The Vastam cl'Vangas Light Cruiser has, by far, the most unusual design to come from Romulan engineers; fashioned like a giant wing, it was created not only for aesthetics but for combat. When the vessels were first introduced, they were intended to lead an expansion effort, but the war between the Klingons and Federation caused them to be sent to patrol the Klingon border.

An encounter with the Klingons in 2255 in which a small fleet of Vastam cl'Vangas Light Cruisers pulled off a stunning victory despite being outnumbered and outgunned by their opponents earned the design undue notoriety among Klingon warrior circles. In truth, it was totally by accident that the Vastam cl'Vangas had managed to disable or destroy the oncoming Klingon battlecruisers before retreating to safety.

The Vastam cl'Vangas were painted by crewmembers in a variety of patterns. These ships, though popular with their crews, were removed from service sometime after 2259 in favor of more powerful designs. The class is named from the Romulan vastam cl'vangas (wing of vengeance), in reference to the vessel's combat capabilities.