The Ambassador class was the result of a study by Starfleet astronautical engineers to find a worthy successor to the Excelsior Class. Their goals called for larger lift capability and internal volume (thus a longer operating range and longer on-station time), and upgraded defense/weapons systems to deter the then-hostile Klingon Empire. The design teams from Starfleet and the warp drive experts at Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems set to work on the project. Some fourteen months later, the prototype, NX-10521, departed Earth Station McKinley on its shakedown cruise. The ship was christened USS Ambassador, and she was all that Starfleet had hoped for. The Ambassador was a true battleship -- her armament systems far surpassed any other ship's in Starfleet, in both power and number. Ambassador's hull was shielded with extra-thick duranium plate armor. Her sheilds could withstand much more punishment than than an Excelsior's and she was quicker, too. She was the first class of ship to be equipped with Phaser Arrays rather than banks. Her two burst fire photon torpedo launchers could fire 5 torps a second effectivly giving her 10 launchers in place of two. The Ambassador met Starfleet's defensive needs admirably, and Ambassador class starships (along with their counterpart, the New Orleans Class) still comprise the backbone of Starfleet's military wing.