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Illustrated by FUDIROH

Caption: The exoskeleton "EX-Gear" that people wear furnishes them with power. EX-Gear, which has such things as flight and running mechanisms, is evaluated as a multi-purpose powered-suit, and are mainly used by immigrant fleets which prohibit implants, as well as by civilians.

EX-Gear (Extender Gear): The Multi-functional Enhancement Suit That Deals With All Situations
EX-Gear (the abbreviation of Extender Gear, read as "eksu gear"), is a multi-functional enhancement suit (a powered suit) that was implemented in the 2050's. The point where EX-Gear greatly differs from existing enhancement suits is that it is part of the Variable Fighter (VF) cockpit mechanism, which is referred to as the "EX-Gear System"; and the functions as a reinforcement suit are mainly introduced here.
EX-Gear adopts the form of an exoskeleton style unit, which is installed on dedicated inner-wear, and the military and civilian (training) EX-Gear have fundamentally the same structure. This exoskeleton unit isn't a type that covers the whole body, and the exoskeleton with servo-motors is arranged in such places as the arms and legs, centred on the flexible spine part. Thus, it traces the wearer's movements and amplifies the power by assisting the movements with the servo-motors.
Although up until here EX-Gear has the same functions as other enhancement suits, EX-Gear's greatest feature is the functions that are adopted into it according to its composition as the aforementioned cockpit system. Especially, the folding type winged flight unit which improves survivability when escaping is the symbolic gimmick of EX-Gear, along with being the origin of the name "extender". In addition, as equipment for personal use, EX-Gear projects the wearers manoeuvrability as it is normally equipped with gliding wheels in the soles of the feet, which improves the ground movement speed and generates synthetic wind when taking off. Also, EX-Gear is furnished with machinery and tools, such as a visor, which has telescopic vision and electronic wave perception functions, communications equipment and distress signal transmitters. One could say that its combined performance exceeds the range of a mere powered suit.
However, besides the allowance for the difficulty in considerably increasing the power of a human, there is also a difficult side to handling the suit with such things as the wearer themselves must put up with the recoil of their enhanced power. Because of that, it's generally unusual for people to use EX-Gear, and its use remains with the people who have received special training in it, such as the pilots and trainees of variable craft.

Related Matter: The Genealogy Of Enhancement Suits
A powered suit series of armaments existed before the EX-Gear, which was developed as a medical exoskeleton (an exoskeleton that's worn). They are the Zentraadi battle-suits, which are represented by the Nujaderu Gar and Quadoran-Roh. More accurately, they are armaments that ought to be referred to as models that blend with the Battle Pods. New models of the Quadoran-Rao were also developed after the First Interstellar War.

Caption: As combat enhancement suits exclusively for the Zentraadi, the battle-suits exhibited a combat ability that rivalled a Battroid.

Right: Quadoran Reah
The masterpiece of the battle-suits: the successor to the Quadoran-Roh. Starting with the Macross Frontier Fleet Civilian Military Provider S.M.S.'s Pixy Squadron, the Quadoran-Roh was deployed to each force, such as the forces garrisoned at planet Gaul 4.

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The Classes of EX-Gear
EX-Gear was developed as a part of the cockpit system for VFs, and is basically for military use. Although models used by civilians for pilot training exist, aside from their output, they are considered to be equal to the military suits in their basic functional aspects. Also, although EX-Gear is primarily used by the Frontier Fleet, one of the causes for that was that the research and development of "mechanically enhanced soldiers (Cyber-grunts)", which enhance the soldier's physical abilities by such things as implants, were prohibited in the Frontier Fleet.

Right: Comparison Chart
As EX-Gear is furnished with very long leg units, they become tall. The "hand" parts, the forearms and magic hands, are especially large.

Military EX-Gear
The suit for VF pilots. Extensive areas of the suit are occupied by protectors, and the enhancements of various devices stand out, such as the suit being equipped with leg hover units. Not just the New Unified Forces, but also the Civilian Military Provider S.M.S. adopted the suit.

Up: Special Headgear
The Military EX-Gear takes on a form where EX-Gear headgear is mounted on top of a normal flight helmet

Civilian EX-Gear
A training suit that is used in such places as pilot training courses. Although there are few exoskeleton parts, in addition to being able to connect into a VF's cockpit, it has a performance that isn't inferior when compared to the military suit, as it possesses power amplification, flight abilities and so on.

Caption: The Civilian EX-Gear used in Mihoshi Academy's Pilot Training Course. They were used in an acrobatic flight demonstration in Sheryl Nome's concert.

The Functions Of EX-Gear
If one excludes the VF connection mechanism, even though EX-Gear tends to appear to be a "powered suit that can fly", it also has many kinds of equipment and is extremely multi-functional. Installed into EX-Gear are not only the things that are easily understood from its appearance, such as a running ability due to the small wheels in the soles of the feet, but also the functions that are necessary for acquiring all sorts of information, such as communications equipment and sensors. Also, one could say that the exoskeleton features the point that it was made extremely strong in order to move by means of power assistance and endure such things as G-forces and impacts.

Caption: Even though both the military and training EX-Gear are fundamentally used together with a dedicated inner-wear, it's possible to wear EX-Gear over normal clothes.

Functions As Powered Suits
The wearer's strength is drastically enhanced by servomotors that are built into the exoskeleton. Even though it is operated by tracing the wearer's movements, the wearer's hands are stored inside the Gear's forearms, as only the hands are independent five-fingered manipulators.

Caption: Special training in the EX-Gear is needed, as it's difficult to control the suit's amplified power, especially in detailed work.

The Conferment of Flight Abilities
With the back motor glider, EX-Gear exhibits a flight ability that can reach the ceiling of an Island spaceship. Although EX-Gear often accelerates with such things as a catapult and the leg wheels when taking off, it's also possible to leave vertically when escaping from the cockpit.

Caption: EX-Gear can also fly carrying a person in the arms, if it's within the 0.75 G environment of an Island spaceship.

The Conferment of Running Abilities
Gliding wheels for running are installed in the soles of the feet for such reasons as jumping when sprinting with amplified power and securing a synthetic wind when taking off. Moving the centre of gravity is used to make direction changes while running.

Caption: EX-Gear has a total of 4 wheels in both feet (with built-in in-wheel motors), and is able to move at high speed.

Secondary Functions
EX-Gear has various support functions, such as a rescue signal transmitter, G-resistant pill case, and the inner suit's fatigue recovery function. Such functions as telephoto and magnification vision, communication and electromagnetic wave perception and so on, are gathered into the head gear, which is particular multi-functional.

Caption: In addition to projecting various kinds of information into the headgear's visor, telephoto images can also be displayed.

Options For EX-Gear
Several options that suit the EX-Gear's multi-purposefulness have been prepared for EX-Gear, which is a military powered suit. Many of those are options only for EX-Gear, such as accelerators for taking off and large firearms that are difficult for ordinary humans to use. Also, a dedicated case for handling EX-Gear has also been prepared, as it's easy for even the people who have received specialized training to cause accidents, and EX-Gear has the danger of possibly being put to use in crime.

Caption: There are a lot of peripheral devices for EX-Gear, such as the stowed-away for transfer Extender Case and linear launch catapults for taking off.

Flight Unit
The motor-glider flight unit that's attached to the EX-Gear's back is composed of folding wings and two chemical rocket engines. Even though both the horse-power and output are higher in the one for military use, as the one for training also has an identical structure, it also demonstrates an advanced flight performance.

Caption: EX-Gear has sufficient flight abilities for flights not only within the Island ships that have a low gravity environment, but also on terrestrial planets.

The EX-Gear Machine-gun
A machine-gun (it can also be called a linear rifle) that has 2 helical magazines and a grenade launcher under the gun barrel. The gun is also loaded inside the VF's cockpit.

Caption: A large gun that is supported by the EX-Gear's hands; it is effective even against the Vajra's second form.

Related Matter: The EX-Gear System
EX-Gear is part of the new VF cockpit mechanism "the EX-Gear System". EX-Gear in the cockpit transforms into a G-resistant seat and control devices (the control sticks and foot pedals), and becomes the interface that connects the VF and the pilot. A representative airframe that supports this system is the VF-25 Messiah, and the system was also adopted into other variable craft, such as the VF-171 Nightmare Plus.

Caption: As the seat and interface transforms into EX-Gear when escaping, the system excels in survivability.

Caption: The training EX-Gear is the same as the military one, and is also able to connect with and control the newest VF, the VF-25.

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© Aaron Sketchley