| Sketchley's Translations Main Index | Macross Portal |
| By AARON SKETCHLEY (aaronsketch@HOTdelete_thisMAIL.com) | Ver 1.0 2014.01.13 |
| Mechanic: M UN 16A: QF-3000E Ghost / SF-3A Lancer II |
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Caption: The Unified Forces suffered from serious personnel loses in the Unification War, and as far as they are concerned, the QF-3000E was a major combat strength. This aircraft was invested into the first engagement with the Zentraadi Forces.
Down: QF-3000E Ghost
Caption: As a weapon that introduced OTM, the SF-3A was equivalent to the earliest aircraft, and was a boldly designed practical fighter whose tremendous acceleration capabilities, due to reaction propulsion system OTM, was treated as a weapon.
Up: SF-3A Lancer II
Airframe Explanation
The Unified Forces prepared for the assumed hostilities with aliens by developing the Variable Fighter (VF). On the other hand, they developed low cost armaments in advance that were hypothesized to support and coordinate with the VFs. The results were the unmanned QF-3000E Ghost fighter aircraft and the SF-3A space assault fighter attack aircraft. Both of those aircraft introduced OTM (the Over Technology Of The Macross), and at the same time as they supported the Unified Forces' tactical plan, they contributed to the basic technological growth in the VF's development. Thus, while the VF stole the limelight in the First Interstellar War, these weapons also accumulated solid military gains.
Caption: As an endo and exoatmospheric all-regime fighter aircraft, the QF-3000E exhibited excellent operability by coordinating with the VF-1 Valkyrie, which possessed the same combat abilities in all regimes.
Caption: SF-3A fighting against the Zentraadi Forces. Even though the carrier-based aircraft from the ARMD-01 and ARMD-02 tried hit-and-run combat in the first battle, they were caught by the enemy Battle Pods, and suffered great losses.
Data
QF-3000E Ghost
Attached To: Earth Unified Forces
Length: 21.62 m
Width: 9.35 m
Empty Weight: 22.0 t
Standard Armament: 6x Mauser 55 mm Machine-gun, 12x Bifors Multipurpose Missile
SF-3A Lancer II
Attached To: Earth Unified Forces
Length: 13. m
Height: 2.65 m
Empty Weight: 9.5 t
Main Engine: thermonuclear reaction rocket
Standard Armament: 2x Howard Long-Range Charged Particle Gun, 6x Hughes Anti-Air Reaction Missile
Size Comparison:
VF-1J, QF-3000E, SF-3A
Development Genealogy Chart:
QF-3000E > X-9
unknown > SF-3A
Caption: A QF-3000E taking off from the Prometheus's angled deck. They were also operated in such things as the mission where they escorted the shuttle that Hayase Misa was in.
QF-3000E
An all-regime Unmanned Fighter developed by the Northrom Company. An OTM computer system is installed in it.* Aircraft control is carried out by a semi-autonomous model artificial intelligence and remote control from a mothership (or a mother aircraft that has control functions).
* Translator's note: originally "An OTM computer system is installed into a "Super Bird" type Unmanned Hypersonic Fighter-Attack Aircraft, and improvements have been added to some parts of it."
Up: The QF-3000E features a hypersonic lifting body structure, and it has a fuselage that is even larger than the VF-1 (its the maximum takeoff weight is 31 t).
Left/Up: As the main propulsion mechanism is a Thermonuclear Reaction Engine, it also caused problems in the QF-3000E's cooling system during development. In addition, this aircraft's engine problems and outer space manoeuvring characteristics helped in the development of the VF-X.
Caption: A QF-3000E rising vertically immediately after take off. It is behaviour that makes the best use of the excellent manoeuvrability distinctive of unmanned aircraft.
Armaments
A. Mauser 55 mm Machine-Gun
A total of 6 Mauser 55 mm Machine-Guns are built into the QF-3000E as a fixed armament, with 3 apiece on the right and left sides of the fuselage. Such heavy armaments were enabled by size of the QF-3000E's payload and the special traits of unmanned aircraft, which don't need the same equipment as manned aircraft.*
* Translator's note: originally was: "Such heavy armaments were enabled by the payload size of the Super Bird's, which was the model for the QF-3000E, and the special traits of unmanned aircraft, which don't need the same equipment as manned aircraft ."
B. Bifors Multipurpose Missile
A total of 12 Bifors Multipurpose Missiles are built into the sides of the aircraft. Even though the hatches are normally shut, the rear of the hatch is drawn inside and the firing port is exposed when the missiles are fired.
Left: missile launch port
Landing Gear
Up: Above is a QF-3000E with landing gear and landing hook deployed, and in landing configuration. Three landing gears are built into the lower surface of the fuselage.
SF-3A
A Space Assault Fighter Attack Craft developed as an ARMD Space Carrier carrier-borne aircraft. The SF-3A are loaded with an Otec Co. made Reaction Propulsion System, and were designed with an overemphasis on initial acceleration that was premised entirely on hit-and-run fly-by combat.
Caption: The SF-3A (upper right of the picture) is confirmed being operated even as a ship-borne aircraft of the SDF-1, and charged together with the VF-1 in the battle with the Bodoru Main Fleet.
Caption: SF-3A developing from the ARMD Space Carrier. After developing, they rushed into the enemy lines at maximum acceleration. The aircraft's propellant is exhausted after a hit-and-run, and as expected, it switches over to inertial guidance and is recovered by the mothership.
Left: The front projecting area is small, and the SF-3A was shown to have a high rate of returning alive in simulated anti-ship combat.
Up: The SF-3A is furnished with a vernier belt in the upper part of the nose and the base of the beam guns, and high-manoeuvrability vernier nozzles in the right and left of the rear section of the fuselage. It is able to make evasive moves of more than 15 G.
Up: The large thrust Thermonuclear Rockets have acceleration performance that exceeds 10 G, and the ultimate attainable velocity the SF-3A reaches is 7 km per second.
Armaments
Chart Captions: cockpit
A. Search And Aiming Radar
The SF-3A is furnished with a panel shaped search and alignment radar on the upper surface of the airframe. It's possible to change the angle of this radar. Also, the cockpit is located just in front of the radar in the upper part of the fuselage.
B. Dual Large Beam Machine-Guns
Howard Long-Range Charged Particle Beam Guns (750 MW output). They are operated with the power supply from the reaction engine power generation block, and with the exception of when the SF-3A is accelerating at attack speed, they are only able to fire a few times at reduced power using the main gun's capacitor.
C. Large Missile Launch Port
As large fixed missile armaments, the SF-3A is loaded with 6 Hughes Anti-Aircraft Reaction Missiles (correspond to 0.5 kt), and firing ports are arranged in the sides of the fuselage. Combined with the Beam Guns, the SF-3A's overall firepower is extremely high.
Up: missile
D. Aiming Camera
As visual combat isn't considered in the SF-3A, a sighting camera is placed in the nose, and the cockpit is covered in armour. From its design, the SF-3A places only hitting and running as its main point, and it's possible to infer that the SF-3A was assumed to not be for dog fighting.
Related Matter: Guranamo Spider Bug
A space work boat was also developed to shoulder roles that exclude combat. The Guranamo Spider Bug has four light-work hands and one heavy-work hand, and engaged in work outside of the Macross.