Wildcat class

The Wildcat class was a Lyran starship class, launched in the late 23rd century and continued to serve in the Lyran fleet throughout the 24th century.

As work proceeded on the first Lion-class dreadnought, the Lyrans started to work on a conversion that would not reduce the number of Lions yet still produce heavier hulls. The result was the Wildcat-class ship, designated a battlecruiser. Larger than competing cruisers but smaller than a true dreadnought, the Wildcat was an anomaly resulting from the need to get as many heavy units in service as possible. The Wildcat was sometimes regarded as a dreadnought, but it was in fact a cruiser. When compared to late 23rd century cruiser production, it was then considered a dreadnought by default. (TOS video game: Starfleet Command)

Under its ESG Global Operations (EGO) variant, the Wildcat class had six expanding sphere generators, grouped under two triple ESG batteries, and increased evacuation capacity at the cost of photon torpedo launchers. Yet, even with these improvements, it only had a maximum evacuation capacity of 6,000. (RIS Bouteina: "Fury of the Prison Ships")

The Wildcat class was to the Lyrans what the K't'inga class was to the Klingons: a once-heavy cruiser that was downrated as technology advanced. By the 2380s the Wildcat was only a battlecruiser in name. Compared to more modern ships, the Wildcat was a medium cruiser at best, made to command squadrons of Tiger-class cruisers. (RIS Bouteina: "Battle at the Grave of Thoughts")

By 2375, the Lyran Democrative Republic fielded heavy battlecruisers that were similar in role to an ESG Global Operations cruiser but included four photon torpedo launchers as well as the weapons of its Imperial counterpart. (RIS Bouteina: "Yesterday's Lyrans")

Brianna Reiss was given temporary command of the Atreides, an ESG Global Operations Battlecruiser formerly operated by the LDR, for what was supposed to be a suicide attack on a Kzinti outpost. (RIS Bouteina: "The Measure of a Romulan")