The K'T'Inga class battle cruiser was fielded by the Klingons during the 2270's to replace the D-7 class. The Klingon intelligence service had learned in 2263 that Starfleet was soon to engage on a major rebuild of the Miranda and Constitution class ships which would, among other things, equip them with the latest weapon and propulsion technology. Since the Miranda class had always been the equal of the D-7 one-on-one, and the Constitution had always been considered markedly superior, the prospect of these ships becoming significantly more powerful was not one the Klingons welcomed.

The Klingon high command judged that developing and building an entirely new class of battle cruiser would take at least ten to fifteen years, leaving nearly a decade when they would be vulnerable to attack. It was therefore decided that the new vessel would be based around the hull of a standard D-7, but would include the latest weapon and engine technology. The K'T'Inga therefore bears a close resemblance to the D-7; major external differences lie in the colour scheme, which is rather darker on the K'T'Inga, and in the forward hull, which is somewhat bulkier on the K'T'Inga. The K'Tingas nacelles are also distinctive.

The Armament of the K'T'Inga was upgraded throughout. A new Photon Torpedo, comparable to Starfleet's Mk VI model was installed as was 2 Mk X disruptor cannons were mounted directly above each torpedo tube. The Mark VII disrupters from the D-7 were replaced with more powerful Mark 8 models, of which an extra pair was worked in to the design. The ground forces barracks was eliminated so as to allow more space to engineering; this measure allowed a larger warp core to be installed and left space for a 20% increase in the fuel supply, cutting the crew compliment from 930 to 510.

The first of the K'T'Inga class was launched in 2269; by the time the USS Enterprise was due to completed her refit in 2271 - the first Constitution to complete this procedure - there were six K'T'Inga class vessels in service. Records of the time indicate that the Klingon High Command seriously considered launching an offensive against the Federation at this point; General Melkarr proposed sending two major attacks into Federation space, one headed for Earth and the other for Vulcan. Each attack would comprise thirty ships, twenty seven D-7s led by three of the K'T'Inga class. These forces were actually assembled while the council debated the matter, but before a decision was made reports reached the High Command of a large energy cloud penetrating Klingon space. The K'T'Ingas from the Earth attack fleet were dispatched to investigate, but as soon as they intercepted the cloud all three were destroyed by plasma weapons from within by the entity which was at the heart of the cloud. The loss of half of their newest battle cruiser fleet in the space of minutes threw the high command into a near panic; the attack on the Federation was postponed and the fleet was ordered to escort the anomaly out of their space from a safe distance. When the USS Enterprise apparently succeeded in destroying the intruder, the Klingons concluded that the new Constitution design was far more powerful than they had assumed and cancelled the attack altogether. By the time the truth behind the V'ger incident emerged, Starfleet had upgraded its fleet sufficiently to make a new attack unfeasible in any event.

The K'Tingas were once again brought into widespread service in 2371 when Melkarr's son, General Martok commanded the short-lived offensive against the Cardassian Union.

The K'T'Ingas have continued in service to the present day, having received the normal upgrades and refits over the years. They are now considered as second line units, and are generally to be found patrolling friendly borders such as that with the Federation or acting in support of the Vor'Cha class attack cruiser.