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By AARON SKETCHLEY (aaronsketch@HOTdelete_thisMAIL.com) Ver 3.7 2016.02.11
Official Setting information is in darkgreen. Extended Universe information is in steelblue.

VF-0 PHOENIX

BACKGROUND

The archaeopteryx [original bird, first bird] of the Variable Fighters, which was completed partly against the Unified Forces' will. The VF-0 is a developmental craft (one of the developmental craft actually) of Variable Fighters that unites technology produced from the analysis of a crashed alien battleship with existing aircraft.
It is a trial production model and testbed for advanced jet engines and Overtechnology designed for future Variable Fighters. The project began in February of 2002 after a tentative plan was introduced for an All-regime Variable Fighter for use against the giant aliens. The first VF-0 Variable Fighter was completed in 2004. The fighters were deployed for actual combat and functional testing when delivery of the VF-1 Valkyrie's thermonuclear reaction engines were delayed. It was flown in combat over the South Pacific Ocean island of Mayan during a secret program in 2008, one year before Space War I. Thereafter, they continue to serve in a secret capacity for the Unified Forces to combat the Anti Unification Alliance forces (specifically the SV-51 and Octos) and to give future VF-1 pilots actual combat training in a variable fighter.
The VF-0 strongly resembles the VF-1, but is much larger, especially in the legs, where tuned up conventional jet fighter EFG-127 engines, with the maxium level of thrust in a turbofan engine, are installed; because the thermonuclear reaction engine wasn't developed in time. In combination with the power generating system, the engines become the source of power for the operation of the transformation system, laser machinegun, and so on. However, the cruising range of the VF-0 is pretty short because of the amount of fuel the VF-0 can load. The VF-0 has conformal drop tanks on the dorsal surface in fighter mode, which split in half and are on the chest and back in Battroid mode.
Though the engines cannot operate without optional packs in space because they are conventional jet engines, the VF-0 used OTEC in the energy converson armour, (power) generating equipment, capacitors, and so on. As it had developed a new category of weapon called VF, the pilot's training is difficult to master.
The development of augmentative weapon packs used by the VF-0 series was advanced mainly by Shinnakasu Heavy Industry. Except for one conformal missile and fuel tank installed on each engine nacelle, the other parts in the augmentative weapon "Super Pack" were not completed in time for the Anti-"Bird Man" battle.

An estimated 24 A variant, 4 B variant, 24 D variant, and 4 S variants were manufactured.

Vehicle Type: Developmental Variable Fighter.
Class: Variable Vehicles
Crew: pilot only in Marty & Beck Mk-7 zero/zero ejection seat (A and S); Pilot and copilot (B and D).
Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman / Stonewell / Shinsei
Government: Unified Government

Customer: Unified Air Force and Space Force

Variants:

MDC BY LOCATION:

Location MDC Location MDC
Head Mounted Laser (1 or 2)
Head Turret
Hands (2)
Arms (2)
Legs/Thrusters (2)
(1) Main Body
20 each
65
35 each
95 each
185 each
310
Wings (2)
Tails (2)
External Fuel Tanks (4)
Multipurpose Gun Pod
(2) Pilot's Compartment/Escape Pod
(3) Engine Nacelle Super Parts (2)
100 each
45 each
45 each
100
150
75 each

SPEEDS:

Battroid: GERWALK: Fighter:
  • RUNNING: 160 kmph
  • LEAPING: 9 m high or 15.2 m long without thrusters
  • FLYING: Mach 1.37 at 11,000 m
  • RUNNING: 100 kmph
  • FLYING: to Mach 2.40 at 11,000 m
  • FLYING: Mach 2.74 at 11,000 m; +20% to maximum speed with QF-2000A.
  • MAXIMUM RATE OF ASCENT: 15,000 m/minute
  • CEILING: 25,000 m.

    • All Modes:
  • CRUISING RANGE: 2,075 km with standard dorsal auxillary conformal fuel drop tanks on dorsal surface in fighter mode and on chest and dorsal sections in Battroid.
  • COMBAT ACTION RADIUS (in atmosphere): 1,100 km with QF-2000A (used with continuous afterburning for high-speed air combat manuevers).
  • VTOL CAPABILITY: in GERWALK and Battroid. MAX HOVERING TIME: 70 to 420 seconds.
  • G limit: +7 (in space)
  • OPERATIONAL UNDERWATER DEPTH: 20 m, and can perform underwater operations in silent mode for up to several minutes (when Energy Conversion Armour is operating)

    STATISTICAL DATA:

    HEIGHT: WIDTH: LENGTH:
  • Battroid: 12.92 m.
  • GERWALK: under investigation
  • Fighter: under investigation
  • Battroid: under investigation
  • GERWALK & Fighter: 11.2 m
    (wings at maximum extension)
  • Battroid: under investigation
  • GERWALK: under investigation
  • Fighter: 18.69 m

    • EMPTY MASS: 16,191 kg

    PHYSICAL STRENGTH: equal to a PS of 50.
    CARGO: small compartment behind pilot's seat for personal belongings.

    POWER PLANT: two EGF-127 over-tuned conventional Turbofan Engine Kai [custom], each rated at 91.08 kN (148.9 kN with afterburner), 650 MW in generation power, single-axis thrust vectoring and rectangular underfuselage air intakes with semi-retractable slit-style shutter in Battroid mode or space use.
    Three Shinnakasu ARR-2 maneuvering rocket motors in GERWALK and Battroid modes.
    Option of one QF-2200A Ghost unmanned fighter acting as a booster on the craft's dorsal surface, rated in combination with VF-0's retuned engines for 305.65 kN and 602.55 kN with afterburning.

    DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS

    1. ACTIVE STEALTH: the VF-0 is equipped with the initial active stealth mechanism. Refer to Active Stealth Systems - 1st Generation for details.
    2. ENERGY CONVERSION ARMOUR: the VF-0 incorporates Overtechnology using AWAG/RA 105 SWAG energy converting armour system, the VF-0 can employ surplus power to increase the Fighter's armour strength in other modes. Armour strength is 4 to 5 times greater in GERWALK (the equivalent of a heavy combat helicopter or light armoured vehicle). Battroid can use 90% of the engine output increasing the armour strength by 10 (the equivalent of a main battle tank). It is able to operate in the air using the engines for flight for up to 20 minutes.
    Optional rule: consider the VF's main body as the strengthened armour, and divide it by 3 for the Fighter's armour strenth.
    3. IDECM (Integrated Defensive Electronic CounterMeasures): refer to IDECM for details.
    1. AN/ALE-55 FOTD (Fiber-optic Towed Decoy): refer to AN/ALE-55 FOTD for details.
    2. COUNTERMEASURE DISPENSERS: a combined chaff, flare and smoke discharger useable in all modes. Refer to Chaff/Flare/Smoke Discharger System for details.
    4. HEAT AND RADIATION SHIELDS: refer to Heat And Radiation Shields for details.
    5. EJECTOR SEAT/S w/ ANTI-G MECHANISM & HOMING SIGNAL: refer to Ejector Seat, Transponder and Survival Kit for details.
    1. SEAT ANGLE AND VITAL POINT STIMULATION: refer to Anti-G Mechanism: Seat Angle and Vital Point Stimulation for details.
    2. CANOPY WITH RETRACTABLE SHIELD: for battroid mode use.
    6. SELF-DESTRUCT: to prevent capture of a vehicle by the enemy, the pilot can activate the self-destruct system, which will cause the fighter to explode and obliterate all internal systems.

    ARMAMENTS

    1. MAULER ROV-20 LASER MACHINE-GUN (1 or 2)

    One (A/D) or two (S) fixed Mauler laser cannons. A laser machine-gun was adopted because the space efficiency of a laser machine-gun is better than that of a machine-gun with ammunition. The gun is mounted on the head turret in Battroid, with a 360º horizontal and a 90º vertical arc of fire. In Fighter and GERWALK, it is located in the central ventral section of the main body pointed forward and fixed forward with a -90º vertical arc of fire, and can be deployed for a 270º horizontal arc of fire

    2. HOWARD GPU-9 35 MM GATLING GUN POD

    The bullet's initial velocity is 1,100 m per second. Though it's destructive power is excessive when used against general aircraft, it is the "standardized" power against the hypothesized opponent of a battle pod equipped with VF-0 class Energy Conversion Armour. The gun pod can also use AHEAD (Advanced Hit Efficiency And Destruction) rounds. There are 3 adjustable rates-of-fire at 60, 1,250, 2,500 rounds per minute, driven by a 90 horsepower electric motor. Spare clips for the gun pod can be carried in the engine nacelle Super Parts.

    3. BODY/WING HARD POINTS (4):

    There are 2 hardpoints on the underside of each main wing, for a total of 4. In the special attack/assault specification, there are an additional 2 augmentive pylons welded to the conformal fuel tanks of craft's dorsal surface, for a total of 6. The VF-0 can mount a combination of missiles or missiles and missile-launchers. All hardpoints are capable of mounting most former United States/NATO standard aviation weaponry. Refer to Missiles FCS 00's for further details, and Missiles & FCS Basics for alternatives.

    Note: the wings can be deployed in Battroid, allowing hardpoint ordinance to be used.

    4. HAND TO HAND COMBAT

    If necessary, the pilot of the VF-0 can engage in melee combat rather than use a weapon. The VF-0 is extremely agile, and can execute most typical hand to hand combat moves; such as punches, jump kicks, leap attacks, rolling with impacts, etc..

    DAMAGE:
  • Restrained Punch: 1D4 M.D.
  • Full Strength Punch: 4D6 M.D.
  • "Booster" Punch: 1D4x10 M.D. (counts as two attacks)
  • Tear or Pry with Hands: 1D6 M.D. + additional ripping and frame damage.
  • Kick: 4D6 M.D.
  • Leap Kick: 2D6x10 M.D. (counts as two attacks)
  • Body Flip/Throw: 2D6 M.D.
  • Body Block/Tackle: 2D6 M.D.
  • Stomp: 1D6x10 M.D. (only effective against small objects. Some may be instantly destroyed.)
    		•

    OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT (SUPER PARTS)

    Except for one conformal missile/fuel tank installed on each engine nacelle, the other parts in the augmentative weapon "Super Pack" were not completed in time for the Anti-"Tori no Hito" battle. Therefore, the carrier Asuka's maintenance crew members hurriedly put together the available parts aboard the ship for the VF-0 "Raid"; a specification called the "Angel" version afterward, probably due to the shape of the final form. One each of the S and A types were modified to this specification. Even the augmentative weapon packs manufactured by Shinnakasu, as well as the later experimental equipment used by the VF-1, had only been trial-produced in a number of sets and a number of patterns. This special attack/assault specification was used only once in the battle at the island of Mayan.

    1. ATMOSPHERIC COMBAT ENGINE-NACELLE SUPER PARTS

    2. DORSAL MOUNTED QF-2200 GHOST

    For the flight characteristics and other such data of the VF-0 plus QF-2200A, they conducted tentative virtual simulations and produced flight data, which was input into the air combat maneuver computer. However, because the air flows of the VF-0's main wing and Ghost's main wing interact in complex ways at high speed and high angles of attack, there were many unknown segments of data, and the self-learning air combat maneuver computer could only conduct data acquisition, analysis, and correction during actual flight. The VF-0 special attack/assault specification was equipped with many missile weaponry, but expending them altered the weight balance greatly, not to mention predicting the Battroid mode's motions was difficult. So in actual conditions, the pilot's abilities were relied upon.

    The VF-0's weight when using the Ghost as a booster (not including missile launchers and other equipment) increased by approximately 35%, but the total thrust of the engines of the VF-0+Ghost increased less than 20% at normal thrust and increased 90% with afterburners. The QF-2200A Ghost unmanned fighter is equipped with five micro-missile launchers on the craft's dorsal surface and is used as a booster rocket to complement the VF-0's engines.

    3. Option of PWS-0X Reactive Armour Parts

    AVIONICS

    Unless otherwise noted, refer to Avionics for details.

    OTHER SYSTEMS

    Unless otherwise noted, refer to Other Systems for details.

    COMBAT BONUSES FOR VF-0 PHOENIX TRAINING

    BASIC COMBAT TRAINING for non-pilot military personnel
    • +1 attack per melee (plus those of the pilot). +1 attack at levels 3, 9, and 15.
    • +0 initiative
    • +1 to strike.
    • +1 to parry
    • +1 to dodge in battroid mode, +2 in GERWALK, +4 in fighter mode.
    • +1 to roll with a punch or fall with an impact, reducing damage by half.
    • Tilt Dodge Modifier (applied to the regular dodge bonus for the mode the VF is in): -5.
    • Critical strike same as pilot's hand-to-hand.
    • Body block/tackle/ram - 1D6 M.D. plus a 50% chance of knocking an opponent down, causing him to lose initiative and one attack that melee round.
    		 ADVANCED COMBAT TRAINING for military pilots and mecha specialists.
    • +3 attacks per melee (plus those of the pilot). +1 attack at levels 3, 6, 11, and 15.
    • +1 initiative
    • +2 to strike
    • +3 to parry
    • +2 to dodge in battroid mode, +3 in GERWALK, +5 in fighter mode.
    • +3 to roll with a punch or fall with an impact, reducing damage by half.
    • Tilt Dodge Modifier (applied to the regular dodge bonus for the mode the VF is in): -5.
    • Critical strike same as pilot's hand-to-hand.
    • Body block/tackle/ram - 1D6 M.D. plus a 50% chance of knocking an opponent down, causing him to loose initiative and one attack that melee round.

    REFERENCES
  • Palladium Books Game Engine and MDC Rules
  • Based off of the UNSDB's VF-0 stats
  • Macross Compendium
  • Kawamori Shoji Design Works
  • Great Mechanics 8 & 11
  • Great Mechanics.DX 9

    • © Aaron Sketchley
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