QF-2001 Ghost

[Jester]

Just a brief talking point, although anyone having any idea on dimensions will be treated to a week in a top class spa, (when Im a millionare author and sell more books than JK Rowling =)

Anyone have any views on the reasons for the QF-2001 and why it exists ?? As its evident from the original series that there is already a QF aircraft that functions quite well. Or is it that the QF-2001 is like the VF-0, a test bed. Or a UN Navy only version, or about to be phased out.

There seems little point in creating two machines of the same type for the same purpose. Modern aircraft are designed and bought for specific purposes. For example the RAF utilise the Tornado for the Air Superiority Fighter role and occasionally as a Fighter/Bomber, the Jaguar is used as a Bomber, and the Harrier (GR8 used by the RAF, or FA/2 used by the Royal Navy, are multi-role, multi capability aircraft. Each aircraft has a specific role, or roles, with only a small amount of blurring of purposes. We don't have say, the Tornado for air superiority roles, and then buy a load of F/A-18's (Currently flying over my house as the Farnborough International Airshow is taking place 1.5 miles away, and boy is it swarming with Police - terror alert state VERY HIGH) to fill the exact same role. The only way we'd do that is if we were intending on replacing the Tornado with the Hornet.

Thus it seems daft (bearing in mind production times for aircraft,) to have two Ghost Fighters in such close proximity time wise.

Dan

(Tommorrow I get to go to Farnborough and drool all over the F-117, and the Red Arrows Display Team, CCCCOOOOOOLLLL)

[F-ZeroOne]

Can I just point out that the Tornado is not "occasionally" used for fighter bomber roles - the Tornado is a fighter bomber in its IDS variant. In fact, the Air Defence Variant - the fighter (though interceptor is perhaps more accurate) - was developed from the fighter bomber version...!

Edit: I don't know how often the QF-2001 appears in Macross Zero, but perhaps its a competing design to the - 3001, under test? Or maybe its very heavily modified variant?

Edited July 23, 2004 by F-ZeroOne

[platypiman247]

Perhaps the 2001 uses a conventional solid fuel drive while the 3001 uses a thermonuclear drive, such as the VF-0 & VF-1.

[platypiman247]

Edit: I don't know how often the QF-2001 appears in Macross Zero, but perhaps its a competing design to the - 3001, under test? Or maybe its very heavily modified variant?

Usually, two competing fighters won't use the same name. In addition, the '2001' & '3001' titles suggest that the 3001 is a later model in the same series. Finally, if it was modified model wouldn't it have a title such as '2002' or '2001B'?

[ewilen]

The Compendium states regarding the QF-2001:

Predecessor to the QF-3000E Ghost and Ghost X-9. Entered production before the United Nations Wars. Deployed aboard CVN-99 Asuka II.

A few notes...

1) "Ghost" is more likely a generic term for a series of UCAVs, rather than a nickname for a specific model.

2) The QF-2001 may well have been on its way out and we're seeing it being used just before the more advanced QF-3000E came on line. I'd say there is a very high likelihood that the QF-3000 has a fusion engine, since it is used in space. My proof is that although we never see it after the 1st episode (as far as I know), there is a reference to Hikaru escorting or leading a Ghost group in one later episode in space. ("Miss Macross" IIRC).

3) Related to above, the Compendium states about the QF-3000E,

Deployed on ARMD class space carriers and on SDF-1 Macross; 270 deployed on ARMD-01, 120 on Macross.

So in addition to probably being more advanced than the QF-2001, the QF-3000E fills a slightly different role: it operates in space, and is based on ARMD's and SDF; the QF-2001 operates off of aircraft carriers. In US service, at least, it's pretty normal to have entirely different aircraft filling the same roles but operating in different services/environments. E.g., in WWII, the Corsair was contemporaneous with the Hellcat but was mainly used as a land-based fighter. Or more recently you have the Eagle vs. Tomcat.

Most likely there were no QF-2001's on the Prometheus and Daedalus, though--at least that would retroactively explain why they're never mentioned in SDF Macross. So I would speculate that the QF-2001 was indeed superseded by the QF-3000E. Of course, in real terms Kawamori just wanted to have a neat new design.

[Aurel Tristen]

"Ghost Booster"

[ArchVile]

Also looks like that VF-0 has got drop tanks on it.

[azrael]

Also looks like that VF-0 has got drop tanks on it.

Kinda reminds me of this:

[Yohsho]

"Ghost Booster"

Where's that picture from?

[Pat S]

That picture is from the cover of Macross Zero OAV #5