The 9K115 Metis (“Mongrel”) (UEDF reporting name AT-7 Saxhorn) was a man-portable semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) wire-guided anti-tank missile system of the Eastern Block of Soviet Independent States (EBSIS). This weapon, generally considered to be in the same category as the UEDF’s RL-1 Guided Rocket Launcher, entered service with the Soviet Army and other members of the Warsaw Pact in the early eighties.
The missile was developed by the Tula KBP. It is very similar to the 9K111 Fagot in external appearance (having three main fins); however, the missile is much lighter – primarily because of the reduced fuel load, which reduces the maximum range to 1,000 meters.
During the 1980s, an upgraded version of the missile was developed – the Metis-M 9M115-2 (sometimes labelled Metis-2). Fired from the same launcher, the new missile was much larger and heavier, with an increased range and a larger warhead. The UEDF designation for this missile was AT-13 Saxhorn-2.
DATA
Manufacturer: KBP Instrument Design Bureau
Caliber: 130 mm
System weight: 16.5 kg
Missile weight: 5.5 kg at launch
Missile length: 980 mm
Wingspan: 300 mm
Warhead: HEAT shaped charge
Warhead weight: 2.5 kg
Operational range: 40–1500 meters
Speed: 200 m/s
Guidance system: Wire-guided SACLOS
Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.
Design: Kurgan Special Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering
Builder: Kurganmashzavod and Rubtsovsk Machine Building Plant (RMZ)
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
III. Service History:
Served with the Soviet Army from 1987 until 2023. Continued to be serve with Soviet Army reserve formations and various Eastern Block of Soviet Independent States (EBSIS) members state’s militaries until 2031.
SOZH-M gunner’s main sight with an integrated laser range-finder and missile-guidance channel
AST-B Vesna-K targeting system with thermal imaging camera and automatic target tracker
PL-1 IR laser projector
OU-5-1 IR searchlight
1PZ-10 combined optical sight
SOZH-M thermal imaging camera
OU-3GA2 IR searchlight
VII. Armament:
Main armament
1 x 2A70 100 mm low-pressure gun/missile launcher (able to fire shells or the 9M117 Bastion ATGM)
1 x 2A72 30 mm autocannon
Secondary armament
3 x 7.62 mm PKT machine guns
5 x firing ports with associated vision blocks for embarked infantrymen to fire from
6 x 902V “Tucha-2” 81 mm smoke grenade launchers
VIII. Armor:
The hull and turret are made of a high-strength aluminum alloy, with the front of the hull being provided with an extra steel plate welded over it plus spaced armor from the trim vane. The turret is also provided with a thick steel spaced armor shield over its frontal arc. The maximum thickness is over 35mm in the front.
The armor stops small arms fire, provides excellent resistance to heavy infantry weapons fire, and poor resistance to light mecha-mounted weaponry, such as the Zentraedi 22.3mm HE autocannon round.
The BMP-3 included full nuclear, biological and chemical protect with the GO-27 radiation and chemical agent detector and an FVU filtration system. An automatic fire extinguisher system was also included.
Note: At least two distinct sets of explosive reactive armor kit were available, giving the BMP-3 protection from less advanced rocket propelled grenades. One of them was the Kaktus ERA kit, which had a unique design that created minimal acoustic and kinetic backlash to the armor behind it upon detonation, thus ensuring that the occupants would not be harmed by shockwaves from the ERA block. The BMP-3 could also be fitted with additional side armor tiles, which could resist .50 caliber armor-piercing ammunition perpendicularly at close ranges.
IX. Development:
The BMP-3 was a Soviet lightly armored, fully tracked, infantry fighting vehicle designed to transport seven fully equipped infantrymen. The BMP-3 was the successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The abbreviation BMP stands for Boevaya Mashina Pehoty (Боевая Машина Пехоты, literally “Infantry Combat Vehicle”). It was developed by the Kurgan Special Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering and produced at the OAO Kurganmashzavod plant in Russia. It entered operational service in 1987 and remained in front line service until 2023. Though it left front line service with the Soviet Army in 2023, it continued to serve in reserve units and with the Hungarian, Romanian and Polish Armies until 2031.
The design of the BMP-3, or Object 688M, can be traced back to the Object 685 light tank prototype with its 100 mm gun 2A48-1 from 1975. This vehicle did not enter series production, but the chassis, with a new engine, was used for the next-generation infantry combat vehicle. The resulting BMP-3 was developed in the early 1980s and entered service with the Soviet Army officially in 1987. It was shown for the first time in public during the 1990 Victory Day parade. The BMP-3 is designed and produced by the Kurganmashzavod (“Kurgan Machine Building Plant”) some variants however are built by the Rubtsovsk Machine Building Plant (RMZ).
The BMP-3 was one of the most heavily armed infantry combat vehicles to enter service, fitted with a low-velocity 2A70 100 mm rifled gun, which could fire conventional shells or 9M117 ATGMs (AT-10 Stabber). 40 100mm-rounds and 8 ATGMs were carried. A 2A72 30 mm dual feed autocannon with 500 (300 HEI and 200 APT) rounds and a rate of fire of 350 to 400 RPM, and a 7.62mm PKT machine gun with 2,000 rounds, were also mounted coaxially in the turret. There were also two 7.62mm PKT bow machine guns, again with 2,000 rounds each. The BMP-3 was capable of engaging targets out to 5,000–6,000 meters with its ATGM weapon system 9K116-3 “Basnya”. With conventional ammunition, such as the HE-Frag shell 3OF32, the 2A70 gun had a claimed range of 4,000 meters.
The BMP-3 had an unconventional layout. The engine was in the back of the vehicle to the right (unlike most other IFVs, which have the engine located forward in the hull). As a result, the driver was seated forward in the hull (in the center) together with two infantrymen (one on each side of the driver). The vehicle had a double bottom and the engine is located under the floor of the vehicle (troops enter/leave the vehicle over the engine). The remaining five infantrymen were seated aft of the two-man turret.
Operators included the Soviet Army (up until 2023), the East German Army (up until 2026), the Hungarian Army, the Polish People’s Army, the Romanian Army, the Hellenic Army (up until 2025), the Syrian Army, the Iraqi Army, the Kuwaiti Army, the Saudi People’s Army, the Iranian Revolutionary Army, the North Korean Army and the Cuban Army. The BMP-3 saw action in several conflicts, to include the Global Civil War, the Unification War, the Malcontent Uprisings, the Palestinian Liberation War and the Soviet Invasion of Western Europe in 2031. The BMP-3 also saw plenty of use in the early years of the Invid Occupation with rebel groups within the former territories of the Eastern Block of Soviet Independent States.
Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.
Original artwork by: Steven Zolago (Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1992-93)
The LPP-2 series of light plasma weapons were designed by Monument Arms, in association with the Monument Robotech Research Group (RRG). A plasma weapon, also known as an electrolaser, is a type of directed-energy weapon that uses a laser to form an electrically conductive laser-induced plasma channel (LIPC). A fraction of a second later, a powerful electric current is sent down this plasma channel and delivered to the target. Physical damage is primarily caused by the laser beam, with the follow-on electric causing secondary damage to electronic systems. The secondary electrical disruption has the potential to completely ruin the avionics on even large armored vehicles and mecha. This, of course, depends greatly on a variety of factors including how hardened the targets electronics are against electromagnetic pulse (EMP), where the beam strikes the mecha, conductivity of the mecha’s armor and chance. An interesting side effect is that when the electromagnetic field rips electrons from air molecules to create plasma, similar to lightning, the rapid heating also creates a sonic boom.
All three versions were used primarily by the Marsh Division of the Tactical Corps Special Purpose Troops. All versions were specially adapted for use in wet environments and sealed against water and humidity. Like many weapons systems used by the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF), three variants of the LPP-2 were made utilizing different firing apertures. The standard aperture was a single 10mm barrel. The LPP-2A used twin 10mm apertures, and the LPP-2H had a bizarre flat plane variable aperture. The H model fired in an adjustable horizontal arc. This was primarily used as a suppressive fire weapon. At low power settings, all LPP-2 could serve as a less-than-lethal option in crowd control situations as the electrical transfer of energy to the target allowed the weapons to act as a very powerful taser. A quirk of the LPP-2 was that it used dual energy magazines. These magazines were shared with several different energy weapons. Mounted on the back of the weapon, they resemble a pair of stubby pistol grips.
Year Introduced: 2023
Designer: Monument Arms, Monument RRG
Acquiring Military: UEDF, TC Marsh Division
Capacity: dual energy magazines; 16 full energy discharges (LPP-2), 8 full energy discharges (LPP-2A), 10 full energy discharges (LPP-2H)
Rate of Fire: semi-automatic
Weight: 1.89 kg (LPP-2), 2 kg (LPP-2A), 2.25 kg (LPP-2H)
Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (R) is the property of Big West Advertising, Tatsunoko Studio and Ammonite studio. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.
Original artwork by: Kogawa Tomonori, Hiroyuki Kitazume, Miyo Sonoda, Hiroshi Ogawa, Hirotoshi Ohkura and Takashi Ono; Kevin Siembieda, Kevin Long, Daniel Dussault, Allen Manning, Brian Manning, Apollo Okamura, Benjamin Rodriguez, Charles Walton II and Michael Wilson
Offshore Submersibles Ltd. HADS-10 Kraken Hard Atmospheric Diving Suit
by Tim Wing
I. Dimensions:
Height: 3 meters
Depth: 1.2 meters
Width: 1.5 meters
Weight: 473 kg
II. Type:
Design: Brisbane RRG and Offshore Submersibles Ltd.
Builder: Offshore Submersibles Ltd.
Type: one-man power assisted hard atmospheric diving suit
III. Service History:
WASP-4: Hard atmospheric diving suit used by the Royal Navy from 1996 until 2017; by the UN Spacy from 2004 until 2017; and by the UEDF Naval Division from 2018 until 2023.
HADS-10: Combat capable hard atmospheric diving suit used by the UEDF Naval Division from 2021 until 2031.
IV. Propulsion:
Engines: 6 x hydrojets, one mounted on each shoulder and two in each calve
Powerplant: 1 x Brisbane RRG protoculture cell energizer
Fuel Capacity: 4 x standard protoculture cells
V. Performance:
Maximum speed in water: 64 kph
Maximum running speed: 72 kph
Maximum dive depth: 1,800 meters
VI. Electronics:
Synthetic aperture sonar suite. Utilizes both active and passive modes. Can detect targets at up to 80 km in active modes.
High-intensity multi-spectrum diving lights.
VII. Armament:
1 x TDWS-45 Torpedo Gun. The TDWS-45 was 45mm dual tube underwater torpedo launcher designed specifically for underwater combat. Fires a 45mm sonar guided torpedo with a high explosive shaped charge warhead, propelled by a Stored Chemical Energy Propulsion (SCEP) system. Payload consists of six torpedoes, loaded in two magazines with three torpedoes each. Maximum range is 3.7 km. The warhead is intended primarily for anti-ship operations, though it is capable of engaging mecha, if said mecha are underwater.
Note: The HADS-10 can also carry a broad range of hand held light infantry and powered armor specific weapons systems for land combat and amphibious operations.
VIII. Armor:
The armor of the HADS-10 is composed of high strength steel titanium alloy, or “space metal” as it is colloquially known. The armor of the HADS-10 stops all light infantry weapons small, provides fair resistance to heavy infantry weapons fire and poor resistance light mecha-mounted weaponry, such as the Zentraedi 22.3mm HE autocannon round.
The HADS-10 provides protection from all nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. Internal consumables provide oxygen for up to 24 hours of operational use.
WASP-4
IX. Development:
The HADS-10 was built by Offshore Submersibles Ltd., designer of pre-war diving suits such as the WASP-4. The WASP-4 was already in service with the Royal Navy and the UN Spacy, before both services were combined under the Treaty of the Southern Cross. The newly formed Naval Infantry Corps of the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) Naval Division wanted an upgraded version of the old WASP-4 which would be capable of amphibious combat. The Robotech Research Group in Brisbane Australia took up the challenge, completely redesigning the WASP.
The HADS-10 introduced power assist to the articulated joints as well as an integral water propulsion system consisting of pump jets to the basic design of the WASP-4. Provisions were made for a detachable propulsion pack. This pack did not increase speed, but rather was for long range amphibious missions. The HADS-10 was built for amphibious operations, being capable of both land and sea combat.
The HADS-10 was used for two primary combat missions: anti-shipping and amphibious assault. In the anti-shipping role, the Kraken would typically be used against ships in port where they would be safe from attack submarines. This sort of mission was reserved for the Naval Divisions Underwater Demolitions Teams (UDTs). The amphibious assault mission was the job of the more conventional Naval Infantry. For this mission, the HADS-10 could disembark from ships at sea over the horizon from the target area. The Kraken would then swim in at high speed and attack coastal defenses with hand held anti-mecha guided missiles. In addition to its combat duties, the HADS-10 was used for a variety of more mundane purposes, from rescue to deep sea salvage. Krakens continued to be involved in recovering protoculture supplies from down Zentraedi spaceships all the way up to the Invid Invasion.
An HADS-10 Kraken engaged in combat with EBSIS genetically engineered guard dolphins at the port of Sevastopol.
Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (R) is the property of Big West Advertising, Tatsunoko Studio and Ammonite studio. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.
Original artwork by: Kogawa Tomonori, Hiroyuki Kitazume, Miyo Sonoda, Hiroshi Ogawa, Hirotoshi Ohkura and Takashi Ono
VF-3000A production standard variant, fighter mode
VF-3000A production standard variant, Battloid mode
VF-3000A production standard variant, technical illustrations
VF-3000B strike variant concept
Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (R) is the properties of Big West Advertising and Studio Nue. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.
Original artwork by: Shoji Kawamori, Miyatake Kazutaka, Haruhiko Mikimoto and Hidetaka Tenjin
Acknowledgement is extended to the work of Egan Loo and the Macross Compendium. Egan Loo is given all credit for all quotes and paraphrasing of the Macross Compendium that has been utilized in this publication.
Images Courtesy of Chad Wilson (Marchly) and the Macross Mecha Manual. Chad Wilson is given all credit for all images from the Macross Mecha Manual that have been utilized in this publication.
The VF-3000 was a Veritech fighter designed by Northrop Aviation as a competitor to Rockwell Bell’s VF-4 Lightning. Both Veritechs were born from the need of a successor to the VF-1 Valkyrie. Like the VF-4, the VF-3000 Crusader (nicknamed the “Stretch Valkyrie”) was significantly larger than the VF-1, though it kept the same basic design layout as the Valkyrie. This lead to a lawsuit by Rockwell Bell, alleging that even though the majority of Valkyries were built by Northrop under contract, the intellectual property rights for the design belonged to the Rockwell team. This lawsuit failed in court, but it did manage to hold up the development of the VF-3000 significantly. This delay helped give the Rockwell Bell team the edge, allowing them to win the contract. This is a shame, as the VF-4 Lightning ended up being a flop due to obscene failure rates with its transformation sequence and its high purchase and operational costs. The VF-3000, on the other hand, used a proven and much simpler transformation sequence. Even though there were some early problems with the Battloid/GERWALK leg to fuselage interface, these were minor in comparison to the sequence of miracles needed for the VF-4 to successfully convert from fighter to Battloid. A second lawsuit was also filed by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) for the rights of the name Crusader. LTV won this case and Northrop was forced to pay them a nominal licensing fee.
The VF-3000 Crusader’s gun pod was the second-generation GU-11D. The GU-11D gun pod was originally built for the VF-1 and was a notable improvement over the original gun pod due to the detachable magazine feed system. The GU-11D introduced rocket assisted, self-guided 55mm ammunition. These rounds were effectively miniaturized anti-tank guided missiles. They extended the range and accuracy of the GU-11 significantly, at the cost of warhead wield. The removable magazine held 320 rounds. The gun pod also had provisions for a (ridicules) anti-armor bayonet, though this was a concept that was never used operationally on a Veritech. While the smaller VF-1 Valkyrie could also accommodate the GU-11D gun pod, its enormous size prevented it from being adopted.
With the VF-4 officially winning the contract in 2014, Northrop continued to develop the VF-3000 on its own dime in the hope of marketing it to United Earth Government (UEG) member states. In fact, the United States Air Force and Navy were on board to purchase the VF-3000, having signed a contract in 2016. These plans were scuttled in 2017 when the decision came down to standardize all weapons systems once the individual militaries of the UEG consolidated under the Treaty of the Southern Cross. The United States continued to hold out hope for the VF-3000, but all funding and development officially ended in 2018 when the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) was created. The VF-3000 was briefly reconsidered in 2020 as the major problems with the VF-4 Lightning became apparent. Eight final production examples were indeed dusted off and assigned to the Tactical Armored Space Corps’ VX-2 “Dancing Skulls” operational test and evaluation squadron. While the VF-3000 performed well, the UEDF decided against it in favor of the far cheaper VF/F-6.
A strike variant designated the VF-3000B was also submitted to the UN Spacy and later the US Air Force for consideration. The most obvious difference was a tail assembly that combined the horizontal stabilizers and vertical tail fins, mounted on the rear of the fuselage. Less obvious was the massively increased wing area, which would have doubled the type’s useful combat load. With no examples ever being produced, this type existing on paper only.
Manufacturer: Northrop
Development: 2012 to 2018
Crew: pilot plus radar intercept officer (REO)
Dimensions in fighter mode: length 15.5 meters; wingspan 16.1 meters
Mass: empty 11.95 metric tons
Power Plant: 2 x Shinnakasu/P&W/Rolls Royce FF-2450A thermonuclear turbine engines; 4 x auxiliary nozzles above engine nacelles and 2 x auxiliary nozzels in the aft center (fighter mode)
Propulsion: 22,500 kg x 2 (220.73 kN x 2); many x vernier thrusters
Thrust-to-weight ratio: (empty) 3.77
Performance: standard cruising speed at 10,000 m Mach 3.1+
Design Features: 3-mode variable transformation; vertical Take-off and landing (VTOL); variable main wing; two-seater cockpit; enlarged tail fins form X-shape
Armament:
1 x Hughes GU-11D 55mm gatling gun pod
1 x large laser cannon (mounted center ventral section – right side – in Fighter/GERWALK modes, becomes head turret in Battloid mode)
2 x Mauser RöV-22 anti-aircraft laser cannons (mounted center ventral section – left side – in Fighter/GERWALK modes, becomes head turret in Battloid mode)
6 x under-wing hard point weapon stations
Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (R) is the properties of Big West Advertising and Studio Nue. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.
Original artwork by: Shoji Kawamori, Miyatake Kazutaka, Haruhiko Mikimoto and Hidetaka Tenjin
Acknowledgement is extended to the work of Egan Loo and the Macross Compendium. Egan Loo is given all credit for all quotes and paraphrasing of the Macross Compendium that has been utilized in this publication.
Images Courtesy of Chad Wilson (Marchly) and the Macross Mecha Manual. Chad Wilson is given all credit for all images from the Macross Mecha Manual that have been utilized in this publication.
Fuel Mass: 147,000 metric tons, maximum (typical).
Propulsion systems:
Main power system: RRG Mk16 protoculture-fueled Reflex furnace. The powerplant of the Independence-class vessel can deliver up to 3.38 Petawatts of power, and can operate for seventy-two minutes at maximum power before overheat initiates autoshutdown.
Maneuvering Thrusters (8): Fusion-plasma reaction thruster clusters mounted on the bottom, top, and sides of the main hull, halfway to the bow and the stern.
Anti-gravity System (1): 27 RRG Titan anti-gravity pods.
Space Fold (1): RRG (Robotech Research Group) Mk9 spacefold. This system generates a spherical fold bubble and can transport 30 to 40 subluminal ships in its fold radius.
Planetary Capabilities: The Independence-class has atmospheric capabilities through its reaction thrusters and anti-gravity system. The ships’ structure has sufficient strength to let the ship land; however, any particle gun turrets under the hull would be crushed by the weight and, without previous preparation on the ground, damage to the hangars will occur. Therefore, when landing its troops, the ships are advised to generate a -99% of the local gravity counterforce with their anti-gravity systems. Note that the ground underneath should still be as firm as possible. The ship will float in an ocean, and this is the preferred landing method for extended planetary operations. Unfortunately, the main hangars access doors will be submerged.
Endurance and mobility limits:
The dry stores endurance is 2 years maximum. After that time, the Independence-class will have to restock its supplies. Water stores are recycled almost completely. The hydroponics installations on board will provide the crew with a reasonable amount of fresh food, but the ship, while far better equipped than the smaller Garfishes, is not completely self-sufficient.
The mecha consumables supplies (missiles mainly) are reasonably extensive, and can sustain continuous combat operations for over twenty days against the Invid. However, a battle against Zentraedi or other forces with a capital ship capability will swiftly drain the stores of anti-ship missiles, as these are not usually carried in very large numbers. The ship launched missile magazines should suffice for two large battles or three or more skirmishes.
The Reflex furnace can function for about 30 years at normal usage levels before an energizer rebuild is necessary.
At full power, the main propulsion systems can produce up to 34.5 Giganewtons of thrust at a minimal reaction mass efficiency profile, or as little as 1.34 Giganewtons of thrust at a maximum efficiency setting. At lower power levels, these thrusts are commensurately smaller.
At full power, the Independence-class can achieve a maximum delta-v of 204 kps at the cruising acceleration of 0.1 gees, a maximum delta-v of 40.8 kps at the battle acceleration of 1.0 gees, and a delta-v of at most 11.4 kps at the flank acceleration of 2.5 gees. At lower power levels, these ranges are commensurately smaller. Ultra-high efficiency modes will extend the delta-v, but always at the cost of very low accelerations and hence extended travel times.
The fold systems are not navigationally guaranteed for any single jump beyond 10 kiloparsecs (32,600 ly). If longer voyages are required, the ships must conduct multiple fold jumps. These jumps can however be made in quick succession.
The maximum sustained atmospheric speed is limited to subsonic values. During a re-entry, the ship will exceed this, but flight control is sluggish and the speed is always reduced to subsonic speeds as soon as possible. The maximum hover time on the anti-gravity systems is limited only by the protoculture supplies and maintenance requirements.
Weapon systems:
PL-1e Point Defense turrets (12): Mounted the top (8) and bottom (4) of hull behind movable panels, these close in weapon systems can fire 63 MJ of particle energy four times per second. Typically, these weapons are used against enemy mecha.
Mk.253 MLS missile systems (2): This is a VLS missile system. Each system has 10 individual rotating silos which contain 6 missiles each. The missiles are launched through one firing port per silo; and the upper cover of the launcher is armored, thus exposing only one missile per silo directly to enemy fire. The ready magazines under each silo cluster store another 120 missiles, and the magazine can reload the silo launchers while these are in use. The missiles typically used in these launchers are the Warhawk and the Spacehawk. These are usually the standard HE, nuclear reaction anti-warship and nuclear reaction re-entry capable versions. Both launchers are mounted on the bottom of the hull, amidship.
Air group and mecha complement:
Standard air group:
144 VF-6 Alpha fighters in quick-reaction launch bays.
100 additional VF-6 Alpha fighters.
60 fighter-bombers such as the VF-5 Condor and the VF-12 Beta
68 Elint Legioss ESM reconnaissance craft,
4 EC-32 Eyrie AWACS shuttles,
10 RC-4 Rabbit light personnel and cargo shuttles.
Ground forces mecha (if embarked):
210 Destroids (various types),
4500 Cyclones (various types).
Notes: This is a typical complement c. 2043; only 144 Alphas and 72 fighter-bombers are part of the Naval Combatants Air Wing, while the other mecha belong to Tactical Corps or Marine units stationed on board. The exact number and type of mecha vary somewhat due to operational realities. About 660 large mecha total is normal, but there is storage and hangar space for 800+ craft. However, this would cause overcrowding in the launch bays.
Design notes:
The Independence-class was developed from the Nergal-class cruisers, which they resemble to a large degree. However, the Independence-class is larger and more capable overall, as well as more suited to receiving upgrades without undue removal of other systems. The Independence-class had a short production run, before being developed into the Ikazuchi-class.
The Independence series of large cruisers are vaguely rectangular in shape, with a gravity-well attitude that might remind one of a brick flying on its side. The hull narrows considerably in the center, effectively making for an hourglass-silhouette when viewed from the bow or the stern. The four main thrusters are located astern, one on each of the corner-points. The two auxiliary engines are located in sponsons that run along the port and starboard hull, beginning amidships and running along aft until the end of the ship. There is also a command citadel on the upper port side of the vessel, with an observation deck on top of it. Six Alpha launch bays are located on the sides of the ship, capable of launching up to 144 Alphas in battloid mode. The main hangars and their movable blast shield doors are located in the lower amidship levels. The doors cover the exits of three hangar decks and roll toward the stern of the ship when craft are being launched or retrieved.
In the lower stern of the hull is a rapid launch bay. This bay is a 140-meter triangular tube used to accelerate aerospace craft during combat launches using an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). This system can accelerate an aerospace craft to 720 kph by the end of the launch track. This translated into a .2 kps increase in delta-v for the aerospace craft. While this was a significant increase in overall delta-v, the down side is that the system takes up allot of space: the entire forward lower deck. The system is only able to launch one aerospace craft at a time, and then only one every three minutes. This made for slow scramble times, and huge variances in remaining delt-v for the aerospace craft involved, as each succeeding mecha would have to accelerate exponentially to catch up with the lead craft. This, combined with a 7 to 8 G load on the pilot and airframe, which no-one likes, doomed this system as a concept. By removing it on the follow-on Ikazuchi-class, naval-architects were able to increase hanger space by a third.
The command citadel houses two command decks, the main hull 12 main decks, though deck 12 is just a small outcropping on the underside of the vessel, usually used as a Horizont shuttle hangar and staging area. The main decks serve the following purposes: deck one is mainly crew and officers’ quarters, and this deck houses the navigation computer and the Astrogator and his mates. Deck two contains crew facilities and the port and starboard launch bays. Deck three consists of the senior officers’ quarters and the engineering block, which includes the hyperspatial communications array, life support, auxiliary gravity control, and quarters for the engineers’ mates. Decks four and seven include much of the quarters and facilities for the crew, as well as the ship’s stores. Decks five and eight are mainly used for the Planetary Forces troops, though there are also cargo holds and crew and officers’ quarters as well. Decks six and nine contain the auxiliary systems, as well as quarters for the Veritech pilots. Decks ten, eleven, and twelve are mainly hangar facilities for the ship’s mecha.
The absence of an extensive point defense capability was the most serious flaw of the pre-refit version of this design. This is even odder when one considers the rather extensive AAA installations on the SDF-1 and 2, and on the Armor series orbital platforms. This lack of attention to anti-mecha operations in the original design would prove to be very costly. The later Ikazuchi-class suffered from the same short fall, which was corrected in the refitted version which added no less than 24 additional defensive cannon emplacements, in a brute-force approach to increase the defenses against Invid ramming tactics.
History:
The Independence-class was the forerunner of the Ikazuchi-class, which became the mainstay of the United Earth Expeditionary Force (UEEF). In 2032 the UEEF found themselves depleted both in vessels and in manpower, though they did possess, in the Robotech Satellites, the means to rebuild the fleet. Since the demographic make-up of the UEEF delayed significant reinforcements for almost ten years, the Expeditionary Force design bureau decided not to proceed with emergency construction of the existing Nergal-class cruiser, but to design a new cruiser, incorporating new advances in warship engineering.
Because of conceptual problems with the Independence-class’s rapid launch bay, the type was redesigned shortly after its initial deployment. Only five ships of this class were built before production shifted to the improved Ikazuchi-class. Like the Ikazuchi-class, the Independence-class suffered from deficiencies in their air defense capabilities. All five ships remained in service until their destruction over Earth during the UEEF’s reclamation attempts.
While the rapid launch bay was considered a failure, it did demonstrate some advantages when launching reconnaissance and electronic warfare aerospace craft. Since these types typically operate alone or in pairs, the need for following craft to expend reaction mass in order to catch up was attenuated. Because of this, the Independence-class was not retired nor refit. Rather, one Independence-class was assigned to each battle group to act as the primary ship for electronic attack squadrons, reconnaissance squadrons and other electronic warfare squadrons.
Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (R) is the property of Fuji Television, Artmic Studio and Tatsunoko Production. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.
Original artwork by: Yoshitaka Amano, Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma
Acknowledgement is extended to Peter Walker, Pieter Thomassen and Robert Morgenstern of the unofficial Robotech Reference Guide. Peter Walker, Pieter Thomassen and Robert Morgenstern are given credit for all quotes and paraphrasing of the unofficial Robotech Reference Guide that has been utilized in this publication.
Content by Pieter Thomassen and Peter Walker, edited by Tim Wing
The Sandstorm was a light-armored, two-person, side-by-side, all-terrain vehicle. It was designed by General Dynamics in the late nineties for the Special Forces community. It was meant to replace the various commercial side-by-side all-terrain vehicles then in use by the US Army’s Special Forces, Combat Applications Group (CAG, or more commonly known as Delta Force), United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) and the US Navy’s SEAL teams. The final design crossed the looks of a side-by-side sport all-terrain vehicle and a dune buggy. It was rugged, fast, but unarmed and lightly armored. It was powered by a 660cc Single-Cylinder flex fuel engine with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The engine could burn bio-diesel, diesel, JP-8, kerosene or various other hydrocarbon-based fuels.
After the end of the First Robotech War Maxwell Dynamics acquired the rights for the ST-10 with its acquisition of General Dynamics. The design went back into production and was purchased by the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) for their Special Purpose Divisions. Most were used Reconnaissance Division, the Forest Division, the Desert Division and the Jungle Division. Maxwell Dynamics also pushed it on the Reconnaissance Expeditionary Force (REF) for use by their Special Warfare troops. The acquisition of the ST-10 was frivolous, as the Special Forces community in the REF preferred to use hover vehicles such as the HR-32 Flash-Clapper. Because of this, most Sandstorms did not come out of their shipping containers for the duration of the Sentinels Campaign. The ST-10 received a new lease on life during the Invid Occupation. It had a flex fuel engine that gave it respectable range and allowed operation near the Invid without fear of Protoculture emissions detection.
Vehicle Type: Off-Road All-Terrain Vehicle
Crew: Two
Max speed: 128 kph
Fuel economy: 2.9 l/100 km
Height: 1.5 m
Length: 2.9 m
Width: 1.4 m
Weight: 495 kg
Cargo capacity: 350 kg
Power System: 660cc Single-Cylinder flex fuel engine with a continuously variable transmission (CVT)
Fuel capacity: 30.2 liters
Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (R) is the property of Fuji Television, Artmic Studio and Tatsunoko Production. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.
Original artwork by: Yoshitaka Amano, Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma
