YF-30 Chronos

[VF-15 Banshee]

I figured this belonged here since the YF-30 hasn't been featured in any media since Macross 30... so far. So, enjoy! Hopefully it's reasonably accurate with just a little speculation.


YF-30 Chronos
Advanced Variable Fighter Custom Prototype

Images:

Fighter
GERWALK
Battroid


Background
The YF-30 was designed specially for the Anniversary game Macross 30: Voices Across The Galaxy by Shoji Kawamori. So far that is the only Macross media it has appeared in.

Description
The YF-30 Chronos is part of the YF-24 family of Vakyrie variable fighters, which includes the YF-24 Evolution, VF-25 Messiah, Y/VF-27 Lucifer and YF-29 Durandal. Like the Durandal, the Chronos wasn't meant to be a competitor for a new type of variable fighter as it was a prototype meant to deal with a specific situation, although it's designer, SMS Ouroboros Director Aisha Blanchette did include a few features that she hoped might be featured in future fighters.
The idea for the YF-30 began when Aisha Blanchette determined that a Valkyrie was specifically needed for the unique enviornment of the planet Ouroboros. The planet is surrounded and permeated by strange Space Fold phenomena, causing various effects (such as large rock formations and whole islands floating in the sky). One phenomena, known as The Ourobors Aura, causes the entire planet to be completely cut off from the rest of the galaxy and only a Macross-type ship can get through the planet's atmosphere. To this end, Aisha decided that the YF-29 Durandal, specifically designed to fight the Vajra, wasn't optomized for dealing with Ouroboros.
The Chronos's main airframe greatly resembles its YF-24 predecessor[Link], especially in the delta wing design. It includes the standard three-mode transformation system present since the very first variable fighters, facilitated by linear actuators for non-contact between moving parts. Unlike its sisters, such as the VF-25 or YF-29, the YF-30 includes the Container Weapon System, a unique featured added to the Chronos by Aisha. The CWS is a large pod mounted on the rear centerline of the fuselage in Fighter mode and above the head in Battroid mode. The CWS in the original prototype was fitted with a 36-port micro-missile launcher, capable of unleashing a truly apocalyptic amount of firepower, practically negating the need for the YF-30 to be equipped with any super or armor packs. According to Aisha, the CWS could be equipped with other times of weapons or equipment, such as a large beam cannon (though this was never seen in-game). The CWS can presumably be used in Fighter and GERWALK modes, though only at slow speeds for Fighter (I presume this because the aerodynamic consequences of putting a big horizontal block in the airflow are dubious).
The other unique feature of the Chronos is the Fold Dimensional Resonance System. Derived from the YF-29's Fold Wave System, the FDRS was designed to deal with Ouroboros's unique environment.
Other features are more standard. Due to the Ouroboros Aura and the unpredictability of supplies, plus the fact that the YF-30 was custom-built, many of the parts of the YF-30 are borrowed from other fighters, most especially the VF-25 and YF-29. The cockpit systems and display resemble the VF-25 and also uses the EX-Gear/ISC system present in the VF-25. It is unknown if there is a secondary seat. The battroid head is equipped with a pair of Mauler ROV beam guns, positioned centerline in Fighter Mode. The legs/engine nacelles are equipped with a pair of smaller micro-missile launchers (animation for this can be seen in-game although open doors are not present). The main weapon is the same Howard/LAI HPB-01A Heavy Quantum Beam Gunpod used by the YF-29 Durandal. It can also be equipped with the SSL-9B Dragunov Anti-Armor Sniper Rifle from the VF-25G, though the Chronos lacks the precision targeting sensors. The engines that provide the main source of power for the Chronos are the same Shinsei Industry/P&W/RR FF-3001A Stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines used in the VF-25 and YF-29. The Chronos is also equipped with defensive systems includeing a pin-point barrier system, chaff/smoke/flare discharger, active stealth systemand SWAG Energy Converting Armor. Lastly, for CQC purposes, the Chronos carries a Ka-Bar OTEC AK/VF-M9 Assault Knife.

History
SMS Ouroboros Director Aisha Blanchette, a young Meltrandi prodigy, began to build the YF-30 Chronos in a hangar onboard the branch flagship, the Northampton-class frigate Gefion. She was somewhat guarded about it as she didn't let her new friends Leon Sakaki and Mina Forte know about it until much later.
During the Ouroboros Aura of 2060 AD, Leon and Mina traveled to the desert town of Jurgen to look for a certain songstress. Instead they ran into the the legendary test pilot Isamu Alva Dyson, who challenged Leon to a Vanquish Race (to learn more about the Vanquish Races, look up Macross The Ride). Unfortuntely for Leon, his current Valkyrie was outmatched by the power of Isamu's YF-19, suffering an engine overheat. Having a flair for dramatics, Aisha decided that a rematch was the perfect way to show off the capabilities of her new prototype and led Leon to the hangar where the YF-30 Chronos was stored. After showing him the different systems, he launched and challenged Isamu to another race. This time he was more than a match for Dyson, easily outpacing even the highly optimized YF-19. This also turned into the YF-30's combat debut as the pair where bounced by a Valkyrie squadron from the NUNS HAVAMAL task force, led by none other than Brera Sterne in his VF-27 Lucifer and Isamu's old friend/rival Guld Goa Bowman in his YF-21. Leon, in the YF-30, was able to outmaneuver the enemy forces and even shoot some down, but Isamu was hit by Brera and forced down.
Pleased with the impromptu results, Aisha allowed Leon to sortie in the YF-30 on several more occasions to continue to evaluate its combat performance. Its next major battle occured when they attempted to remove the AI Sharon Apple's control of the Vajra, as she was being controlled by the HAVAMAL task force (this should technically be true; the main game only allows you to fly the YF-30 twice: once during the race and again during the Final Chapter. However, the cinematic for the Sharon Apple battle shows Leon's IFF being broadcast from the YF-30). This battle had Leon, SMS Ouroboros and their allies and the Macross Quarter up against a Bishop-class Vajra Mothership under Sharon's control. The YF-30's speed, maneuverability and firepower enabled it to strike mortal blows against the mothership and helped the others to disable Sharon and rescue Myung Lone Fang. Sometime later, Leon had completed a test of the YF-30 when Aisha, whose cybernetic implant had been hijacked by HAVAMAL, kidnapped Mina Forte. Leon, accompanied by the Macross Quarterand the legendary pilots and songstresses of the past, sortied to rescue her. Using the YF-30 and accompanied by Alto Saotome in his YF-29 Durandal, Leon was able to carve up the HAVAMAL defenses and penetrate Glastheim Fortress. They didn't find the girls there, instead they were forced to engage HAVAMAL's second-in-command, Leon's old friend turned rival Rod Baltomar, piloting a YF-29B Perceval. Unfortunately for Baltomar, the YF-30 and its pilot where much more than a match for his modified 29. However, Rod's delaying action gave HAVAMAL leader Ushio Todo enough time to activate the ancient Protoculture weapon they had been researching. Yurva Arga, one of the Protoculture's EVIL-Series bio-weapons had enough power to rewrite history itself (good thing the Protodeviln never got it, eh?) and when activated, encased itself in a protective bubble to hide its true form. Leon attempted to use the YF-30 and its Fold Dimensional Resonance System to penetrate the sphere but the system lost power and Leon became stuck. Just when he lost hope, Basara Nekki arrived in his VF-19Kai and with the Fire Valkyrie's Sound Booster (and a rousing rendition of Totsugeki Love Heart) Leon was able to break through the barrier, the FDRS seemingly generating a bird-like aura around the Chronos. Leon then engaged Yurva Arga and Ushio Todo directly. After slicing into the weapon's body and rescuing Aisha and Mina, he then dealt a final blow to the weapon, destroying it and Todo together.
All in all, the YF-30 proved itself an able combatant and worthy of the legacy of the Valkyries, although it remains to be seen wether the Chronos will be seen in any SMS units off of Ouroboros or wether there will be a VF-30 version.

Tech specs to follow!

[Loop]

LOL, thanks for the background. I came in here thinking there was new info on the DX toy . Had check to see what sub forum I was in.

[Scream Man]

Awesome info, thank you. Im looking for any information on the games story, and this gave me more than ive had till now!

[locidm]

Great stuff thanks. That cleared up a lot of questions I had about the game,

Particularly about what the heck happened during the final stage. I got through it without really understanding the events.

[Ganbare]

Wow! This made YF-30 had some "life" with it background story. Thanks for translate this. Since I always skip the conversation part on the game.

[GGemini]

Great info, thanks!

[ivorysniper]

Thanks for the info, VF-15 !!!. Any news about the tech specs ?

[YF-29 Durandal]

I would rather spend 28,000 JPY on this than on the YF-19.

[SebastianP]

The official tech specs (I think) are on the Japanese wiki page for the YF-30 here: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/YF-30_%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AD%E3%83%8E%E3%82%B9

Open the page in Google Chrome to have it auto-translated, it works well enough for the stats box, at least.

[VF-15 Banshee]

0__0 Well I didn't know there was a wiki for that. In any case, that info saves a lot of guesswork. So here are the specs in the format of Mr. March's Macross Mecha Manual. I'll have to guess at the battroid and GERWALK dimensions though.

Equipment Type: variable fighter

Government: Strategic Military Services (SMS)

Manufacturer: Shinsei Industry/SMS Ouroboros Branch/L.A.I.

Introduction: 2060

Operational Deployment: 2060

Accommodation: pilot plus passenger

Dimensions:

Battroid Mode: (?)

Fighter Mode: wingspan 15.65; height 4.02 meters; length 18.84 meters.

GERWALK Mode: unknown.

Mass: empty 8.10 metric tons.

Structure: assumed space metal frame, SWAG energy converting armor

Power Plant: two Shinsei Industry/ P&W/ RR FF-3001-FC2 Stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines.

Propulsion: 2 x 2,110 kN (maximum thrust in space); many x P&W HMM-9 High maneuverability thrusters

Thrust-to-weight ratio: (?)

Performance:

Fighter Mode: at 10,000 m Mach 5.3+, maximum speed due to heat-resistance limit of the fuselage.

Maximum Airframe Design Load: (?)

Design Features: 3-mode variable transformation; delta wing; boundary layer control (BLC); capable of attaining unassisted orbital velocity over an Earth-class planet; ISC (Inertia Store Converter): Shinsei Industry Macross Frontier Arsenal / LAI Company self-development specification ISC/TO22; Fold Dimensional Resonance System; active stealth system antennae; chaff/flare/smoke discharger system; thrust reverser equipped with three-dimensional maneuvering nozzles; cockpit designed for EX-Gear equipped pilot; integrated radar (mounted in nose); linear actuators (provide faster electromagnetic transformation without contact between moving parts).

- Armament -

Guns:

2 x fixed Mauler RÖV-127 coaxial 12.7mm beam guns (mounted center dorsal section in Fighter/GERWALK mode, becomes head turret in Battroid mode)

1 x Howard/LAI HPB-01A Heavy Quantum Beam gun pod (mounted ventral fuselage in Fighter mode, in arm manipulator for GERWALK/Battroid modes)

1 x Ka-Bar OTEC AK/VF-M9 Assault Knife, 1.65m, super strong material reinforced by pin-point barrier system (mounted under left arm block)

1 x pin-point barrier system

Bombs & Missiles:

At least x2 Bifors micro-missile launchers (mounted in engine nacelles/legs)

Container Weapon System x1 (micro-missile configuration)

Optional Armament:

CWS beam cannon x1

Also, here's a video of the YF-30's in-game introduction.

Edited October 16, 2013 by VF-15 Banshee

[VF-15 Banshee]

They've got more on t in the toy thread but for now:

999978_602502839806010_242882365_n.jpg

[ivorysniper]

Mass: empty 8.10 metric tons.

Power Plant: two Shinsei Industry/ P&W/ RR FF-3001-FC2 Stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines.

Propulsion: 2 x 2,110 kN (maximum thrust in space); many x P&W HMM-9 High maneuverability thrusters

Thrust-to-weight ratio: (?)

Thrust-to-weight ratio: (?) ..... = ~53.12 !!!!!!!!... That Chronos weighs less than the Messiah and packs an impressive amount of thrust. The new ruler of the twin engine valks !!!

Edited October 24, 2013 by ivorysniper

[VF-15 Banshee]

Thrust-to-weight ratio: (?) ..... = ~53.12 !!!!!!!!... That Chronos weighs less than the Messiah and packs an impressive amount of thrust. The new ruler of the twin engine valks !!!

If you say so. Math isn't my strong suit.

[ivorysniper]

If you say so. Math isn't my strong suit.

I know.... my bad... I've always been an insufferable numbers junkie.

[spanner]

This made some great reading! There is little information regarding the YF-30 so this was a good thing to stumble across! Thanks for posting!