The year 2367 was a turning point for the Federation. The battle of Wolf 359 caused the Federation to develop new ships and weapons to deal with the ever present Borg threat.

A Federation and Klingon task force was assembled and approved to begin the Qapla’ Class development project, which estimated it would take 8 years to develop and launch this new ship.

StarFleet felt they needed a ship developed in a much shorter time frame and therefore also approved the Defiant Class development project. This fast track development resulted in a vessel that was overpowered and over-gunned for a ship of its size – so much so that the Defiant nearly shook itself apart when the engines were tested at full power. These design flaws, combined with the decreased urgency of the Borg threat, led StarFleet to abandon the project and place the prototype in storage.

Meanwhile the development of the Qapla’ Class ships was proceeding well. So well in fact that the USS Khai Tam was launched 2 years ahead of schedule in 2373. The development team having heard of the problems with the Defiant Class project decided to take a look. Afterall Klingons have extensive experience in building small, fast, powerful ships.

After several design modifications the development team resolved the problems that plagued Defiant project. They presented their findings to Starfleet and were approved to begin the D’kTagh Class development project.