SPECIFICATIONS

GOVERNMENT: Jovian Defense Forces/Neo-Hebrews of Saturn
TYPE: Multi-role Protean Space Superiority Fighter
MODELS:
             Gargarin Research & Development VSF-04X (Prototype)
             Macrotechnologies PS-01 (JDF production model)
             Titan-Technologies PS-01A Archangel (Saturn Defense Forces production model)
DATE INTRODUCED:
             2073 (VSF-04X)
             2075 (PS-01)
             2077 (PS-01A)
DIMENSIONS:
             FIGHTER MODE
             LENGTH: 54.5 feet
             WIDTH: 47.9 feet
             HEIGHT: 22.5 feet

             ROBOT MODE
             DEPTH: 36.9 feet
             WIDTH: 33 feet
             HEIGHT: 55 feet

MATERIAL: Crystal Composite
POWER PLANT:
             Daigun Industries FR-250 fusion reactor (VSF-04X & PS-01)
             Macrotechnologies IPFF-310 Ion-Plasma Fusion Furnace (PS-01A)
OUTPUT:
             250 megawatts (FR-250)
             310 megawatts (IPFF-310)
ARMOR TYPE: Crystal Composite
ARMOR THICKNESS: 1.5 inches
DISPLACEMENT: 40 tons
CREW: 1 Pilot

PROPULSION:

             VSF-04X & PS-01
             WALKER:
             1x UNRWE-64 United Nations robot walker engine
             SPEED: 20 mph

             COMBAT SPEED ENGINES:
             2x UN-IE-08 800-kilowatt ion engines
             SPEED:1520 mph each (3040 mph total)

             MAIN ENGINES/CRUISING SPEED ENGINE:
             2x UN-IE-4 4-megawatt high yield ion engines
             SPEED: 7600 mph each (15,200 mph total)

             PS-01A
             WALKER:
             1x DængJäger RWE-12 robot walker engine
             SPEED: 40 mph

             COMBAT SPEED ENGINES:
             2x Stellar Dynamics SD-FT-1.2 1.2-megawatt fusion thrusters
             SPEED:7600 mph each (15,200 mph total)

             MAIN ENGINES/CRUISING SPEED ENGINE:
             2x Macrotechnologies IPFE-1.6 1.6-megawatt ion plasma fusion engine
             SPEED:760,000 mph each (1,520,000 mph total)

WEAPONS:

             (VSF-04X & PS-01)
             PRIMARY (OFFENSIVE):
             1x Gargarin R&D 35-millimeter 1-ton rail cannon gunpod; Effective Range: 1141 yards; Payload: 300 rounds in a belt-fed autoloading detachable magazine; ROF: fires in bursts of 5, 10, or 20 rounds with a cyclic rate of up to 600 rounds per minute.

              PRIMARY (DEFENSIVE):
             2x Hidalgo Factory-6 PHELAC-10 10-megawatt PHELAC gun;Effective Range: 80 miles; Payload: unlimited with nuclear battery clutch system; ROF: fires one blast per ten seconds with a cyclic rate of six blasts per minute.

             (PS-01A)
             PRIMARY (OFFENSIVE):
             1x Titan Technologies TT-GP40RC 40-millimeter 1-ton gunpod; Effective Range: 1843.2 yards (approximately 1 mile); Payload: 280 rounds in a belt-fed autoloading detachable magazine; ROF: fires in bursts of 5, 10, or 20 rounds with a cyclic rate of up to 600 rounds per minute.

             PRIMARY (DEFENSIVE):
             2x Saturn Arms SA-EMPAC10 10-megawatt electromagnetic particle accelerator cannon;Effective Range: 50 miles; Payload: unlimited with nuclear battery clutch system; ROF: fires tow blast per ten seconds with a cyclic rate of 12 blasts per minute.

             (ALL MODELS)
             PRIMARY (ASSAULT):
             12x Pallas Arms PA-MM105 5-shot mini-missile launcher with 10-pound fusion bolt (HEAP) or heavy fusion (nuclear) tipped warhead; Effective Range: 422 miles; Payload: 10 torpedoes; ROF: 1, 2, 3 or all 5 at once each for a total of sixty missiles from all 12 launchers at once in a single volley.

             SECONDARY (ASSAULT):
             4x Pallas Arms PA-MM1015 15-shot mini-missile launcher with 10-pound fusion bolt (HEAP) or heavy fusion (nuclear) tipped warhead;Effective Range: 422 miles; Payload: 30 mini-missiles; ROF: 1 to 15 missiles at once each for a total of up to sixty missiles from all four launchers at once in a single volley.

             (OUTSIDE ORDINANCE):
              The VSF-04X/PS-01 and PS-01A were both able to carry bombs, missiles, gunpods, and armor upgrade systems on externally mounted hardpoints.  These hardpoints were located all over the craft.  There was one large hardpoint on the outer side of each leg.  Each of the leg hardpoints was able to carry up to ten tons of ordinance.  Each “chest” section had a hardpoint designed for up to eight tons of payload.  The arm hardpoints were designed for up to five tons of additional armor/systems, and the top engine nacelle “boosters” also each had a five-ton hardpoint for additional “wraparound” armor or systems.  This gave the craft a maximum payload of 56 tons.

ELECTRONICS:

             (VSF-04X & PS-01)
             1x Microwave Radio Communications array with a 6000-mile range.
             1x RADAR array with a range of 5000 miles.

             (PS-01A)
             1x Microwave Radio Communications array with a 12,000-mile range.
             1x SLV communications array with a 1 light year range.
             1x LADAR array with a range of 10,000 miles.
             1x Passive EMS array with a 10,000-mile range.

             (ALL MODELS)
             1x Laser Communications array with a 10,000-mile range.
             1x Multispectral video/optical array with a range of 1000 miles.
             1x Gravitational/Antigravity Control Unit; Effect: Provides artificial lift, g-force compensation, and enhanced maneuverability.
             1x Passive EMS array with a 10,000-mile range.

DEFENSE SYSTEMS:

             (VSF-04X & PS-01)
             2x UNDF-20 omnidirectional deflector field generators;Range: 20 feet from hull; Power Requirement: 20 megawatts; Output: 10 gigajoules of power with a regeneration rate of 1000 megajoules every ten seconds.

             (PS-01A)
             2x Macrotechnologies IF-20 I-Field omnidirectional ion field generators; Range: 300 feet from hull; Power Requirement: 20 kilowatts; Output: absorbs up to 40 gigajoules of energy weapon damage.

             (ALL MODELS)
             14x Pallas Arms PA-AM2 4-shot 2-pound anti-missile bomblets;Effective Range: 200 yards; Payload: 40 bomblets each; ROF: 1-4 bomblets per discharge with a cyclic rate of 120 bomblets per minute.

Description/Overview:

         (Protean Fighter Concept)
         The Protean fighter was the brainchild of members of the UN Solar Empire, and the Earth Federal Space Navy Joint Chiefs of Staff.  The EFSN failure at the Battle of Pallas in late 2072 and the stalemate between the UN and Earth forces in the Earth sphere in early 2073 forced some members of these two military forces to rethink their plans.  This duo of conspiratorial groups determined that the empire they sought to build on the ashes of the Solar Empire and EFR needed a military that was not reliant on troopships to transport mecha to and from the surface of a planet.  They wanted a tactical combat unit that could fight both in space and within an atmosphere as a fighter unit and as a battlerobot unit.  Both groups realized that relying on the traditional combat doctrines of their day would hamper their ambitions. 
         The designers of the new machine chose the name “Protean” for the new fighter after the Greek god Proteus, who could change form at will.  The first twenty prototypes of the VSF-04X (official UNSC designation for the fighter) and all the design and research data were unexpectedly captured by the EFSM during a covert operation to steal nuclear fuel for the EFSM ships stranded near Pallas.  Where the Protean fighters were first constructed and who oversaw their completion is not known.

         (VSF-04X/PS-01)
      The most unusual and mysterious spacefighter of the 1st Interplanetary War was the VSF-04X variable spacefighter.  It is believed that it was designed, assembled, and tested at the UNSC Gargarin R&D facility on the planetoid Hildigalo sometime during 2073 AD, but no one knows for sure.  However, nearly all of its components were built on Earth’s moon, Luna, at the Apollo R&D facility sometime prior to 2073.  On whose authority this joint technological venture was made has never become known.  All that is known is that the craft was created by the combined efforts of both the UNSC and the EFSN without the knowledge or approval of their respective governments.
      Only twenty of these craft were built by the UN.  All of these spacefighters, their design blueprints, and all relevant research data concerning them were captured by members of the EFSM 7th Special Forces Mechanized Unit during July of 2073 AD. The circumstances surrounding the capture of nearly all material with regard to the VSF-04X is clouded in secrecy.  It is assumed that the mecha were intentionally “given” to the Earth Federal Space Marines on the orders of the Solar Empire members involved in the plot that created the VSF-04X.
         The vehicle was not put into general production until 2077 AD as part of the military buildup of the fledgling Saturn fleet.  This early production run of VSF-04X spacefighters was completed just in time for General Walsh’s exodus from Mars and the Battle of the Vesta Kirkwood gap that ensued in March of 2077.  Prior to this battle, the VSF-04X was dubbed the PS-01 or Protean Spacefighter Type-One.  The PS-01 completely replaced the HSF-01 in the Saturn forces under Admiral Tofunai’s command.
         The PS-01 was identical to the VSF-04X in every way.  It used one UNRWE-64 robot walker engine as its primary propulsion while in robot mode.  This robot walker drivetrain was redesigned as a Type-64RWE by the EFSM forces when they started production of the fighter at the Venus manufacturing bases.  This robot walker engine was slow at a mere 20 mph, as the VSF-04X was not originally intended for extended planetary combat missions.
         The power plant of the fighter was one UN-built Daigun Industries FR-250 250-megawatt fusion reactor.  This reactor was later replaced by a nearly identical General Dynamics GDFR-250 when the fighter was produced by the EFSM.
         In fighter mode,it used a pair of UN-IE-4 4-megawatt ion engines built by the state factories at Gargarin R&D, although the ionization coils were made at Apollo Research and Development on Earth’s moon, Luna.  The UN-IE-4s were intended to be used for long-distance cruising in space and short boosts during combat.  These ion engines were useable in either mode though pilots rarely used them in robot form.
         The combat speed engines of the fighter were a pair of UN-IE-08 800-kilowatt (.8-megawatt) ion engines mounted in a pair of engine nacelles on the top of the craft giving them a “booster rocket” look as one famous pilot pointed out upon first seeing a VSF-04X.  These engines were not intended for use as boosters.  They were used for extra thrust by pilots on various occasions including boosting the ship out of a planetary gravity well and/or atmosphere.
         The high yield ion engines of the VSF-01X/PS-01 gave the craft a speed of 18,240 mph, or Mach 24.  This was barely enough to allow the ship to escape an Earth-sized planet’s gravity.  This variable fighter was not originally intended for use as a transatmospheric craft, but the ability to reach orbit became very appealing to the SpaceNavy planners of the fledgling Saturn Defense Forces (SDF) and led to the creation of the PS-01A.
         The VSF-04X had unmatched maneuverability and performance against conventional vehicles of its time.  The different modes of the craft gave the vehicle a varied performance in space and in an atmosphere.  However, the VSF-04X was primarily a spacefighter/space battlerobot, and in an atmosphere, both its fighter and robot modes were hampered.
         The arsenal of the VSF-04X consisted of missile, projectile, and energy weapons.
         The primary weapon of the spacefighter while in robot mode was its 35-millimeter gunpod built by Gargarin R&D.  This weapon held 300 rounds of plasma-tipped ammunition and was capable of firing in bursts of 5, 10, or 20 rounds.  This weapon was usable in both robot and fighter modes.  The gunpod was initially intended for use in robot mode only, but the location the gunpod was stored in provided a good field of fire at close ranges, so the engineers made provisions for it to be used in either mode.
         The main fighter mode weapon was the pair of Hidalgo Factory-6 PHELAC-10 phased energy laser cannons.  These cannons had a slow rate of fire, but could deliver heavy damage to an opponent with a single blast.  These 10-megawatt energy weapons were usable in either mode and were very accurate.
         Six Pallas Arms PA-MM105 5-shot mini-missile launchers were located on each engine nacelle/leg of the VSF-04X for a total of twelve launchers.  Each of these launchers held ten mini-missiles for a total of 120.  These missiles were armed with nuclear warheads for space combat, and high explosive armor piercing ones for planetary missions.  Each launcher was capable of firing up to five missiles in less than two seconds.
         Four Pallas Arms PA-MM1015 15-shot mini-missile launchers complemented the twelve PA-MM105s.  These launchers were nearly identical to the 5-shot versions except that the PA-MM1015 could fire fifteen missiles in a single volley.  Each of these launchers held thirty missiles giving the craft an additional payload of 120 mini-missiles from these launchers.  The total mini-missile payload of the VSF-04X was 240 missiles.  This combined payload of mini-missiles gave the spacefighter enough firepower to destroy escort ships and even cruisers of the 1st Interplanetary War era.
         The VSF-04X was fitted with two defensive systems.  The first consisted of fourteen, 4-shot, Pallas Arms PA-AM2 anti-missile bomblet launchers.  Seven of these anti-missile chafe launchers were located on each side of one of the two top-mounted ion engine nacelles.  The fourteen PA-AM2s were useable in either mode and capable of firing off one to four EMP chafe bomblets each.  The two-pound nuclear bomblet created an EMP field when detonated and an intense heat signature.  This gave the device the ability to fool thermal-guided missiles and defeat electronically guided weapons.
         The second device was a pair of UNDF-20 deflector field generators.  One generator was mounted in each of the mecha’s forearms in robot mode.  The generators were located on the rear portion of the PHELAC cannon blisters in fighter mode, one to the port and one to the starboard side of the pilot’s cockpit.  These deflector fields acted as parrying shields for the robot mode of the craft and as port and starboard defenses while the ship was in fighter mode.

         (PS-01A, Archangel)
         This fighter was a further development of the VSF-04X/PS-01.  It was built by the MacroTechnologies Company of the fledgling Neo-Hebrew government at Saturn during late 2077 AD.  The PS-01A was the main fighter of the Saturn Defense Forces at the end of the 1st Interplanetary War and throughout the 2080s.
        This fighter was outwardly identical to the VSF-04X/PS-01.  However, its internal components were very different from the original UN/EFR-designed spacefighter.
       The original UNRWE-64 walker/robot drivetrain engine was replaced by the DaengJäger RWE-12 engine, which was capable of twice the normal running speed as that of the original.
         The pair of UN-made ion engines was replaced by both fusion thrusters and the newly developed ion plasma fusion engines.
         The leg-mounted UN-IE-4 ion engines, which had provided the main cruising thrust of the ship, were replaced by a pair of MacroTechnologies IPFE-1.6 ion plasma fusion engines. These new engines were able to propel the PS-01A at speeds of 422 miles per second and gave the ship transatmospheric capability in addition to interplanetary transit.
         The top-mounted “booster” engines consisted of a pair of Stellar Dynamics SD-FT-1.2 fusion thrusters.  These engines were intended for flight during close combat near planets, spacestations, and within fleets of ships.  The speed of these engines was 7600 mph each (Mach 10) or 15,200 mph combined (Mach 20).  This gave the craft considerable speed within an atmosphere and a decent combat speed in space when fighting in tight formations that required “slow” velocities.
         Even though the PS-01A was a very effective spacefighter, it suffered from the same shortcomings as the PS-01 when used in an atmosphere.
      The power plant of the PS-01A was a 310-megawatt IPFF-310 ion plasma fusion furnace built by MacroTechnologies.  This reactor was much smaller than the old fusion reactor and used far less fuel per year.  This allowed the PS-01A to store 17.1 years of fuel versus the 1 year of fuel of the old FR-250.
         The weapon systems of the PS-01A were only slightly improved versions of the VSF-04X/PS-01 weaponry.
         The Gargarin 35-millimeter gunpod unit was replaced by a Titan Technologies TT-GP40RC 40-millimeter rail cannon gunpod unit.  This unit was nearly identical to the Gargarin type except for its caliber and payload.  The cumulative damage of the TT-GP40RC 40-millimeter shell was considerably higher than the 35-millimeter when the weapon was used in bursts.  This made up for the loss of twenty rounds of ammunition in the gunpod magazine.
         The missile and anti-missile systems of the PS-01A were unchanged from its predecessor. However, the Hidalgo Factory-6 PHELAC-AC-10s were replaced with a pair of Saturn Arms SA-EMPAC-10 electromagnetic beam cannons.  These cannons had a higher rate of fire and inflicted a marginal amount of additional damage over that of the PHELAC weapons.  The main reason for the replacement of the PHELAC beam weapons was due to the weapon uniformity requirements of the new Saturn Defense Forces.
         Lastly, the defense systems of the two fighters were different.  The deflector fields of the VSF-04X/PS-01 were useful against all types of weaponry, but lacked the absorption/deflection capacity of the new I-Field generators when defending against energy weapons.  The I-Field (ion field) dampening generators of the PS-01A were capable of four times the defensive capability as that of the older deflector fields.  Much arguing amongst the Saturn Defense Force commanders was conducted over this decision, but homegrown technology won out in the end over the versatility of the deflectors.  It was argued that missile weapons were easily defended against using the anti-missile bomblet systems of the fighter, and projectile weapons lacked the range to allow an enemy to attack at a “safe” distance from the PS-01A’s missile weapons.  The I-Fields could handle most beam weapons mounted on mecha of the day.  This argument was valid during the late 2070s and throughout the 2080s, but by the early 2090s, mecha weaponry had reached a new level and the I-Fields no longer provided an acceptable level of protection.
         The PS-01A was replaced by an upgraded version, the PS-01A1, and subsequent models all through the later half of the 21st century and nearly the entire first half of the 22nd.  This fighter became the genesis for legions of variable fighter types to come.