Designation: VF-1+ Valkyrie Enhanced (A,B,D,E,F,G,H,J,R,S, VE-1, VT-1) Veritech Fighter

I. Dimensions:

II. Type:

• (-1A, -1B, -1J, -1R, -1S): One seat all weather aerospace combat mecha, three form Veritech.
• (-1G): One seat all weather aerospace electronic warfare/recon combat mecha, three form Veritech.
• (-1H): One seat all weather aerospace anti-radar/SEAD capable combat mecha, three form Veritech.
• (-1D): Two seat all weather aerospace combat-capable trainer mecha, three form Veritech.
• (-1E): Two seat all weather aerospace electronic warfare/recon combat mecha, three form Veritech.
• (-1F): Two seat all weather aerospace anti-radar/SEAD capable combat mecha, three form Veritech.
• (VE-1): Two seat space only electronic warfare/recon combat mecha, three form Veritech.
• (VT-1): Two seat dedicated trainer mecha, three form Veritech.

III. Service History

• VF-1A: Served with the New Republican Navy and Army Air Corps from 2058 until 2061.
• VF-1B: Served with the New Republican Navy from 2058 until 2061; and with the Army Air Corps from 2058 until present.
• VF-1D: Served with the New Republican Navy and Army Air Corps from 2058 until present.
• VF-1E: Served with the New Republican Navy and Army Air Corps from 2058 until 2064.
• VF-1F: Served with the New Republican Navy and Army Air Corps from 2058 until 2064.
• VF-1G: Served with the New Republican Army Air Corps from 2064 until present.
• VF-1H: Served with the New Republican Army Air Corps from 2064 until present.
• VF-1J: Served with the New Republican Navy from 2058 until present; and with the Army Air Corps from 2058 until 2061.
• VF-1R: Served with the New Republican Navy from 2058 until present; and with the Army Air Corps from 2058 until 2061.
• VF-1S: Served with the New Republican Navy and Army Air Corps from 2058 until present.
• VE-1: Served with the New Republican Navy from 2058 until 2064.
• VT-1: Served with the New Republican Navy and Army Air Corps from 2058 until present.

IV. Propulsion:

(-1A, -1B, -1D, -1E, -1F, -1J, -1R, VT-1):

• 2 x Nakajima/P&W/Rolls-Royce FF-2079J thrust-vectoring fusion turbines, max. unboosted output 149 kN each (boosted, 162 kN each).

  (-1G, -1H, -1S, VE-1):

• 2 x Nakajima/P&W/Rolls-Royce FF2079K thrust-vectoring fusion turbines, max unboosted output 149 kN each (boosted, 171 kN each).

  (All):

• Four Nakajima NBS-1 high-thrust vernier thrusters, one on the ventral in fighter mode, three in the 'backpack' in Guardian and Battloid modes.
• Eighteen P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters distributed around the aircraft; three on each engine block/leg, two on each arm, two on the nose cone, two on the 'backpack', and four on the torso/fuselage.
• Four P&W HHW05 high-thrust vernier vents in the wings, as part of the aircraft's space roll control.
• Powerplant: 2 x RRL-2P miniaturized protoculture-cell energizer.
• Fuel Capacity:
  • 20 Standard Canisters of Protoculture.
  • 12.9 lit. D₂O reactant for fusion engines.

V. Performance:

A. Fighter Mode:

• Max level speed at sea level : Mach 1.4
• Max level speed at 10 km : Mach 2.71
• Max level speed at 30+ km : Mach 3.87
• Stall speed (VTOL shift possible): 230 kph.
• Initial climb rate : over 30km per minute.
• Unboosted service ceiling : 35 km.

B. Guardian Mode:

• Max level speed at all altitudes: 500 kph
• Stall speed : 0 kph (hover)
• Max loiter time : 420 seconds

C. Battloid Mode:

• Max running speed : 160 kph.
• Max flying speed at all altitudes : 194 kph.

D. General:

• Range (space): Total Δ-v 4.1 kps on internal reaction mass. Additional Δ-v can be added by mounting conformal FAST packs; however, values change for different packs (see armament section).
• Protoculture supply: 215 hours operational use.
• G limits: -4.0/+18.5.

VI. Electronics:

Radar tracking:

• Hughes APG-112 UWB pulse-Doppler phased array, providing spherical long-range detection and tracking of targets at all altitudes. Equipped with stealth and passive modes.

Optical tracking:

• Ricoh MOS-110X optical composite tracking system, using sensors for high-quality basic optical, UV, IR and x-ray.
• Thomson LT-9 multi-frequency laser ranger and designator.

Tactical Electronic Warfare System (TEWS):

• Elettronica Supra-10 Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)
• OlDelft 1010 Infra-red Warning Receiver (IRWR)
• Westinghouse AN/ALQ-169(K) ECM Pod
• Westinghouse ALQ-260(V) active sensor jammer

Countermeasures:

• Chaff decoy dispenser with 25 shot capacity.
• Flare decoy dispenser with 25 shot capacity.
• Smoke decoy dispenser with 25 shot capacity.

VII. Armament:

Cannons:

(As built):

• Mauser R�V-20 laser cannon mounted in the head unit. This cannon can fire a laser beam with a yield of 6 MJ every .1 second. The number of lasers mounted varies depending on the model; 1 x in the -A and -E, 2 x in the -D and -J, 3 x in the -R, and 4 x in the -B and -S.

(Refits, post-2062):

• Worthington E-19C1 laser cannon mounted in the head unit. This cannon can fire a laser beam with a yield of 5.2 MJ every .4 second. The number of lasers mounted varies depending on the model; 1 x in the -A and -E, 2 x in the -D, -G, -H, and -J, 3 x in the -R, and 4 x in the -B and -S.

Gun pods:

• 1 x Oerlikon GU-16 64mm three barreled smoothbore rotary gun pod; has a 325 round detachable box magazine. Cannon fires APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) and HESH-I (High Explosive Squash Head-Incendiary) rounds at 1100 rounds/minute. Also fires in five-round burst mode at 1500 rounds/minute. One spare magazine is carried in each leg of the Valkyrie. Can fire in Battloid and Guardian as a handheld cannon; used as a fixed forward cannon in Fighter mode.
• or 1 x Hughes GU-11R 55mm three barreled smoothbore rotary gun pod; has a 200 round capacity. Cannon fires APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) and HESH-I (High Explosive Squash Head-Incendiary) rounds at 1200 rounds/minute. Also fires in five-round burst mode at 1600 rounds/minute. One full reload of rounds is kept in each leg of the Valkyrie; however, these are contained in a disposable cache and must be mechanically transferred to the cannon's internal magazine. Can fire in Battloid and Guardian as a handheld cannon; aimed rearwards when carried in Fighter mode and typically not used.
• or 1 x Cadillac-Gage EP-85 112mm single barreled particle gun pod; firing 225 pulses per minute in full automatic mode, or once per trigger activation in semiautomatic mode. Cannon fires 12.5 MJ pulses in each mode. One spare magazine is carried in each leg of the Valkyrie. Can fire in Battloid and Guardian as a handheld cannon; aimed rearwards when carried in Fighter mode and typically not used.

Hardpoints:

• 4 underwing hardpoints can each carry:
  • 1 x ER-3M multiple ejector rack for three MRAAMs or QAAMs.
  • or 1 x ER-4M multiple ejector rack for four MRAAMs or QAAMs.
  • or 1 x ER-3B multiple ejector rack for three UGBSs, PGBSs or SALMs.
  • or 1 x EC-15 multiple ejector rack for fifteen SRAAMs.
  • or 1 x ER-2M multiple ejector rack for two LRAAMs.
  • or 1 x ER-2B multiple ejector rack for two UGBMs, PGBMs, MALMs, XAGMs or CLBs.
  • or 1 x UGBL, NPB, PGBL, FAEB, or LALM.

FAST packs:

(VF-1 specific):

• NP-BP-01L/R: This is a FAST booster mounted to the back of a VF-1+ Valkyrie. The main thruster is a Pratt & Whitney EF-2063+ reaction thruster and three Nakajima NBS-1 vernier thrusters arranged on either the left or right side. This pack can carry the following weapons systems:
• Oerlikon HMMP-04L/R MRAAM/QAAM missile launcher. This weapon fits two MRAAM/QAAM ejection tubes and one reload per tube for a total of four missiles.
• Oerlikon HMMP-02 SRAAM missile launcher. This weapon fits four SRAAM ejection tubes and three reloads per tube for a total of 16 missiles.
• Mauser R�-X24 particle cannon. This cannon fires 10 MJ particle bursts at 30 bursts per minute.
• NP-AR-01: This is a FAST armor/missile package mounted to the arms of a VF-1+ Valkyrie. This pack contains three SRAAMs; two ready for launch and one reload.
• NP-AR-02: This is a FAST armor/missile package mounted to the arms of a VF-1+ Valkyrie. This pack contaons four SRAAMs; two ready for launch and two reloads.
• NP-FB-01L/R: This is a FAST armor/thruster/fuel package mounted to the legs of a VF-1+. This pack is equipped with a conformal fuel tank containing 22.5 liters of D₂O reaction mass and equipped with one LHP-04 and five NBS-1 vernier thrusters on either the left or right side.

(Other compatible packs):

Miscellaneous:

• 1 x CVR-3M/F personal armor.
• 1 x pilots' personal sidearm. Typical issue for Navy pilots is the M29 revolver or M39 Mesa Eagle automatic, both chambered in .44 Magnum; however, junior and senior officers have their choice of sidearm which can include a number of civilian firearms.
• 1 x ASK-09 aviator survival kit carried in the rear cockpit compartment. This kit contains a twenty-day supply of emergency field rations, water purification tablets, and sidearm ammunition.

VIII. Armor:

The armor on the Valkyrie is the current state-of-the-art development in low-mass composite-materials Chobham plating that became the standard for all Terran mecha after its application to the VQ-6A Vandal. Aside from the respectable protection provided against projectiles, missiles, and other kinetic weapons, this armor is also resistant to plasma globes (annihilation discs), lasers, and to a lesser extent, particle guns, owing to the fact that the armor can flake off and evaporate in layers under fire from such high-energy weapons, taking much of the weapon's energy and converting it into the latent heat of sublimation in the armor.

The armor stops all small arms fire, heavy infantry weapons fire, and light mecha-mounted weaponry; and provides fair to excellent resistance to medium mecha-mounted weaponry, such as the Valkyrie's 55mm APFSDS round, and poor to fair resistance to heavy mecha-mounted weaponry, such as the VHT's 105mm smoothbore shells.

The VF-1+ life support system provides full protection from nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards, using an overpressure cockpit environment activated by radiation and hazardous chemical sensors, or manually when such warfare conditions are anticipated. The internal consumables supplies can provide atmosphere for 24 hours maximum.

IX. Development:

The VF-1 Valkyrie has now been in service for more than 50 years. A number of upgrade programs have been implemented to keep the classic mecha capable, even as a second-line unit. The Valkyrie was also one of the most produced Veritech mecha of the Robotech war period; and several thousand managed to survive all three Robotech wars. At the outset of the Revolution, most of the Veritechs in Republican hands were older, unmodified VF-1s with high airframe hours; or rebuilt VF-1-M 'Morningstar' and VF-1-R 'Mustang' examples, also aging. There were also few in working order; all told, the Republic could only field about 500 VF-1s out of their entire inventory of approximately 3,500 airframes, once lunar independence had been established.

The solution came when the Jupiter Station and its heavy industry sector defected to the Republic. Their small J3 shipyards, originally used for maintenance purposes, was incapable of building new capital ships.  However, Jupiter Station leadership offered the services of the yard to the new Republican government on the moon, and suggested that a portion of the yard could be retooled to overhaul outdated fighters, with the VF-1 in mind. This was due to the fact that a large amount of Jupiter Station's defenses were older Valkyries which were wearing thin. These fighters were needed to hold off Establishment forces,

Jupiter Station had been the pilot shop for an Establishment upgrade to the VF-1 and VF-4 Veritechs, which was canceled before the Revolution. Based on information and prototype equipment stored on board, an upgrade program was developed by engineers on loan from Teledyne Continental. The main focus of the program would be to refurbish the airframes and upgrade the thrusters; improvements to weapon systems were secondary. The reconditioned fighters were referred to as VF-1+ Valkyrie Enhanced.

The new engines were unlicensed copies of a P&W/Rolls-Royce design, and were rolling off the production lines by the end of 2058. Avionics were largely borrowed from the concurrent Veritech Tomcat project. Weapon upgrades were of very low priority, but those few that had been equipped with nose lasers in place of FLIR pods were reverted. No new fighters were constructed; but over one thousand were reconditioned by 2059.

As an upgraded reserve and second-line fighter, the Valkyrie Enhanced performed well; but in the early battles with Tirol, the ranks of Valkyries began to thin ahead of predicted rates and it was evident that the fighter was finally completely eclipsed. Retirement and sales to smaller, independent nations also fighting Tirol have begun, but only so far as newer craft are available to replace them.

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