A new ship class has been revealed on the Star Trek Online Web site, and this one is the Vigilant, a Starfleet tactical escort ship. According to the description, the Vigilant is designed for one thing: combat. It's small, fast and maneuverable, and will be used by captains who want to be on the front line of battle. You can read the full description after the jump.

Also, the dev chat on ground combat that was postponed this week is now scheduled to be held today at 3 p.m. PDT. If you'd like to participate, here's all the information you need. If you can't make it, you can still submit your questions in this thread on the game's official forums.

Tactical Escort; Commissioned 2394

After the success of the Defiant class in the Dominion War, it was clear that small, heavily-armed starships had a role to play in Starfleet.

Production on these warships diminished in the 2380s in favor of exploration and multi-purpose vessels, and several prototypes were abandoned in the planning stages. In the early 2390s, however, tensions with the Klingon Empire and the Romulans were on the rise and Starfleet Command looked once again for ships capable of holding their own in battle that didn't require the commitment of crew and resources of a larger vessel. The first of the new class of ships was the Vigilant.

With a design inspired by the Defiant class, the Vigilant is designed for one thing: combat. It has limited space for crew and no quarters designed for families or guests, a feature that is standard on Starfleet vessels assigned to long explorations. Also missing are many of the comforts common to Federation vessels, including recreational facilities and lounge areas. A multi-purpose space provides room for both relaxation and physical training.

The Vigilant's small size can be used to its advantage. It is fast and maneuverable, able to turn quickly to fire a torpedo salvo or present its strongest shield to an enemy. It is ideal for pursuing raiders or defending a larger vessel, and Starfleet has leaned heavily on the Vigilant class and its sister ships, the Defiant and the Gallant, to protect convoys in contested areas or track pirates to their bases.

What the Vigilant lacks in size it more than makes up for in power and defense. Two layers of ablative armor protect the Vigilant, and its reinforced shield generators can be modified to protect against different types of energy weapons. It packs a powerful punch both fore and aft, and can be outfitted with tetryon, plasma or polaron weapons. Some Vigilants have been outfitted with quantum torpedoes, although they are not standard to the class.

In combat, the Vigilant's weapons can be boosted for a massive attack against a single enemy, or configured to fire at multiple opponents. Highly-trained Vigilant crews also have been known to use shuttles to board an enemy craft and sabotage it, or to send teams to gather intelligence about a foe.

New technology standard to the Vigilant class include improved phaser coils that generate more energy than previous models and an advanced torpedo guidance system.

Vigilant class ships are often chosen by captains who want to be on the front lines of battle, but aren't as concerned about scientific research or exploration.

"We hit hard and we hit fast," said Captain Louisa Mendoza-Perez of the U.S.S. Vigilant. "I command the finest warship in the fleet. Diplomacy is for the politicians."