Ablative armor plating

The generator-deployed Ablative armor plating is an upgraded technology of the ablative hull armor technology of Starfleet that was first used on the USS Defiant prototype. This technology was brought back from a future timeline version of Kathryn Janeway and was used by the USS Voyager in 2378 to return to the Alpha Quadrant.

Operation
For the technology to operate, a series of armor emitters are installed all over the outer hull of a starship. Through the armor generators onboard, an ablative armor plating is deployed through the emitters, which will effectively cover the entire hull of the vessel, following its contours but at least six inches from the hull.

Vanguard Command
By 2385, all starships have been equipped with the generator-deployed ablative armor plating. However, a ship can only use the mltiphasic shielding or the ablative armor plating interchangeably but not at the same time, owing to the large amount of energy that would be spent in activating the two defensive systems at the same time.