Alpha Veritech

The Alpha Veritech - designation VF/A-6 - is a fictional transforming aerospace strike fighter used in the Robotech universe. It is derived from the AFC-01 Legioss Armo-Fighter in the Japanese series Genesis Climber Mospeada. The YF/A-6 Alpha was developed concurrently with a heavy Veritech Fighter design, the YFB-5 (later VFB-5) Condor, and the two share very strong visual similarities. Late-model Alpha Veritechs could combine with the VFB-9 Beta Veritech to fly into space. The VF-5/VF-6 project was developed slowly through the early teens as an alternate to the then-favored YF-4 Lightning; when the Lightning project ended in 2016 the Robotech Defense Force pushed the VF-5/VF-6 into high gear while the Army of the Southern Cross pressed their weight behind the VF-8 Logan Veritech Fighter and VHT-2 Spartas Veritech Hover Tank.

The first models of the Alpha Veritech went to space with the Robotech Expeditionary Force in the late 2010s and early 20s, the VF/A-6A Alpha Fighter and VF/A-6B two-place Alpha Trainer. Several mission-specific models were also developed and procured. Like the VF-1 Valkyrie, the VF/A-6 was developed by a consortium of Rockwell International, Bell, Northrop-Grumman and numerous subcontractors. The tandem Officer/Standard Alpha pairing was not established until 2030 with the VF/A-6E and F models, with the VF/A-6G being a dedicated Wild Weasel aircraft.

By 2040, the Alpha is seen in several models:

• VF/A-6H Officer's/Squadron Leader's Alpha - The most commonly-seen model. The VF/A-6H typically wears a blue paint job. In older references, this model was called the "VAF-6C Combat Alpha."
• VF/A-6I Standard Alpha - Painted dark green for camouflage against human eyesight. This model has a larger head than the officer's Alpha. In earlier references, it was called the "VAF-6R Recon Alpha."
• VF/A-6Z Ground Attack Alpha - The second most commonly-seen model, optimized for atmospheric operations. The VF/A-6Z typically wears a dark red paint scheme when used in theatres where heavy conflict with the Invid is expected; this color is an effective space camouflage as red light rapidly diffuses into invisibility. It was called the "VAF-6J Combat Alpha" in earlier references.
• VF/A-6X Shadow Alpha - A stealth model, the VF/A-6X is notable in that it has only a very small forward window for the pilot to directly see the world from; the rest of the environment is virtually projected on the inside of the hard cockpit shell. It contains a device called the "Shadow" device, which masks the fighter's protoculture emissions. It also uses a set of simple claw manipulators instead of more rounded and naturalistic hands. In earlier references it was called the "VAF-7A Shadowfighter." In the Palladium Books role-playing game the art for the VF/A-6X was used for a conjectural "final model" of the VF-1 Valkyrie, called the "VF-1V Vindicator."
• QF/A-6X Shadow Drone - An unmanned version of the VF/A-6X. Virtually identical except for some modified equipment (most notably, the deletion of the pilot allows it to carry additional missiles). Visually distinct in battloid mode by the fact that the QF/A-6X has no head. In the Palladium Books RPG, the art for the QF/A-6X was used for the VAF-7A (VF/A-6X).

Regardless of model, the Alpha has a heavy missile armament of sixty short-range AMM-5 "Hammerhead" anti-mecha missiles which it complements with either the three-barreled GU-13 gun pod or the EP-13 energy blaster. The Shadow Fighters replace this with a bulky energy weapon called the EU-13 Destabilizer, which they use to breach Invid force fields. It has a maximum speed of Mach 2.3 at high altitude and requires the assistance of a booster sled or the Beta Fighter to transit into space, although it functions superbly once brought into space.

In the fictional world of Robotech, the VF/A-6 was brought into service in 2018 and served with the Robotech Defense Force until that military was folded into the Robotech Expeditionary Force in 2020; it remains operational as of the last known date in the storyline (circa 2040-45), making it one of the longest-lived frontline fighters in world history.

The VF/A-6 Alpha was preceded in service by the VF-1 Valkyrie.

The Alpha served on Earth during the timeframe of the Third Robotech War.