In an attempt to fully integrate sensor elements into the hull of a starship and also enhance the structural stability, Biraktes designers decided to fabricate the bulk of the hull in two mammoth sections. These two pieces are still among the largest single components ever made in the history of the Federation and have hundreds of sensor and deflector elements formed directly into the surface. These sections were then gamma-welded to a center section which included sensor and deflector connections, along qith the vessel's major systems. This setup was adequate, but a problem soon surfaced: repair and replacement of sensor elements and hull sections took almost three times as long as on other ships. Because of this, Starfleet only ordered three vessels in this class, none of which remain active in Starfleet.