by modifying the dilithium crystal to accept multiple injector streams simultaneously. (TNG: "Booby Trap" ) The development of the Defiant-class began shortly after the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367 at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. (DS9: "The Search, Part I") With a class 7 drive, the USS Defiant was capable of achieving a speed of warp 9.5. This velocity could be reached by raising warp plasma to 97 gigahertz. The structural integrity of the ship needed an additional power source to handle the velocity as the ship was not designed to go beyond warp 9. The phaser reserves could be utilized for this purpose. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice") The secondary warp plasma feed was connected to the bipolar flow junction. (DS9: "One Little Ship") On the Defiant-class, the lateral impulse control system shared some of the same power relays used in the deuterium injector start-up routine of the warp core. If the impulse system was not properly calibrated, power spikes could crop up during deuterium injector startup. On early ships of the class, including the USS Defiant and the USS Valiant, the plasma intercooler, the flux moderator and the pressure control system included unnecessary safeties that limited the speed of the ships to warp 3.2. Higher velocities became available when the safeties were disengaged. (DS9: "Valiant") According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual (p.153), the maximum warp Defiant-class starships could maintain for 12 hours was warp factor 9.982.
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