For years the Cardassian Union's finest ships have been second rate when compared to that of the Federation, Romulans, and Klingons. Though the Union's technological level is equal to that of the three super-powers, its ship design ethic is motivated mostly by the demands of what resources are available. The Cardassian solution was to build more vessels, but this too was a flawed concept.

The Obsidian Order was the first to recognize this inherent problem in Cardassian ship building. Under the covert direction of Gul Madred, the Obsidian Order began the most ambitious research and development project the Cardassians had ever undertaken.

Through their considerable influence, the Order was able to pull together an excellent design team for the project. While many of the members of the design team were initially reluctant to comply (even though it could mean certain death), all of them embraced the project wholeheartedly when they were given the green light for "no limits". Technology previously off-limits or restricted was, in fact, encouraged to be utilized.

By early-2373 the design team had a completed model ready for production. The most startling aspect of the new design was the fact that it was fairly cost effecient--with a little resource redirection, it could replace the production of both the Keldon and Galor classes. It was offered to the strike force assembling in the Orias system for the attack on the Founder's Homeworld, but by that time, the plans for the Advanced Keldon were already completed and under construction.

The Obsidian Order never had the chance to deliver the new class to the Cardassian military. The failed assault on the Founder's Homeworld destroyed the Order, and in the fallout, Gul Madred decided it would be tactically unwise to offer the ship to a hostile government. He thus made plans to construct a fleet of the vessels, in the hopes that he could restore the Obsidian Order's power. During the Dominion Occupation of Cardassia, Gul Madred's plans were discovered. Despite going into hiding, he was tracked down and executed by Dominion forces.

Despite the huge setback caused by Madred's death, Madred's second in command, Glinn Korinas was able to consolidate the Order's forces. At great cost, the Order was able to recover extensive technical information about Dominion ships. With this information and the schematics for the Madred-class, the Obsidian Order along with several other Cardassian malcontents abandoned Cardassian space for the safety of the Zalkonian Homeworld, center of the Zalkonian Traditionalist movement. With the Zalkonians' help, the Madreds were revised and built in limited numbers.

The Madred-class is easily the best starship ever fielded by Cardassian forces--its overall strength index nearly three times that of a Galor. The class has some impressive features that were believed several years away for the Cardassians. The first innovation is the Transwarp Computer Cores and bio-neural circutry. The Transwarp Computer Core is more than 5,000 times faster than even Starfleet's advanced CPG unit. The Madred is also equipped with a K-layer subspace concealment generator--a device that allows a ship to hide in subspace without being detected. The Concealment generator is far more effective than a cloak and is thus far undetectable until a starship so equipped emerges from subspace. Finally, the ship is impressively armed for a ship of its size. The heavy phaser emplacement has been replaced by the Convergent-force matter disruptor--a weapon similar to the pulse phasers of the Defiant and Fearless classes. Adapted from Dominion technology are six phased polaron beam emitters. The Madred also uses a variant of the Klingon torpedo tube. The final new weapon are the negative matter annihilation projectiles--a torpedo weapon with similar power to that of about two quantum torpedoes.

From what sources have determined about the vessel, there are few drawbacks to the class--none of them major. The only one currently confirmed is some sort of overheating problem with the computer core, which has been corrected with extra nitrogen cooling units.

The Madred-class already has a fearsome reputation in battle. During the closing weeks of the Dominion War, these vessels conducted numerous surigical strikes deep within Dominion-held territory. Surprisingly, Starfleet Intelligence has determined that not a single ship was lost in these strikes.

Since the end of the Dominion War, the Madreds have been employed to disrupt Federation Alliance aid to Cardassia and the surrounding areas. Several freighters, along with two Akira-class and five K'vort-class starship have been lost to these attacks.

After confirmation of several attacks, an task force composed of the USS Phantom, USS Fearless, and USS Hornet was dispatched by Starfleet Command to deal with the Hunter-Killers fleet. The three Federation craft were able to successfully destroy six and capture one of the vessels with minimal casualties, from which a great amount of data has been produced.