Army of the Southern Cross - Veritech Mecha

The term Veritech is a corruption of Vari-Tech, which is short for Variable Technology. The name Veritech is used to describe any of the mecha combat systems with transformation capabilities. In general terms, this means that the mecha is capable of altering its physical configuration into multiple modes. These modes usually fall into one of the following categories:

Veritechs with only two forms, usually Battloid and Vehicle, are referred to as Dual-Mode. Those with all three forms are called Tri-Mode.

Veritech technology was made possible in the early 21st century by advances made from reverse engineered alien technology. This advanced technology is usually referred to as Robotechnology, though that term applies to more than just the the technology used in advanced mecha combat systems. The initial design theory behind creating Veritechs was to create combat systems capable of dealing with the perceived Zentraedi threat (this was before humanity knew anything about the Zentraedi aside from their physical size). Since the existence of aliens was being kept hidden from the general public there was a need to disguise the capabilities of these new combat systems so the scientists came up with the idea of having these giant robot vehicles be able to change shape into more conventional looking combat vehicles.With the defeat of the Zentraedi the necessity for disguise was no longer present, but the first generation Veritechs had shown the tactical advantage of having a combat vehicle capable of both high-speed maneuverability and combat versatility. Veritechs allowed a single vehicle to perform the functions of two or three standard combat systems.

The second generation of Veritechs, those used by the Army of the Southern Cross, were designed with speed, mobility, and maneuverability in mind. While the previous generation were large, almost 4m tall in Battloid mode, in order to combat giant aliens, that was no longer a requirement. Also, these new Veritechs could take advantage of the more mature Robotechnology and need not be built around pre-existing combat systems. With large size no longer necessary, and with miniaturization of the the mecha systems, the new generation of Veritechs would be more powerful than their predecessors, but at half the size.

Built from the ground up as new combat systems, the Southern Cross Veritechs shown here represent the tactical necessities of the modern world: the ability to deploy to a conflict area quickly and the versatility to adapt to an ever changing environment.

VHT-1 Spartas - Veritech Hovertank

Statistics

  • Designation: VHT-1
  • Mecha Class: Veritech Hovertank
  • Crew: 1 pilot
  • Weight: 26.40 tons

Hovertank Mode (Transport)

  • Length: 6.00 m
  • Height: 2.25 m
  • Width: 2.7 m
  • Max speed: 161 kph

Guardian Mode (Tank)

  • Length: 7.75 m
  • Height: 4.50 m
  • Width: 2.25 m
  • Max speed: 13 kph

Battloid Mode (Gladiator)

  • Depth: 2.00m
  • Height: 6.20m
  • Breadth: 4.40m
  • Max speed: 56 kph

Armament

  • 1 x single barrel 105mm high velocity cannon with 60 shells. This cannon is mounted in the right arm.
  • 1 x 28mm beam cannon gun pod (Battloid mode) or mounted on the front in hovertank mode.
  • 1 x triple-barreled 32mm auto-cannon mounted in the left arm with 200 rounds in five 40 round magazines.

The Veritech Hovertank is the primary ground-based assault platform for the Army of the Southern Cross. All first generation Veritechs were fighter aircraft and the Hovertank was developed to fulfill a ground-assault role in the post-First Robotech War world. The fast moving Hovertank mode allows the VHT-1 to be quickly deployed in a variety of environments, its hover capability giving it ease of mobility over difficult terrain. Initial prototypes were only a dual-mode vehicle, but when the M2014 105mm cannon was added to the mecha's arsenal a Guardian mode was added. This Guardian mode (often referred to as Tank mode) is different from traditional Guardian modes for Veritechs. Instead of a hybrid between Hovertank and Battloid, the Guardian mode has unique properties of its own. Guardian mode turns the VHT-1 into a mobile artillery platform suitable for long-range and anti-aircraft combat situations. During the Second Robotech War the 105mm artillery cannon was replaced with a 125mm particle cannon that had a smaller range but greater penetration power. The particle cannon-equipped version of the hovertank is designated the VHT-1A1.

Hovertank (Transport) Mode
Guardian (Tank) Mode
Battloid (Gladiator) Mode

VF-8 Logan - Veritech Fighter

  • Designation: VF-8
  • Mecha Class: Veritech Fighter, dual-mode
  • Crew: 1 pilot
  • Weight: 6.5 tons

Fighter Mode

  • Length: 6.29m
  • Height: 2.29m
  • Wingspan: 6.29m
  • Max speed at sea level: 700 kph
  • Max speed at 10,000m: 1500 kph
  • Max speed at 30,000m: n/a

Battloid Mode

  • Depth: 4.55m
  • Height: 5.35m
  • Breadth: 3.00m
  • Max speed at all altitudes: 350 kph
  • Max walking speed: 64 kph

Armament

  • 1 x triple-barreled rapid-fire plasma disk cannon in the nose
  • 1 x light laser gunpod
  • 2 x 1 hardpoints (1 rail per forearm/wing root) each capable of mounting one 275mm medium range missile (must be expended/ejected before transforming)

The next generation Veritech Fighter, the Logan is a dual-mode Veritech designed for tactical air combat with ground support capability. Unlike the previous Veritech fighters, the Logan is primarily an atmospheric combat aircraft. It is capable of spaceflight, but cannot achieve orbit itself (there is no booster assist option for the Logan). For space combat the Logan must be transported to space via transport shuttle. Though the Logan's modes are referred to as Fighter and Battloid, the mecha's Battloid configuration is closer to the more traditional Veritech Fighters' Guardian mode than a true Battloid.

Fighter Mode
Battloid Mode

VFH-10 AJAX/AGAC (Armored Gyro Assault Chopper) - Veritech Fighter/Helicopter

  • Designation: VFH-10
  • Mecha Class: Veritech Fighter/Helicopter
  • Crew: 1 pilot
  • Weight: 16.8 tons

Fighter Mode

  • Length: 9.0 m
  • Height: 3.0 m
  • Wingspan: 6.9 m
  • Max speed at sea level: 1000 kph
  • Max speed at 30,000m: 1660 kph

Helicopter Mode

  • Length: 9.0 m
  • Height: 3.2 m
  • Wingspan: 6.9 m
  • Rotor diameter: 7.1m
  • Max speed: 386 kph

Battloid Mode

  • Depth: 2.5m
  • Height: 8.9m
  • Breadth: 2.8m
  • Rotor diameter: 7.1m
  • Max running speed: 56 kph
  • Max flying speed: 300 kph

Armament

  • 2 x single or twin barreled beam cannon gunpod(s) on the arm(s) (fire in all modes)
  • 1 x single barreled beam cannon in the nose sensor cluster (fires in fighter and helicopter mode)
  • 2 x launcher for cluster missiles, 12 missiles total (fire in all modes)

The Veritech Fighter/Helicopter represents the latest in transformable aerospace combat vehicles. As it was originally conceived of, the VFH-10 was a dual mode Veritech with a Battloid and Attack Helicopter mode designed to fulfill the traditional combat helicopter role in engagements. When weaknesses in the space combat capability of the Army of the Southern Cross were identified it was determined that a true space fighter Veritech was needed. Rather than build a new vehicle from scratch it was decided to modify the existing VH-10 (as it was then known) to add a second Vehicle mode. This third mode would be a fully space-capable combat fighter and the Veritech's designation was changed to VFH-10 to reflect its new role as multi-mode Fighter/Attack Helicopter. The majority of these vehicles in place in 2028 are the old VH-10 dual-mode Veritechs, with a handful of the newer VFH-10s just beginning to enter service. Replacement or refit of the remaining VH-10s is expected to take place over the next few years.

Fighter Mode
Helicopter Mode
Battloid Mode

Warp Zone | Robotech RPG | Southern Cross | Mecha and Equipment | Veritechs