Designation: VQ-6X
Mecha Class: Veritech drone fighter, aerospace capable.
Crew: none
Weight: 16.70 tons (dry)
FIGHTER MODE
Length: 10.25m
Height: 4.60m
Wingspan: 8.20m
Max speed at sea level: 1100 kph
Max speed at 10,000m: 1900 kph
Max speed at 30,000m: 3000 kph
GUARDIAN MODE
Length: 8.00m
Height: 5.72m
Width: 4.84m
Max speed at all altitudes: 680 kph
BATTLOID MODE
Depth: 5.25m
Height: 8.75m
Breadth: 4.84m
Max speed at all altitudes: 312 kph
Max walking speed: 120 kph
ARMAMENT
1 x 1-barreled disruptor cannon, functions as a heavy beam cannon and also has a disruptive effect against force fields.
2 x Light lasers in the nosecone
64 x 190mm short-range missiles, mounted in single-shot surface launchers spread out along the fuselage.
The Veritech Shadow Drone was a signifigant improvement of the concept behind the original Alpha Drone. With an additional two decades' worth of technology in the AI, this drone was fully autonomous, and allowed the plane to substitute for junior pilots, to fly as fully-capable wingmen of the actual human pilots.
The Shadow Drone was built on a substantially modified Alpha airframe. The original VTOL thruster was removed, and a new one was located where the head would be in fighter mode. The Battloid mode lacked a head, which made it quite distinct from the Shadow Fighter. In addition, the Shadow Drone also lacked the sensor pod that the Alpha has on its right shoulder. The toes were restyled, and the hands replaced by three-fingered claws. Another stark difference was in the shoulders. These were remodelled, removing the 2x4 missile launchers that were present in all Alpha variants before, and these missiles were relocated to 2x6 flip-up bays on the intake manifolds. Like the Alpha Drone, the canopy of the Shadow Drone was missing, replaced by a bulge in the fuselage, in the front of which was a sensor window. Overall, the airframe was still the Alpha's, despite the many small changes, and the Shadow Drone's performance was essentially identical to the Alpha's.
The fighter is fully space-capable. However, the limited fuel tankage of this craft gives it short legs in space. In addition, the Shadow Drone can not reach suborbital altitudes on its own. The Shadow Drone is capable of mounting to a Beta Fighter, and the AI fully capable of controlling it.
The Shadow Drone also shines in atmospheric operations, where its small size and large thrust to weight ratio makes it a nimble and elusive target. This is made possible by two powerful main engines in the legs, powerful secondary engines in the forearms, and a dedicated VTOL thrusters on the underside of the fuselage.
The Shadow Drone's weapons fit is extremely powerful for a fighter of this size, and carries a destructive capacity comparable to the heaviest of the first-generation Destroids, combining a powerful beam gun with a vast number of short-range missiles.
Introduced with the Shadow Fighter, the Shadow Drone also combined radar stealth and a sophisticated protoculture cloaking device to minimize detection cross-section. This mecha was usually issued a far larger gun pod than the Alpha, which was also capable of engaging Invid force fields.
First Appearance:
Episode 85 - "Symphony of Light"
Also available on Robotech.com:
- "Metallic Edition" Shadow Fighter super-poseable figure
- Veritech Alpha "Metallic Edition" figure set
- Robotech: New Generation i-Men set