Class 7 warp drive
The class 7 warp drive was a type of warp drive developed by Starfleet in the 24th century for the  starships. A distinctive feature of the class 7 drive was its four simultaneously operating matter and antimatter injector feeds. ()

Specifications
The first time multiple simultaneous injector streams were utilized occurred in early 2366. Geordi La Forge with the help of a holographic reproduction of Dr. Leah Brahms devised a way of increasing the warp energy output of the  by 14 percent by modifying the dilithium crystal to accept multiple injector streams simultaneously. ()
 
The development of the Defiant-class began shortly after the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367 at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. () With a class 7 drive, the  was capable of achieving a speed of warp 9.5. This velocity could be reached by raising warp plasma to 97 gigahertz. The structural integrity of the ship needed an additional power source to handle the velocity as the ship was not designed to go beyond warp 9. The phaser reserves could be utilized for this purpose. ()

The secondary warp plasma feed was connected to the bipolar flow junction. () On the Defiant-class, the lateral impulse control system shared some of the same power relays used in the deuterium injector start-up routine of the warp core. If the impulse system was not properly calibrated, power spikes could crop up during deuterium injector startup. On early ships of the class, including the USS Defiant and the , the plasma intercooler, the flux moderator and the pressure control system included unnecessary safeties that limited the speed of the ships to warp 3.2. Higher velocities became available when the safeties were disengaged. ()

See also
 Class 9 warp drive
Warp
Classifications