Zero, M, FB, Plus, 7, 7Gin, D7, F
Illustrated by Takuya Io
Caption:
• It's said that in the areas where global redevelopment is behind schedule, things left behind by the deceased soldiers at the time of the First Interstellar War are still being found. Does the helmet, which isn't able to rot away and is buried in the sand, have a dream of the heavens that it once fluttered about in...?
Spacesuits:
The Quiet Development Of Pilot Helmets
With the eyes, nose, ears, and tongue, many of the human sensory organs are concentrated in the head. For that reason, from time immemorial, the human race has carried headpieces and helmets during war, and have wracked their brains over protecting the head. In the end, at the beginning of the 20th century, the human race obtained new devices called aircraft, and together with their development, helmets furnished with oxygen bottles and visors were produced to protect the lives of the crew, when came to flying in the high altitude world where the atmosphere is thin and sunlight isn't blocked. Furthermore, from the middle of the 20th century, the human race has stepped into the world of supersonic speed and the unknown regime called space—where there isn't an atmosphere—and developed airtight clothes and helmets that included anti-G, anti-radiation, and other life preservation mechanisms that are desired when active there.
And now, at the end of the 20th century, the Variable Fighter (VF) was born due to Over-Technology (OTM), which was brought about by the coming of the ASS-1; the VF being a marvellous mechanism that was completely able to be active at supersonic speeds and outside the atmosphere on its own. The VF pilots who participated in the First Interstellar War after that came to entrust their lives to the new model suits and helmets that were developed to support them in the extreme world that the VFs were put into. However, due to the suits that overemphasized life-preservation obstructing the pilot's sensory organs when fighting, the pilot suits and helmets of this period adopted a design that was closer to that of an aircraft pressure-resistant suit rather than that of a spacesuit.
Before long, after the conclusion of the First Interstellar War, the VFs saw still more development, and by the end of the 2050's the burdens on the pilot exceeded the limits of the human body. Following this, a suit that exceeded the concept of the conventional pilot suits—called the EX-Gear System—also appeared. It allowed a closer link between the VF and the operator. On the other hand, due to this system also being able to be operated as a powered suit, and in addition to the traditional life preservation functions in the VF helmet, and with its functions as the pilot and system interface and a powered suit's "armour", it reached a point where they pursued a wide range of functions in the pilot suits.
Related Matter: The Helmets That Connect The Brain And A VF
A mechanism called the Brain Direct Image (BDI) was built into the YF-21 Variable Fighter, which was developed in 2040, in an attempt to improve the reaction speed when in high-speed manoeuvres; by aligning the pilot's brainwaves and the VF fuselage. When this system had its trial run, a helmet with a dedicated interface included in it was developed, and it assisted in connecting the pilot's thoughts with the VF's sensors and control system. Although the BDI System was drastically simplified and installed as a support system in the VF-22—the mass production model of the YF-21—its pilots sortied equipped with a dedicated helmet.
▶ YF-21 pilot Guld Goa Bowman's helmet. The thoughts of the pilot are directly connected to the aircraft through the interface that covers the head, and the system actualized lag-less actions.
⬢ The History Of The Mobile Weapon Helmets
From the Unification War to the time of the First Interstellar War, when the human race was limited to the geosphere, the Mobile Weapon helmets followed as an extension of the traditional armaments. Before long, as the Mankind Seeding Plan commenced and space became the main battlefield of the Mobile Weapons, functions as a spacesuit became pronounced in the helmets.
Around 2008
◀ The helmet for the VF-0. Whether or not its intended for a VF's high-speed manoeuvres, it adopts an airtight style.
▶ The helmet for the Sv-51. The pipe that supplies oxygen is on the lower part of the side, making it easy to turn one's head.
◀ By removing the chin parts, the helmet for the VF-0 could also became an open-style helmet.
Around 2009 to 2012
▲ ▶ The VF helmet at the time of the First Interstellar War. Both an airtight style (above) and an open-style (right) existed.
◀ The helmet for Destroids.
◀ ▼ The helmet that was used by the VF units in the first Long Range Emigrant Fleet. Its functions as a spacesuit have been enhanced.
Around 2040
▶ Super Long Range Emigrants became constant, and the suit itself was enhanced with functions as a spacesuit. The shield at the top of the head became a clear visor, and the helmet's field of vision is wider than that of the helmets so far.
Around 2045 to 2046
◀ The helmet of the VF-11 units that defended the Macross 7 Fleet. It was light-weight, and wasn't a burden even when cruising.
▶ The one that Battle 7 Captain Max wore when he boarded the VF-22. It seems to have been equipped with a flight support BDI System interface.
▶ The one used by the Macross 7 special operations forces. Its life-preservation functions seem to have been enhanced.
◀ The one used in the Sound Force Civilian Cooperative Team. Although its field of vision is vast, its rigidity is inferior.
◀ The helmet worn by the male members of the Jamming Birds Civilian Cooperative Team.
▶ For the female members of the Jamming Birds. As it is for protecting the team members—who are civilians—it has a design and functions that enhance survivability.
Around 2047
Around 2059
◀ The one used by the VF units of Private Military Provider S.M.S.. It supports the EX-Gear System.
▶ A giant-sized helmet for the S.M.S. Quadoran units. Its design resembles the helmets of the other S.M.S. units.
◀ The helmet used by the planet Zola Patrol Corps. It seems to have been an improved consumer spacesuit product.
◀ The helmet of the S.M.S. König Monster crew. It appears to be incompatible with EX-Gear.
◀ The helmet of the Unified Forces and the Macross Frontier Fleet defensive units. While it draws on the design of the past VF helmets, it has an improved field of vision and [head] turning abilities.
▶ The one used by the Galaxy Fleet's VF-27 units. It is presumed to be equipped with a BDI System terminal.
⬢ Other Helmets
The following are helmets that are disconnected from the development history of human helmets. The Zentrādi helmets are articles that have continued to be used with their design and function as-is without change for roughly more than the last 500,000 years.
◀ The one used by the Quadoran units attached to the Rapu Ramizu Fleet. It only has the minimum life preservation functions, because the anti-G abilities are dependant on the [Quadoran] pilot's body.
▶ The Battle-suit helmet that was used by the Lost Zentrādi Kurore Fleet. The illustration is of Kurore's helmet, and it is painted with her personal colour orange.
Varōta Forces
◀ The helmet for the Protodevilun commander that the Macross 7 Fleet encountered in 2045. Whether or not it's for the operation of a high-performance VF, it has sturdy design.
Zentrādi
◀ The helmet of the armoured clothes that the male soldiers in the Bodoru Main Fleet wore when they embarked in the Mobile Weapons. It was originally equipment for hand-to-hand combat, and it excels in survivability and durability.
▲ The one used by the Gaul 4 assigned New Unified Forces Zentrādi Marine Corps, around 2059. Even though it is armoured clothing for hand-to-hand combat, it was also used as the pilot suit for the Quadoran-Rea.
◀ The helmet for ordinary soldiers. Although there is also the likelihood that it is an improvement on one of the helmets that was deployed by the Unified Forces, the details are unknown.