Macross Mecha DesignsPrevious | Next | Index The following material is an adaptation of mecha from MACROSS 7, a sequel to the original Japanese MACROSS TV series (which became Robotech here in the U.S.). Please feel free to use, copy, and distribute it as you see fit. All I ask is that you give proper credit to me and do not claim that it is your own work. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

VF-22 STURMVOGEL II
ADVANCED VARIABLE FIGHTER

(Version 1.9 - Last Updated: Friday, 18-Jan-08 02:59:01 PST)
RPG Stats by DAVE DEITRICH (deitrich@mcs.net)
Background info provided by the MACROSS ONLINE COMPENDIUM

BACKGROUND

Although the YF-21 Protoype AVF was rejected by the UN Spacy in favor of Shinsei Industry's VF-19 Excalibur as a replacement for the aging VF-11 Thunderbolt, the engineers at General Galaxy refused to let the advanced fighter design die. They re-evaluated and reworked the prototype, removing systems that did not perform well during the Project Super Nova trials and adding new weapon systems and other improvements. After initial testing, the new YF-22 prototype was presented to the UN Spacy review board, and eventually was approved in December of 2042 for purchase as a special operations fighter. Renamed the VF-22S Sturmvogel Stealth AVF, the fighter entered service for the UN Spacy in 2043.

The VF-22 still closely resembles the YF-21 prototype from Project Super Nova, mostly due to the fact that the revised version of the inertia vector control system used in the Quimeliquola Quaedlunn-Rau (Female Combat Armor) battlesuit was preserved in the Sturmvogel. The Sturmvogel also preserved the active stealth technology of the YF-21, but the Brainwave Control Systems (BCS) and Brain Direct Imaging (BDI) systems were removed in favor of a more conventional control system. The BCS and BDI had led to unforseen health problems and other complications in YF-21 test pilots, and correcting these problems while preserving the benefits of the systems proved almost impossible. Instead the cockpit was redesigned to include a more complete set of conventional controls, and pilot visibility was increased using a traditional overhead spherical canopy equipped with HUD (heads-up display) projectors and several additional visual screens. Finally, two concealed bays for weapon payloads were added to the Sturmvogel, allowing it to carry tactical payloads without sacrificing its stealth capabilities.

Highly valued for its combination of high speed, agility, fold capability and stealth, the VF-22S Sturmvogel quickly became a popular craft with UN Spacy Special Forces. Unfortunately the high cost of purchasing and maintaining the aircraft limited its distribution, and most were assigned to special forces units on an as-needed basis. During the latter days of the Macross 7/Varuta War, the designs for the VF-22 were transmitted to the Macross 7 Colonization Fleet and authorization was given to build two fighters to supplement the Macross 7's forces. The first VF-22 was flown by Captain Maximilian Jeinus himself during Operation Stargazer, and the second VF-22 was piloted by his wife, Mayor Miliya Jeinus, in the final assault against the Protodeviln homeworld. Both craft performed admirably during these battles, and the design will probably be produced in greater numbers in the future to help supplement the Macross 7's depleted variable fighter forces.

RPG STATS

Vehicle Type:
YF-21 (Prototype, Project Super Nova )
VF-22S (Special Forces Version)
Class: Advanced Variable Fighter
Manufacturer: General Galaxy
Crew: One pilot wearing customized Tactical Life Support System.

MDC BY LOCATION: 

    Head Pulse Laser                             30
(1) Head                                        120
    Hands (2)                                    50 each
    Arms (2)                                    125 each
    Shoulders (2)                               100 each
    Legs & Thrusters (2)                        175 each
(2) Main Body                                   400
    Main Wings (2)                              180 each
    Tails/Arm Shields (2)                       75 each
    Stealth Gun Pods (2)                        120 each
(3) Pinpoint Barrier Shield                     100
    Reinforced Pilot Compartment/Escape Pod     150

NOTES:

  1. Destroying the head of the VF-22 will knock out the mecha's main sensor systems, including all of the optics systems (infrared, nightvision, thermal). Backup sensor systems will provide standard vision for the pilot in soldier mode. Radar and communications will be unaffected.
  2. Depleting the MDC of the main body will destroy the mecha. The pilot and cockpit section/escape pod will be automatically ejected from the doomed mecha before it explodes by the VF-22's main computer.
  3. The pinpoint barrier shield regenerates at a rate of 50 MDC per round. Even if completely destroyed the shield will regenerate to full strength within 2 melee rounds. The shield is usually generated on the right or left arm of the Sturmvogel.

SPEEDS:

RUNNING, SOLDIER CONFIGURATION:
120 mph (192 kmph)
LEAPING, SOLDIER CONFIGURATION:
50 ft (15 m) high or 70 ft (21 m) long without thrusters.
FLYING, GERWALK/SOLDIER CONFIGURATION:
Mach One (670 mph/1072 kmph) maximum speed limit in an Earth-like atmosphere. Can also hover in place indefinitely.
FLYING, FIGHTER CONFIGURATION:
Mach 3.5+ (2345 mph/3572 kmph) max speed at 10,000 meters or less above sea level. Mach 5.06+ (3390 mph/5085 kmph) max speed at 10,000-30,000 meters above sea level. Mach 22+ (14,740 mph/22,455 kmph) max speed at 30,000+ meters above sea level, for a maximum of 5 seconds. Cruising speed is usually Mach 5-6. The VF-22 can vary the configuration of its wings and control surfaces to provide greater speed or control as the situation requires. The Sturmvogel is capable of achieving orbit over an Earth-class planet without additional rocket assistance. Maximum rate of ascent is 61,900 meters/minute. G limits are +60.0 to -45.0 Earth gravities.
MAX ENGINE THRUST:
41,200 kg x2 in an atmosphere, 65,200 kg x2 in space. The maximum thrust is automatically limited in an atmosphere due to coolant problems with the optional air intake systems for the engines.
COMPATIBLE FAST PACKS:
Dorsal: NP-BP-10, NP-BP-12, NR-BP-19, NR-BP-19-SES
Special: NR-ARFB-Y2

STATISTICAL DATA:

HEIGHT:
48.70 ft (15.22 m) in soldier configuration.
25.98 ft (8.12 m) in gerwalk configuration.
12.93 ft (4.04 m) in fighter configuration.
WIDTH:
22.12 ft (6.91 m) at shoulders in soldier configuration.
49.15 ft (15.36 m) in gerwalk or fighter configuration with wings at maximum extension.
LENGTH:
13.54 ft (4.23 m) in soldier configuration.
45.15 ft (14.11 m) in gerwalk configuration.
62.78 ft (19.62 m) in fighter configuration.
WEIGHT:
9340 kg empty. Maximum takeoff weight in an atmosphere is 39,207 kg, and maximum weight in space with optional fold booster is 48,305 kg (weights beyond that exceed theoretical safe limit for fold booster).

PHYSICAL STRENGTH:
Equal to a P.S. of 60
CARGO:
Small compartment behind pilot's seat for personal belongings.
POWER PLANT:
Two 65,200 kg Shinnakasu Industry/Pratt & Whitney/Rolls Royce FF-2450B thermonuclear turbine engines, designed for dual atmosphere/space use with optional concealed trapezoidal air intakes for use in an Earth-type atmosphere. Two 3-dimensional independentent convergent/divergent exhaust are equipped on the FF-2450B for greater maneuverability and V/STOL performance. In addition, several Pratt & Whitney HMM-6J high-maneuverability vernier thrusters are mounted on the wingtips, vertical stabilizers, nose, and other key locations for added performance. Additional thruster options include an external fold generator developed for use with Project Super Nova.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

  1. ERLIKON AAB-7.5 AIR-TO-AIR LASER GUN: The VF-22 mounts a single laser for use in air combat skirmishes and for defensive purposes. The laser is mounted on the head of the mecha in soldier mode, and is located in the forward dorsal section of the main body pointed rearward in fighter and gerwalk modes. The laser can only fire to the REAR of the fighter in these modes; it cannot be turned to fire along another arc.

  2. MAULER REB-22B LASER GUNS: Two semi-fixed laser gun clusters are mounted in the arms the VF-22. Like the VF-17 Nightmare the arm lasers have two exit ports (one pointing each direction) and thus can fire either to the front or the rear of the mecha in any mode. In fighter mode the lasers can only be aimed along the front or rear arc of the aircraft (max angle is about 30 degrees in any direction from the centerline of the fighter) but in gerwalk/soldier they can be aimed in any direction by moving the mecha's arms.

  3. BIFORS BML-02S ALL-ENVIRONMENT RAPID-FIRE MICRO-MISSILE CLUSTERS: The VF-22 is armed with eight internal BML-02S missile launchers that were built exclusively for the mecha design. The launchers are mounted in the forward dorsal and forward ventral sections of the craft and have exit ports on the top and bottom of the wings near the engine nacelles. Any type of UN Spacy mini-missiles can be used by the launchers, including the high-maneuverability mini-missiles recently developed by the UN Spacy. Armor-piercing MMs are standard issue, however. Although the Sturmvogel has double the number of missile launchers of the YF-21 prototype, corresponding dorsal and ventral launchers feed from the same missile bay. Therefore the total number of missiles carried is still the same, although the rate of fire has been doubled.

  4. HOWARD/GENERAL DYNAMICS GV-17L GUN PODS: For a main external weapon, the VF-22 contains TWO new stealth gatling gun pods produced by Howard Industries and General Dynamics. These gun pods are exclusively designed for the VF-22 and are mounted in specially designed storage bays located on the underside of the craft in fighter mode, similar to the gatling gun used by the VF-17 Nightmare. In Gerwalk or Soldier modes the gun pods can be ejected from their bays and used by one or both of the VF-22's hands. The gun pods can fire in any mode; they fire out of a special concealed port when stored in Fighter mode.

    Like the original GU-11 gun pod used by the VF-1 Valkyrie, the GV-17L gun pods do NOT use clips of ammo, but instead have a large internal supply of ammo stored in the barrel of the pod. This allows the GV-17L to contain a larger supply of ammo and bypasses the need to reload while in the field. Once exhausted, the gun pods can only be reloaded by trained technicians at a supply base.

  5. WING HARD POINTS: The VF-22 has four fixed hard points (two per wing) which can be used to hold a variety of different ordinance payloads, including long ,medium, or short range missiles, or even the new medium-range high-maneuverability (MRHM) missiles. One long range, one MRHM, 3 medium range, or 5 short range missiles can be mounted per hardpoint. Usually long range, medium range, or MRHM missiles are used.

    NOTE: Due to the location of the hard points, ALL missiles must be fired or ejected before the VF-22 can convert into soldier mode. For this reason the missiles mounted on the hard points are usually fired within the first few passes of an attack.

  6. CONCEALED MISSILE BAYS: A new addition to the Sturmvogel, the fighter now contains two concealed missile bays on the lower rear area of the fuselage which can hold missiles, bombs, or other tactical ordinace within the body of the VF-22. The advantage to this system is that while enclosed, the payloads can be fully concealed by the active stealth system of the Sturmvogel with no danger of detection. The bays are large enough to hold one long-range missile, two medium-range missiles, or equipment of approximately equal size can be held in each bay. During the Macross 7/Varuta war, the bays were used to carry "Planet Buster" Thermonuclear missiles for use against Protodeviln creatures (unfortunately due to the nature of the Protodeviln these missiles proved ineffective).

  7. HOWARD PBS-03F PIN-POINT BARRIER SYSTEM: The VF-22 is equipped with a new mecha-scale pinpoint barrier system for defense. The system can generate a single pinpoint barrier that can be moved anywhere on the mecha and used as a shield against incoming attacks. The barrier provides 100 MDC of protection, and regenerates at a rate of 50 MDC per round when damaged. Even if destroyed by combined attacks, the shield will regenerate itself within 2 rounds. In order to use the shield, the pilot must make a successful parry roll to intercept an incoming attack. Due to the tremendous power requirements of the system, the head and wing lasers on the YF-19 cannot be used while the barrier is in operation.

  8. HAND TO HAND COMBAT: If necessary, the VF-22 can engage in melee combat rather than use a weapon. The variable fighter 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:

STANDARD EQUIPMENT FOR THE VF-22:


COMBAT BONUSES FOR VF-22 FIGHTER TRAINING:

NOTE: Due to the special forces nature of the Sturmvogel, VF-22 AVF Combat Training should not be available to characters as an initial skill selection. Instead, they should buy the skill when they gain enough experience to advance in rank and receive UN Spacy special forces combat training. Pilots flying the VF-22 Sturmvogel without training only get bonuses from Basic Variable Fighter Combat Training.

BASIC VARIABLE FIGHTER COMBAT TRAINING

ADVANCED VF-22 STURMVOGEL COMBAT TRAINING

REFERENCES USED IN THIS DESIGN

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DAVE DEITRICH http://www.mcs.net/~deitrich/index.html
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