"Thunderbird" intelligence report.
All specifications are estimates unless otherwise indicated.

General Specifications:

Length: 104.1m (Confirmed)
Width: 77.1m (Confirmed)
Height: 20.7m (Confirmed)
Max Warp: 3.8
Cruise: 2.15
Max. Impulse: .51 lightspeed (.92 lightspeed was observed once, but Star Fleet Intelligence (SFI) believes thus was the result of a runaway reaction in a damaged fusion drive system.)
Crew: 76-96 personnel

Armaments: One quad-mount laser cannon (fwd), two retractable missile bays carry 34 fusion missiles. The plasma exhaust of the sublight propulsion system was effective as a medium-ranged weapon due to the large focussing coil surrounding the exhaust.

Type: Guided Missile Destroyer

About Ship: The Thunderbird (Romulan designation unknown) was a fast, destroyer-sized vessel. It was the fastest ship the Romulans fielded during the war, both at warp and at sublight velocities. This vessel was the heaviest-hitting of the Romulan warships encountered during the war. The Thunderbird carried 36 fusion missiles in two bays (18 per side) just aft of the nosecone. Laser weaponry was in place at the war's outbreak and was upgraded frequently. Laser output power increased 125% between the first sighting of this type and the cessation of hostilities.

Intelligence analysis of the design suggests that the Thunderbird was originally designed as a warship. The Thunderbird appears to be equipped for atmospheric penetration. No gear doors are visible, and SFI surmises that the Thunderbird could refuel by the simple expedient of diving into the upper atmosphere of a gas giant and opening fuel scoops. One (badly damaged) example of this type was recovered from the atmosphere of a gas giant near the neutral zone. The damage done by the corrosive gases obliterated much of the intelligence value of the vessel, and no bodies were recovered.

The Thunderbird's most effective weapon, after its missiles, was its drive system. Equipped with a large focussing coil, the Thunderbird could accurately target ship-sized objects from approximately 10,000 km with a cone of plasma only 8 meters in diameter at the point of focus. SFI believes that wartime success with plasma weapons spurred the development of the plasma torpedo weapon Romulan vessels were equipped with nearly 100 years later.