VF-25 Messiah

The VF-25 Messiah is a fictional space-capable variable fighter, seen in the anime "Macross Frontier" (set in the year 2059) of the "Macross" series. The craft was developed onboard the space colonization fleet "Macross Frontier" from the "YF-24" prototype whose blueprint was delivered via the Galaxy Network. Within the series, it has not been officially rolled out, rather being distributed to the private military company "S.M.S. (Strategic Military Services)" to evaluate its performance under field conditions first.

Description

In fighter mode, the VF-25 is a single-seater, twin-engine jet aircraft. It has variable-sweep wings alongside canted twin tails, with the "tailplane" roughly mirroring the twin tails on the fuselage's underside. Assisting the onboard flight control surfaces is an array of vernier thrusters that allow precision maneuvering. Mounted externally underside is a gatling gun gun pod, found between the craft's two intakes. Similar in length, engine placement and nose shape to the real-life "Sukhoi Su-27" it also has features common to the "F-14 Tomcat", where the fuselage's topside appears flattened out and connected to variable wings. In addition to the external gun pod, built-in weapons include beam weaponry, head-mounted lasers and a large knife (for use in GERWALK or Battroid modes).

External equipment (FAST Packs and the like) can be added on to improve craft capabilities in some manner. Of note is that the real-life mechanical designer, Shōji Kawamori, deliberately gave the VF-25 a slim profile to allow transformations to GERWALK or Battroid modes occur with full armor packs still attached; this is in stark contrast to all earlier variable fighter designs, in which they had to be ejected first due to being physically obstructive. Functioning as the "ejection seat" is the pilot's worn flight-capable "EX-Gear" powered exoskeleton, which usually stays linked to the cockpit systems.

Copying real-world naming nomenclature, the deployed variants of the VF-25 have differing designations, outlined below.

Variants

* VF-25F: Baseline model. Can be equipped with either a Super pack or an Armored pack.
* VF-25G: Sniper variant, with different head design. Gatling gun replaced with a sniper rifle-like weapon. Harpoon system present for latching onto suitable surfaces. Can be equipped with a Super pack.
* VF-25S: Commander variant, with upgraded systems across the board. Can be equipped with an Armored pack.
* RVF-25: Electronic warfare variant, with such systems found onboard including a rotating rotodome radome. Head design also differs from standard. This fighter can be used to control Ghost drone fighters. Can be equipped with a Super pack.