What I'd like to do is keep GSS Variable Fighters one step ahead of what's on the 'public' market -- Stonewell-Bellcom is the primary design/research team looking into them. I plan on following fairly close to the canonical Macross timeline for deployment, with some exceptions (I may skip straight from VF-11 to VF-171, the VF-17 is just UGLY IMO. Or it might be a competing product from BAT?)
The VF-4 will have an early version of energy-conversion armor. The first wave of VF-1's were heavily-waved F-14's, as mentioned previously, and the second were basically hand-built by SBA technicians. A total of 75 airframes were built in this manner. 32 were destroyed in the Boskone War and 21 more in Vorax's War. (Most of the VF-4-equipped squadrons were forward-deployed with the Great Justice/UN fleet, Greenwood home defense had mostly VF-1's.) FAST-equipped VF-1's had a notable maneuverability advantage over Vorax's aerospace fighters and battlemechs but had difficulty penetrating their armor with the weapons available. Their own armor, while effective enough against the light missiles and smaller-caliber lasers employed by the pirate forces, had serious problems with heavier weapons such as PPCs, Large Lasers, and heavier-caliber autocannons.
The VF-4 had better armor (with an early-generation handwavium energy-conversion system) that stood up better but was still not equal to Spheroid armors. Its weapons were considerably more effective, however, designed for use against armor equivalent to its own.
Shortly after the incursion and the opening of contact with the Inner Sphere, SBA designers began work on incorporating Spheroid technology into the next-generation fighter. The VF-11 would begin deployment to GSS squadrons in (not-yet-finalized) with VF-4 licensing to other manufacturers shortly thereafter.
(I plan to have the VF-171 as the GSS standard with the VF-25 hitting elite squadrons around the time of the Clan Invasion, in the Candle timeline.)
BAT is the only company to mass-produce the VF-1.
A GSS squadron is composed of 14 airframes, of which 12 are on active flight duty with two in reserve stores for replacements.
An Eagle-class frigate can support a single squadron under normal operating conditions, an Acquila-class destroyer carries two.
Tempted to increase the squadrons assigned to the Eta Cass expedition and home defense, but not sure.
Acquila visual reference: http://ptn.home.xs4all.nl/Naval/Banshee.html
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
The VF-4 will have an early version of energy-conversion armor. The first wave of VF-1's were heavily-waved F-14's, as mentioned previously, and the second were basically hand-built by SBA technicians. A total of 75 airframes were built in this manner. 32 were destroyed in the Boskone War and 21 more in Vorax's War. (Most of the VF-4-equipped squadrons were forward-deployed with the Great Justice/UN fleet, Greenwood home defense had mostly VF-1's.) FAST-equipped VF-1's had a notable maneuverability advantage over Vorax's aerospace fighters and battlemechs but had difficulty penetrating their armor with the weapons available. Their own armor, while effective enough against the light missiles and smaller-caliber lasers employed by the pirate forces, had serious problems with heavier weapons such as PPCs, Large Lasers, and heavier-caliber autocannons.
The VF-4 had better armor (with an early-generation handwavium energy-conversion system) that stood up better but was still not equal to Spheroid armors. Its weapons were considerably more effective, however, designed for use against armor equivalent to its own.
Shortly after the incursion and the opening of contact with the Inner Sphere, SBA designers began work on incorporating Spheroid technology into the next-generation fighter. The VF-11 would begin deployment to GSS squadrons in (not-yet-finalized) with VF-4 licensing to other manufacturers shortly thereafter.
(I plan to have the VF-171 as the GSS standard with the VF-25 hitting elite squadrons around the time of the Clan Invasion, in the Candle timeline.)
BAT is the only company to mass-produce the VF-1.
A GSS squadron is composed of 14 airframes, of which 12 are on active flight duty with two in reserve stores for replacements.
An Eagle-class frigate can support a single squadron under normal operating conditions, an Acquila-class destroyer carries two.
Tempted to increase the squadrons assigned to the Eta Cass expedition and home defense, but not sure.
Acquila visual reference: http://ptn.home.xs4all.nl/Naval/Banshee.html
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.