Class Description
The Work Bee first entered service in 2267 over a hundred years ago. During that time some of the most iconic ship classes have come and gone but this rugged little craft has toiled on. Over the years Work Bees have been stationed at every Star Base and Fleet yards in the Federation. These useful little craft have even found their way in to the auxiliary craft inventory of many ships in the fleet.
Work Bees can carry out general maintenance, inspection, and or construction tasks. Standard operation guide lines call for the pilot to operate the work be for an eight hour shift before returning to the docking bay for pilot rotation. In emergency situations the Work Bees can support the pilot for up to sixteen hours. The Work Bee is designed to operate in a micro gravity environment, Either in planetary orbit or within the close proximity to a star base, fleet yards or other such facility. The Work Bee is not designed to operate within a planet's atmosphere. Studies have proven that a Work Bee could survive a planetary landing but would not be able return to orbit under its own power.
The Work Bee is a simple deign and it is this simple design that is the reason for the longevity of the craft. The cab unit has room for a single operator/pilot that takes up the forward section and a small aft section that houses the life support, power generation, and propulsion systems. The upper section of the cab swings upward to allow the pilot to enter or exit the craft and thanks to the life support systems the pilot can operate a Work Bee in the standard uniform. If so required the cab can be depressurized to allow the pilot to exit the craft for ETA operations. There is a flood light at the front of the craft to illuminate the work area in low light conditions. The hull sections that cover the aft section of the work bee is made up of removable panels that allow unhindered access to the craft system located behind them. Over the years the Work Bees have seen a total of five major refits there is not a system on a Work Bee that has not seen significant up grades or complete redesigns.
The cab unit can be outfitted with a wide variety of attachments that allows the craft to carry out various tasks. The primary attachment is a grabber sled that has two manipulator arms. These arms can be fitted with grapples for manipulation of objects or a wide variety of tools to facilitate repair or construction operations. The Cab can also be equipped with the cargo train attachment. Whit this the Work Bee can haul large quantities of materials between to points in a planet's orbit. Work Bees can also be outfitted with a heavy lift attachment that allows the craft to attach to and move large sections of a ship such as a warp nacelle and maneuver it to the required location.
The Work Bee has been the primary utility craft at every Starfleet facility for the last hundred and twenty-two years and with another major system upgrade planed in three years there are no plans to retire the class in the foreseeable future.
Shuttlecraft Specifications
Specifications | |||
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Basic Information |
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Crew Complement |
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Propulsion |
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Offensive Systems |
ENERGY WEAPONS
TORPEDO LAUNCHERS
PAYLOAD None |
Defensive Systems |
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Primary Systems |
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Other Notes |
CREW AMENITIES: None SHUTTLECRAFT FEATURES:
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Federation Ship & Station Classes | |
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Starships | • Akira Class • Antares Class • Century Class • Defiant Class • Galaxy Class • Insignia Class • Luna Class • Nebula Class • Nova Class • Prometheus Class • Saber Class • Steamrunner Class • Sovereign Class • Vesta Class • |
Starbases | • Aurora Class • Regula Class • Sigma Class • Spacedock Class • |
Support Craft | Shuttles • Type 8 Shuttle • Type 9 Shuttle • Type 11 Shuttle • Type 15 Shuttlepod • Runabouts • Argo Class • Danube Class • Fighters • Gryphon Class • Other • Workbee • |