Jayne's Intelligence Annual - Earth Mecha
VQ-6A Alpha Drone The VQ-6A Alpha Drone is an automated veritech fighter derived from the VF/A-6 Alpha Fighter. The VF/A-6 Alpha had originally been conceived as a non-transforming drone fighter, the YQ-6000, but technological limitations and political issues in the 2010's and 2020's saw the cancellation of that program and the conversion of the design to a fully transformable veritech fighter. In the early 2030's the UEEF revisited the concept, in hopes of reducing the personnel requirements aboard star-ship combat wings. Using standard mass production VF/A-6 airframes, the Cockpit modules were replaced with powerful artificial intelligence control computers and high bandwidth data links. Additional optical sensors were installed as well to provide the drone with all round vision. The drones proved viable in tests and live fire trials, capable of controlling all three modes and carrying out their instructions efficiently, but towards the end of the project UEEF high command underwent a shift in opinion about the viability of drone mecha. The drone AI was saddled with control restrictions to prevent autonomous operation (justified by concerns over the drone's ability to tell friend from foe), which made the drones little more than remotes controlled directly from a central computer station. Drone performance in tests and trials dropped greatly, leading to the cancellation of the project. since the custom built airframes could not be refitted for conventional cockpit modules, and a limited run of several hundred drones had already been produced for extensive field testing, recycling of the hardware was not considered. The entire run of drones, their control systems, and most of the technical staff were assigned to the relief force for earth, intended to assist them against the Robotech Masters. The relief force arrived too late to assist the ASC, and when the Invid arrived it and the ASC were effectively destroyed. The whereabouts of the Drones after the Invid arrival is unknown. All had been believed destroyed, but three drones somehow had made their way into the hands of a local warlord in South America, encountered by Commander Bernard's irregulars during their trek to Reflex Point. Given the number of drones produced and deployed, it seems likely that additional examples survived and might have been employed elsewhere.
The VQ-6A Alpha drone is equipped with an AI drone system replacing the cockpit (providing combat stats equivalent to the QF-3000 Drone combat stats + Alpha MECT), as well as a high bandwidth long range encrypted radio system for communicating with their command station (500 mile/800km range.) The command stations are consoles roughly the size of a Fold communications station, weighing roughly half a ton, and can co-ordinate up to three dozen drones at one time. If a command station is not available, up to three drones can be controlled by any command variant veritech, battloid, or fighter. UEEF starship communications systems and computers can be employed to duplicate command station functions, and could control several hundred drones, in theory, however no known UEEF ship currently carries the software required to serve in that role.
VQ-6X Shadow Drone In the 2040's, the UEEF revisited the drone concept. Issues involving the software capabilities of the automated fighters were addressed with artificial intelligence insights obtained from the Haydonites, and lingering concerns over the lack of direct control were solved with stronger target discrimination algorithms to prevent blue-on-blue incidents. With the third major earth recovery effort gearing up, The second generation drone airframe was designed to be cheaper to produce and optimized for ground assault, sacrificing some capability in fighter and guardian mode for greater firepower in battloid mode. The shoulder missile assembly was deleted in favor of a retractable sensor array, allowing the mecha's entire head assembly to be deleted from the final design. to make up for this reduction in firepower, two flip up chest launchers holding twelve short range missiles each were added, increasing the mecha's firepower in battloid mode to 68 missiles. However, these launchers are blocked by the nose assembly when in fighter and guardian mode, preventing their use in anything other than battloid mode. In fighter mode this leaves the fighter limited to the EU-15 Destabilizer gun pod, two nose lasers, and 28 short range missiles from the mecha's inner leg and forearm launchers. The mecha relocates the VTOL thruster to the nose assembly, which faces aft in battloid mode providing improved battloid mode flight ability.
During the final assault on Reflex Point, squadrons of Shadow Drones were deployed to support the UEEF and Resistance forces in breaching the main hives. Since the Drones could not be controlled directly by the fleet in orbit, they were deployed in autonomous mode, assigned to accept tactical updates from on-site command craft, but otherwise operating on their own. Their blue-on-blue prevention software allowed a small force of human combatants to engage and destroy multiple Shadow Drones before the Invid forces abandoned earth. The surviving Shadow drones were recovered and placed in storage aboard ships of the UEEF around earth while the fleet recovered from the assault. After the Haydonite attack on Space Station Liberty, the intact drones self-activated and shot their way out of their ships, engaging UEEF Shadow Fighters in a running dogfight before being recovered by an unknown star-ship hiding in earths debris ring. It is believed that this ship was a Haydonite vessel, and the rogue Shadow Drones might be encountered in future engagements
Alpha Fighter Orbital Augmentation Booster (OAB) The orbital augmentation booster was the brainchild of ALUCE base in the late 2030's during the Invid occupation. The lunar bases had been cut off from earth with the Invid invasion in 2031, but had been ignored by the Invid. The ASC forces which inhabited the lunar bases continued to serve as a communications relay for resistance forces on earth and perform recon patrols of earth orbital space to spy on the Invid. However towards the end of the 2030s lack of resupply began to see a reduction in functional TASC shuttle craft used for this role. Contact with the UEEF did little to alleviate this issue, and an alternative to TASC shuttles was developed using UEEF supplied Alpha Fighters. Making use of down-checked ASC aerospace assets, a set of bolt on boosters housing SLMH fueled fusion rockets and high output Ion drive systems were developed to provide individual Alpha Fighters sufficient Delta-V to handle trans-lunar orbital travel without employing their own internal tankage. The boosters fusion drives gave acceleration levels equivalent to a non-booster equipped Alpha fighter, while the high yield ion thrusters were sufficient for only .00357 gravities of acceleration. while useless in combat, the ion drive made long duration covert travel viable between earth and moon. Some pilots made use of the booster in combat to augment the Alpha fighter's own drives, combined the two could produce twice the acceleration of the fighter alone. The boosters were originally intended to be used only in the mecha's fighter mode, but during testing it was determined that by disabling elements of the wing-fold stage of transformation, the boosters could be retained in battloid and guardian mode, allowing the mecha to retain the booster without hindering its defense, although booster operation in these modes is disabled due to issues with booster placement. Due to uncertainty as to the range of Invid hive sensors, Alpha patrols using the OAB were conducted with the mecha's protoculture power-plant and radios shut down for emissions control, relying on the SLMH fusion engines of the boosters for power as well as propulsion. Standard procedure was to activate the mecha's protoculure power-plant only for self defense in the event of certain detection. a typical misson was 52 hours. 23 hours each to and from the moon using the high output ion drives, and 6 hours in the earth orbital debris ring listening for radio signals from the resistance and performing visual observation of invid hive sites with telescopic cameras. Pilots assigned to Alpha-OAP missions developed a reputation for their endurance, living for days in their cockpit. these 'blackbirds' as they came to call themselves became an elite association within ALUCE base's fighter corps. The Boosters were retired in 2044 with the arrival of the UEEF Jupiter Division's Shadow Fighters, which did not require an alternate drive system to remain invisible to invid sensors, and could be ferried by shadow device equipped UEEF shuttle craft.
Cestus Urban Operations Mecha
The Cestus is a miniature mecha developed by the UEDF for infantry support of Destroids in close quarters environments. Similar size to the later ASC powered armor suits, it is often erroneously referred to as a "battle suit', although it is an actual conventionally piloted mecha. Developed alongside the Destroids, its smaller size and distinct power system delayed deployment. The first companies were rush deployed after the Macross island 'Launch day' attack, and several battalions had been formed and deployed by the time of the final battle of the 1st war. Most were assigned to urban areas that where destroyed in the bombardment, however some units survived in untouched areas. After the war, the new UEG placed the mecha into production for a time, employing it for urban peacekeeping and against human renegades. The unit was eventually replaced by the Southern Cross powered armor suits. The mecha is powered by a 1st generation high yield fuel cell, fueled by SLMH. this provides the mecha with 72 hours of operational power. Backup power is provided by high density batteries, which can power the life support and communications system for 24 hours. Ground mobility is limited compared to Destroids, only 25mph (40.23 kph), however the suit mounts electric turbofans and stabilizing wings that enhance its jump capacity to 200ft (61 meters). Sustained jumping movement can propel the mecha at speeds of up to 50mph (40.46kph), however this reduces the operational power duration by almost half. The mecha is armored against most light mecha weaponry, and its mobility and small size (14ft/4.2 meter tall) makes it tougher to target. The mecha's standard weapon is a 14.5mm laser mounted on the right arm, providing anti-vehicle firepower. For urban pacification and riot work, on post-war models a 7.62mm light machine gun could be fitted in place of the laser, typically loaded with less-than-lethal rubber or plastic ammunition. After it was retired by the UEDF, many found their way into the hands of local defense forces of both the UEG aligned and independent states of earth, where they provided much needed mecha capability to supplement the limited supply of UEG built destroids and battloids. Some managed to serve well into the Invid occupation, where resistance “Patchers” frequently upgraded them with additional armor, as well as salvaged cyclone power plants, thrusters, and weaponry, in an attempt to increase their endurance and combat effectiveness.VR-041K "Scimitar" Saber Cyclone
The VR-041 Saber cyclone was designed to serve as a front-line combat mecha, however the CADS vibro-weapons proved difficult for many troops to master, and as the UEEF became embroiled in a war against the forces of the Invid Regent, the focus of cyclone combat began to shift in favor of missile weaponry. In response to this shift in doctrine, the UEEF developed the VR-041K "scimitar", a variant of the Saber which replaced the CADS weapon system with a pair of the recently developed GR-97 Mini-missile systems, which boosted the Cyclone's overall anti-mecha firepower. The variant was quickly replaced in mainline use by the simpler VR-052 Battler cyclone, although the Scimitar found a home in UEEF Special forces use as a heavy support suit. Because modification into the Scimitar configuration is relatively simple, the variant was also duplicated by the 'Patcher's' of the Earth Resistance, which often were forced to replace the Saber's CADS system after their loss in combat. When Saber weapon systems were in short supply, parts from the VR-052 Battler were often substituted.
