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AIF-9V Ghost
The descendant of the Ghost X-9 that was developed by Galaxy.

Caption: The AIF-9V were put into the decisive battle at the Vajra Homeworld with S.M.S. and the Frontier Fleet -which the Galaxy leadership had gained total control over-, and battled the YF-29 that Saotome Aruto of S.M.S. boarded.

Data
Attached to: Macross Galaxy Fleet
Length: 11.35 m
Empty Weight: 5,840 kg
Airframe Maximum Design Load: 24.5 G
Engine: 2x Shinnakasu / P&W / Royce / GG FF-2038C+ Thermonuclear Turbine Engine (2x 57,000+ kg thrust)
Maximum Speed: Mach 5.0+ (at 10,000 m altitude / mainly limited due to atmospheric frictional heat), able to independently launch to satellite orbit
Central Computer: MG/GG made Model OMEGA/2055-ND3 type (completely independent, integrated flight and fire control model), hierarchical programming, self-learning model
Fixed Armaments: 6x 25 mm Beam Guns (Mauler ROV-25 Kai), 2x 20 mm Beam Guns (Mauler ROV-20), 4x Micro-Missile Launchers (Bifors BML-04B), 2x Multi-Purpose Composite Armament Loading Pods, BP-01α 55 mm Beam Gun (although it's basically the same as the VF-27's Beam Gun Pod, the Beam Grenade function has been omitted from it, as the reactor's output is small), 4x Hard-points on the underside of the fuselage, able to be loaded with such things as Large Anti-Ship Reaction Weapon Missiles, a Reconnaissance Pack, and a Fold Booster.

Development Genealogy Chart
QF-3000E > X-9 > AIF-9V

Size Comparison
VF-1J, AIF-9V

Aircraft Explanation
As an aircraft that's a New Unified Forces general purpose AIF-7S unmanned fighter aircraft that the Macross Galaxy Fleet independently improved upon, many were deployed as the main general-purpose unmanned fighter aircraft of that same fleet. Even though the basic design has not being greatly changed from the AIF-7S, its general performance has been increased from such things as improving the engine output, and enhancing the armaments. Advanced autonomous functions that were expected to have been limited due to the rules of the New Unified Forces have been loaded into this aircraft's AI system (it is considered to be the same type as the one that the Ghost X-9 was once loaded with), and even under jamming, which makes it unable to receive instructions from the mothership, the AIF-9V is able to continue combat due to its autonomous judgement. Although this aircraft is registered with the AIF-9V model name in the New Unified Forces identification codes, it is considered to have been referred to by the name of "Ghost V-9/MG" within the Galaxy Fleet.

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Operation Record
Although the AIF-9V is a small aircraft, the payload within the aircraft is large, and a large amount of propellant and micro-missiles can be stored within the airframe, because it isn't loaded with the equipment for a manned aircraft. Also, the AIF-9V boasts armaments that are proportionate to a Heavy VF, with the addition of the Large Great Output BP-01α Beam Gun to the top center of the nose, two internal-style Micro-Missile Launchers on the left and right of the the beam gun (total 4 launchers), and three 25 mm Beam Guns on each side (6 in total) are supplemented by additional 20 mm Beam Guns on the right and left of the lower part of the fuselage. Also, the front part of the Engine Pods, which are added to the rear of the fuselage, consist of Multipurpose Composite Armament Pods. The clipped-delta main wings freely move, and they move the aircraft's weight in outer space, and move to the optimum position when moving at high speed within the atmosphere. Also, they fold up and down, and are also able to change their angle of attack to a maximum of 90 degrees.
Several thousand AIF-9V are considered to have been produced, and among them, 256 aircraft were deployed to the Battle Galaxy. Even though the aircraft deployed to the Battle Galaxy were invested into the final decisive battle at the Vajra Homeworld, all the aircraft were lost because they were linked with a program where they appeared to perform kamikaze attacks or self-destruct at the point in time when they exhaust all of their armaments and propellant.

Caption: Three AIF-9V accompanied the VF-27γSP, and they undertook the interception of the YF-29 that approached the Queen Frontier.

Caption: Avionics, such as an integrated monitor system and central computer are installed in the tip of the nose, which shines in green.

Left: The nose is equipped with the high-output Beam Gun that was developed for the VF-27 (however, because the output of the aircraft's reactor is less than that of the VF-27, the Beam Grenade Mode has been omitted from it). Four canards in an X-shape are equipped on the nose to match the change in the aerodynamic characteristics due to the Beam Gun.

Caption: Even though Saotome Aruto boarded the newly produced YF-29, he came to have a hard fight with the VF-27γSP, which coordinated with AIF-9V, which boast unequalled manoeuvrability.

Related Matter: The Consumer VF-1
Although the VF-1 lined up with the Ghost and was the main fighter of the Unified Forces mechanized units in the First Interstellar War, a lot of VF-1 were retired from the front lines when the main fighter changed to the VF-4 after the war, and they were sent off to a "second life" as goods sold off by the government to civilians. In around 2059, replacement parts for the VF-1 were also difficult to obtain, and it's said that among them there are also cases where only the exterior of the VF-1 is used, in such a manner as objet d'art and concert stage settings.

Caption: The VF-1 used in Ranka Lee's concert. It isn't a hologram, and it seems that a genuine VF-1 was brought temporarily.

Caption: A VF-1 adorned the rooftop of the school building in the Frontier Fleet's Mihoshi Academy.

Related Matter: The Ghosts Of The New Unified Forces And S.M.S.
The AIF-7S, which was the basis of the AIF-9V, was deployed in the Frontier Fleet's New Unified Forces, which encountered the Vajra in 2059. However, as it turned out that the electromagnetic bursts that were generated by the Vajra could easily dis-empower the AIF-7S's electronics in the first battle, the AIF-7S weren't put into anti-Vajra operations thereafter. After that, the improved QF-4000 aircraft, which had enhanced anti-ECM performance, was made by the L.A.I. Co.. The QF-4000 was provisionally deployed to the Civilian Military Provider S.M.S., and was operated as the aircraft that accompanied the RVF-25.

Caption: The AIF-7S is an aircraft that the New Unified Forces mass produced and deployed from around 2045, originally for supporting the VF-171 Nightmare Plus.

Down: AIF-7S

Up: Even though it was a high performance aircraft that was active in the front lines at the time in 2059, its true value couldn't be demonstrated against the Vajra opponents, who they had a bad compatibility with.

Caption: The QF-4000 were invested into the battle to mop up the Vajra -who made a Medium Sized Bodoruzaa Class Fortress their nest- as aircraft that accompanied the RVF-25.

Left: QF-4000

Caption: A jamming device was equipped on the underside of the fuselage of the RVF-25 when it participated in the mopping up battle, and it prevented interference by the Vajra in the electronics and the Ghosts.

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© Aaron Sketchley