Operations by the older Kir'qath (Defender)-class Starship revealed that while it was a capable Escort, continuing shortcomings in its engineering plant required a new vessel design that could make much deeper and longer dives as well as a larger number of dives before requiring to recharge its primary drives. Like the other vessels designed during the Kor'or'vesh initiative, the Castellan’s unique hull design allows for considerably longer-range operations compared to its predecessor. When deployed in the role of traditional escort vessels, it has proven directly comparable to commonly encountered Imperial designs such as the Sword-class Frigate and the Firestorm-class Frigate. Around Taros during the Taros Campaign, the Tau fleet deployed Castellans in large numbers in support of their l