Following heavy losses to Cardassian fighters and Jem'Hadar Attack Ships during the early stages of the Dominion War, Star Fleet decided to develop a new fighter to act as a counter-measure against small enemy vessels. The project utilised the technology used to develop the USS Defiant and the Type-X shuttlecraft to produce an advanced interceptor capable of taking on enemy fighter craft.

During the early stages of the project, Star Fleet approached Avalon Fleet Yards, which had been working on various tactical systems, to be the production base of the new Interceptor.

During initial testing, it became apparent that small numbers of Compsognathus Interceptors were ineffective, and as a result, the fighters were designed to operate in high numbers.

The end result was a single-pilot Interceptor that was manoeuvrable and had effective weaponry for its anti-fighter role. It was christened "Compsognathus" after a species of small dinosaur that was dangerous when it hunted in large packs.

The following are intended roles for the Compsognathus Class Interceptor.

• Interception of enemy fighters
• Support of main Attack Wings
• Massed attacks against large targets
• Air support for ground troops

The Compsognathus is built from standard tritanium and duranium alloys. It's dimensions measure 9.81m x 5.96m x 3.67m.

From above, the nose of the craft is flat, extending into long curves reaching 6m along the length of the craft. The remaining length is straight lines, with two 'wings' extending from this surface.

From the front, the main body of the craft is a mirrored shape, with a flat surface turning into a curved side. The 'wings' are located halfway up the craft.

Sensory units are found to the front of the ship.

The Cockpit is found in the one third of the way along the front of the shuttle, from the nose. The pilot sits in a small compartment, with the craft's controls directly in front. Status displays are on the left, sensor data to the right. A view screen inside the cockpit's cover gives the pilot visual information about the space around him/her, should the pilot desire it.

Environmental systems, communications systems and a microfusion generator are attached to the Cockpit, within the craft.

The phaser armament is located beneath the cockpit, in the belly of the craft. Micro-torpedo launchers are found within the wings.

The Compsognathus uses a computer core similar to the type-X shuttlecraft. This comprises of 5 polled processor segments, with two back up bio-neural gel pack based processors should the main unit be damaged or suffer a failure for other reasons.

Like the engines, the sensor packages on the Compsognathus are scaled down versions of starship sensors. These are combined with an Emissions Tracking System. Cloak Detection is a possibility for the Compsognathus via the ETS, although the craft has no means by which it can de-cloak a threat vessel.

The Compsognathus interceptor has no Warp Propulsion System, so it is dependant on a carrier craft to transport it to and from different theatres of operation.

Impulse propulsion is based around a sub-scaled version of standard starship Impulse Propulsion Systems. This is coupled with shuttlecraft Reaction Control System (RCS) packages taken from Type-VI shuttlecraft to give a high level of manoeuvrability. The Compsognathus has no problem keeping up with other fighters during combat.

The maximum sustained speed for the Compsognathus is 0.35c, where c is the speed of light.

The basic defensive systems of the Compsognathus Class mirror those used by most shuttlecraft with regards to shields and signal jamming devices.

In addition, the Compsognathus was fitted with 1cm of Ablative armour for added protection in combat.

The two 'wings' each contain a micro-torpedo launcher, each with 30 micro-torpedoes. These are intended to be used along side the phaser armament of the Interceptor. The Phaser armament can be either two standard Type-V Phaser emitters or two Type-V Pulse Phaser cannon. These weapons are interchangeable between missions.

The Compsognathus Class includes standard RF and subspace communications equipment. It also has an encoded-channel system designed to allow pilots within a squadron or wing to co-ordinate efforts.

A small atmospheric recycling system is installed behind the cockpit to allow prolonged survival. Should this fail, the compressed air tanks contain enough breathable atmosphere for 8 hrs. Because of the differences between races, each craft must have the environmental systems tailored to the pilot's requirements.

In an emergency, the Cockpit is designed to separate and act as a lifeboat. Communications systems act as a distress signal/homing beacon. Environmental systems are attached to the Cockpit, which also includes survival rations, to help ensure pilot survival.

The Compsognathus Class Interceptor has now gone into mass production, serving as a support fighter to the heavier classes such as the Icarus, providing protection against enemy fighters and smaller ships.