The Birok class was a 24th century[5] Klingon starship type, a Klingon Empire strike cruiser[6] and later tier 5 heavy raptor[7] class in Klingon Defense Force service from the 24th century to the 2410s[8] decade. (TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible, STO - Empire mission: "The Hunt is On")
History and specifications[]
The Birok class had entered service by the early 24th century.
As strike cruisers, Biroks lacked the firepower and endurance of full battle cruisers, but in packs or supporting heavier ships they could be quite effective.
In 2328, Biroks were part of the Klingon forces clashing with the Cardassian Union over Raknal V, commencing the years-long Betreka Nebula Incident. (TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible)
Birok-class strike cruisers continued service during the Dominion War of 2373-2375. By the late 2370s decade, their design was dated and the more modern Karas-class strike cruiser began replacing the Birok. (GKN novel: Honor Bound)
In the early 25th century, the 22nd century raptor escort experienced a renaissance in the Klingon Defense Force. By 2409, several raptor classes across different starship tiers had returned to service and saw action in the Federation-Klingon War of 2405-2410.
Among those was the tier 5 Qin-class heavy raptor, a larger version of the lean tier 1 Somraw-class raptor. Like Starfleet, the KDF ships had become modular, with components being interchangeable between classes. The Birok was revived as a heavy raptor, sharing equipment, capabilities and modularity with the Qin, including an emplacement for an experimental weapon. (STO - Empire mission: "The Hunt is On")
Later in 2409, the Qa'Tel-class tier 6 flight deck raptor was launched. The Qa'Tel-class components became interchangeable with those of the Qin and Birok. Upgraded with a flight deck, a tier-6 Birok could launch a wing of To'Duj-class fighters to aid in combat and could fire a destabilized tachyon burst. (STO - Under Siege mission: "The Hunt is On")
By default, this class was fitted with Mk-rated scaling shield array, deflector array, impulse engines, and matter anti-matter warp core. At tier 6, fore weapons included a pair of disruptor dual cannons, a disruptor beam array and one photon torpedo launcher. The three aft weapon slots were filled with another beam array, and two torpedo launchers.
Like all 25th century Klingon ships, this class was equipped with a cloaking device.
As a type of carrier, the Birok could direct its hangar pets to attack hostile targets, escort a friendly target, intercept munitions and hostile fighters, and recall for repair and refueling. (STO - House Divided mission: "The Hunt is On")
In the mirror universe, the Klingon Alliance deployed tier-5 mirror Qin heavy raptors, which were painted in a unique livery. This livery and the hull modularity extended to the Birok class. (STO - Under Siege mission: "The Hunt is On")
Livery[]
In the 25th century, the hull design of the Birok-class heavy raptor allowed its commanding officer to choose from different livery materials. These could be modified by Klingon shipyard operations. The material options included numbered Types, Upgrade, Veteran, Fleet, and Mirror. (STO - House Divided mission: "The Hunt is On")
Birok hull materials:
- Type 1
- Type 2
- Type 3
- Type 4
- Mirror
- Upgrade
- Veteran
- Fleet
Furthermore, the installation of deflector shields from specific factions modified the hull appearance, including shields from the Reman Resistance, the Breen Confederacy and the Dominion. (STO missions: "Coliseum", "Cold Storage", "Boldly They Rode")
Known vessels[]
- IKS Birok
- IKS Ch'marq, under Captain Grakal in 2376
- IKS Dogal, destroyed 2328
- IKS Kazin, under Captain G'Zar, destroyed 2328
Appendices[]
Connections[]
| Klingon raptor escort starships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Klingon Empire, Defense Force (primary universe) |
Somraw-class raptor | IKS Amw'I • IKS Balth • IKS Barak • IKS Bokor • IKS Dit'kra • IKS Gantin • IKS K'araH • IKS K'eylat • IKS Nu'paH • IKS Nu'Tal • IKS Patan • IKS R'mora • IKS Rok'lor • IKS Somraw • IKS Veng • IKS Worvig |  
|
| Qorgh-class tier-3 raptor | IKS Qorgh • SuQob-subclass: IKS SuQob | ||
| Pach-class tier-4 raptor | IKS Pach • Puyjaq-subclass: IKS Puyjaq | ||
| Qin-class tier-5 heavy raptor | IKS Targk • IKS Qin • Birok-subclass: IKS Ch'marq • IKS Birok • IKS Dogal • IKS Kazin • Qa'Tel-subclass: IKS Qa'Tel | ||
| Mat'Ha-class tier-6 raptor | IKS Mat'Ha | ||
| pilot raptor | Klovek-subclass: IKS Klovek • Kortar-subclass: IKS Kortar • Qui'Tu-subclass: IKS Qui'Tu | ||
| Qa'Tel-class flight-deck raptor | IKS Qa'Tel • Birok-subclass: IKS Birok • Qin-subclass: IKS Qin | ||
| Ketha-class recon raptor | IKS Ketha | ||
| Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, Klingon Alliance (mirror universe) |
Qin-class mirror heavy raptor | AKS Qin • Birok-subclass • Qa'Tel-subclass | 
|
External links[]
- Qin Heavy Raptor article at Star Trek Online Wiki.
- Mirror Qin Heavy Raptor article at Star Trek Online Wiki.
- Qa'Tel Flight Deck Raptor article at Star Trek Online Wiki.
References[]
- ↑ TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible
- ↑ STO - Empire mission: "The Hunt is On"
- ↑ TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible
- ↑ STO - Empire mission: "The Hunt is On"
- ↑ TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible
- ↑ TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible
- ↑ STO - Empire mission: "The Hunt is On"
- ↑ STO - Empire mission: "The Hunt is On"