Federation Commander

What exactly is a Strike Cruiser and how does it differ from a standard Heavy Cruiser (or Battlecruiser, depending on the race). I ask because the Klingon SD7 seems to differ from the D7 only in having two extra reactor boxes. The Fed CS differs from the CA a bit more (it has less impulse and rear hull, and an extra transporter). Do Strike Cruisers have a specific mission profile, perhaps?

In 2017, the term "strike cruiser" refers to a cruiser which has weapons configured for land attack missions, usually some kind of cruise missiles.

In Star Fleet Universe, it's just "another kind of heavy cruiser" thus the Fed CS has a smaller rear hull, the Klingon SD7 has a shorter boom, the Gorn CS has a plasma-R instead of two plasma-S, the Kzinti CS has two disruptors not four, and so it goes. There is no overall definition or pattern.