Warships:
Designation: SDF-3 Pioneer class Shadow Dimension Battlefortress:
Dimensions:
Length: 1,850 meters
Height: 550 meters
Width: 690 meters
Armaments:
2 x Mk.5 Heavy Synchro Cannons
36 x Mk.5 Mini-Single Barrel Synchro Cannons (16 bow facing in four sets of 4 located in "X" shapes along the front of the ship, another 16 are aft facing in two sets of 4 located in "X" shapes along the back end of the ship with the final 4 located in the middle of the ship and are able to twist either aft or bow facing)
36 x Heavy Missile Launchers with ten individual silos per launcher for 360 silos. Each carries 8 missiles on a rotary rack for rapid deployment and can fire a missile every 5 seconds.
52 x Mk.13 "Excalibur" class Tri-Barrel Heavy Particle Beam Cannon Turrets
64 x Mk.13 "Galantine" class Dual-Barrel Particle Beam Cannon Turrets
110 x Pop-Up Interceptor Missile Launchers
640 x Dual-Barrel Point Defense Laser Arrays
Hull:
Avalon class Armor. This is a combination of Mk. X Chobham Armor with Reflective/Absorption Ablative Hyper-Carbon Tirolian Alloy infused into the metal. Reflects energy attacks into space while absorbing what little it cannot reflect and then melts and ablates to prevent a hull breach. Armor is approximately 55% tougher than the armor used on the Alpha class Veritech Fighter while being 250% lighter.
Powerplant:
Primary: 7 x Mk. 17 "Gaia" class Protoculture Enhanced Reflex Furnaces
Secondary: 12 x Mk. 17 "Tiamat" Protoculture Enhanced Reflex Furnaces
Tertiary: 16 x Micro-Fusion Reactors
Engines:
64 x Heavy Ionic Pulse Sublight Engines
52 x Aft mounted engines located in several cells, two cells having 12 Heavy Ionic Pulse Sublight Engines located in the sterns of the aft bodies. These are augmented by two cell of 3 engines located on the outside of each aft body. One cell of 4 engines is located on the lower aft part of the central body while another two cells of 3 are located on the lower part of each bow section. These are supplemented by two more cells of 4 engines located on the upper rear of the bow section.
12 x Bow mounted engines located in several cells, one cell of 4 located in the lower bow part of the central body, and two cells of 4 located on the lower front of the aft section.
Shields:
D - 5 Omni-Directional Barrier System
D - 5 Pin-Point Barrier system: 8 plates
Mecha:
2 x Damocles class Heavy Dropships
120 x Horizon-Z class Multi-Purpose Vessels
1800 x Veritech Fighters:
30 x Reaper class Fighters Wings, 24 Reaper Fighters per attack wing
25 x Ragnarok class Fighter/Bomber Wings, 24 Ragnarok Fighter/Bombers per attack wing
20 x Borealis Attack Helicopter Wings, 24 Borealis Helicopters per attack wing
560 x Gurkha class Hover Tanks
1,500 x Destroids
13,500 x Cyclones
Ships Crew:
5,500 crewmembers
Pilots:
7,000 Pilots
Army Personal:
15,000 personal
Special Technology:
-Auto-Pilot
-Omni-Directional Energy Grid: A revolutionary energy system based off of the bio-mechanical systems used by the Invid. Designed like a nervous system, the system can transfer massive amounts of energy with ease as the system can adapt to the amount of energy being pushed through the power lines, reducing the chance of an overload.
-Mental-Integration Control System: Based off of the telepathic controls of the Invid as well as control system of the Robotech Master's Bioroids, this system allows the user to interface with the system, drastically decreasing reaction time, due to the lag time between thought and reaction of the system is cut down. The system also increases the users ability to generate thought as well, further decreasing reaction time even more.
-Integrated Multi-Dimensional Shadow System: The unit has numerous small, SF-10 RRG SHADOW Mk.3 Shadow Dimensional Cloaking devices scattered throughout the unit, allowing for a much more consistent and energy efficient Shadow Dimensional field as the field contours to the shape of the vessel in question and not in a sphere shape. This systems drastically reduces the heat build up as well as the energy drain of the Shadow Dimension Field, allowing even Cyclones to take advantage of the Shadow Dimension technology.
-Inertial Dampeners: This technology drastically reduces the G's felt on the body during harsh turns and movement while both in space and in atmosphere, allowing the vessel to perform much more intense maneuvers without blacking out or dying. Can also be used on capital grade warships to reduce the G's felt on the crew while being struck by weapons or during intense maneuvers at high speed.
-Multi-Spectral Communication Jammers: A highly advanced communication jamming system that broadcasts a lot of jamming frequencies that prevents long range communication.
-Combat Computer: The SDF-3 is equipped with an advanced AI combat computer that can store and analyze data during combat with hostile forces. Data collected by the combat computer can be displayed on the virtual environment cockpit of the mecha, which allows the system to display large amounts of data to the pilot and even highlight enemies and missile attacks with overlaid graphics. The combat computer tracks and identifies specific enemy targets, and has a database of over a few million images stored in memory. The computer can identify and track up to several thousand targets simultaneously.
-Heat and Radiation Shields: Special shielding prevents the penetration of life threatening head and radiation. A radiation detection and alarm system are linked with the shields and will sound an alarm if there is a rupture in the shields and what the levels of radiation are.
-Homing Signal: The escape pods of the SDF-3 Pioneer is equipped with a homing device that enables rescue teams to locate a disabled craft or ejected life pod. The range of the signal is 400 miles. Most REF ships and veritechs can locate and track a homing signal, and the onboard computers will automatically notify their pilots if such a signal is detected.
-Laser Targeting System: Range: 1,500,000 miles. An system that uses invisible laser to help target vessels, mecha or any other kind of objects.
-Optics (Infrared): Range: 1,500,000 miles. This optical system projects a beam of infrared light that is invisible to the normal eye, but detectable by the mecha's sensors. The system allows the pilot to detect hidden/concealed objects by their IR reflectiveness. The beam will be visible to anyone with IR sensitive optics, however.
-Optics (Night Vision): Range: 1,500,000 miles. A passive light image intensifier that emits no light of its own, but relies on ambient light which is electronically amplified to produce a visible picture.
-Optics (Thermal Imager): Range: 1,500,000 miles. A passive optical heat sensor that detects infrared radiation projected by warm objects and converts that data into a false-color visible image. The system enables the pilot to see in the dark, in shadows, and through smoke.
-Radar AN/APG-95C: X-band pulse Doppler radar. Detection radar against target 1,750,000 km.
-Gravitic Disruption Sensors: An advanced Haydonite/Tirolian sensor module that allows the vessel to track other ships by the gravitic wake of vessels.
-Radio/Video Communication: Long range, directional communications system with satellite relay capabilities. Range: 3,000 light years or can be boosted indefinitely via satellite relay.
-Infra-Red Warning Receiver OLDELFT (IRWR): Providing all aspect protection from IR guided missiles
-Radar Warning Receiver AN/ALR-80 (RWR): Providing all aspect protection from RF guided missiles.
-SF-10 RRG SHADOW Mk.3: A four-dimensional distortion field generator which downshifts and dampens protoculture radiation so that it is emitting only weakly in these wavebands. Like the VAF-8, the SDF-3 is designed to use the SF-10 Cloaking Device, the new standard cloaking device for the REF. A much improved version of the original SF-7 cloaking device, this version incorporates changes that makes the device smaller and more affordable to manufacture. The device still operates like older versions; rendering the mecha invisible to all electronic forms of detection, including radar, Invid Protoculture sensors, and microwaves. Only light-based detection systems, such as optical and laser tracking will detect the mecha.
The SF-10 is the first cloaking device to feature THREE modes of operation instead of only two: ON, in which the device operates normally; OFF, in which the device is shut off and the mecha is detectable by all forms of electronic detection; and SAFETY, in which the device emits a "4th dimensional blip," which is detectable by other REF mecha's collision warning systems. The SAFETY mode is used for close formations where mecha proximity could potentially cause disastrous collisions.
-Laser-Resistant Ceramic Coating: A Southern Cross invention, this coating type has been heavily upgraded by modern technologies, allow the coating to scramble laser tracking and can even reduce laser damage by half.
-RRG Mk.4 EM-Absorbing Skin Cover: A thin skin covering that strongly absorbs EM radiation from radio through ultra-violet wavelengths so that the unit emits only weakly in these bandwidths.
-Self-Destruct: To prevent capture of an advanced ship by the enemy, the crew can activate the SDF-3 self-destruct system, which will cause the vessel to explode after a delay of up to 60 minutes with the time set by the vessel's captain alone. All internal systems are obliterated.
Status: Active
Design: SDF-3 Pioneer after refit
Description:
The Pioneer is perhaps one of the most famous and important vessels in galactic history. It was the centerpiece of the Sentinel campaigns, serving as a forward operations base and manufacturing facility for the various Sentinel races. The ship was nearly destroyed in TR Edwards rebellion, but was rebuilt by the Karabarrans, Haydonites and other Sentinel races who all offered support and resources for the REF.
The result was a much stronger and deadlier SDF-3 who was placed under the direct command of Admiral Hunter.
The vessel was thought lost after the disastrous Neutron-S missile test that resulted in the creation of a newborn black hole. The SDF-3 and Deucalion were severely damaged and needed aid, but couldn't call for reinforcements and couldn't leave. The Icarus under the command of Captain Vince Grant attempted to retrieve both, but due to Haydonite interference, the Icarus was forced to leave with the Deucalion in tow.
The SDF-3 managed to reactivate her Fold Drives just before falling into the black hole thanks to Lang, Exadore and the other technicians and repair personal. The Fold Sphere was distorted and incredibly unstable, leading to an incredibly rocky Fold Jump which nearly destroyed the mighty vessel.
However, the SDF-3 managed to survive, if a bit more battered. The vessel had jumped very close to the galactic core and as the crew tried to get the ship back in working order, they discovered something incredible.
A massive Factory Satellite, easily many times larger than any other Factory Satellite ever discovered. A strange signal broadcasted from the Satellite and took direct control of the SDF-3 away from the crew and brought the Pioneer into her hanger bays.
Once inside, Rick ordered the ground forces to secure the Satellite for their usage. After a week of scouring the Satellite, it was deemed safe for the crew to disembark.
Once the control room was located, Lang and Exadore soon discovered that this was a brand new breed of Tirolian Factory Satellite made by Zor a few years before he left for his campaign to seed the Flowers of Life around the local group of galaxies. The design was made by Zor to aid his forces in their fight to overthrow the Robotech Masters and as such, the Satellite contains data and technologies that only Zor himself knew and that he kept from the Masters as to give his forces the upper hand in their future war.
To keep the Satellite from the Master's hand, Zor input a special code into the Satellites Fold Drive so that when the Satellite folds for the first time, the sphere was improperly made and deadly amounts of radiation seeped in and killed the crew, leaving it to be effortlessly taken by Zor's disciple's at a later date. The Satellite was deemed lost by the Robotech Masters ad no effort was made to create another as Zor soon died and the Matrix was sent to Earth, leaving the Master's in desperate need to conserve their Protoculture and so the G-95 Super Robotech Factory was deemed a failure and waste of precious resources.
After finding and securing the Factory Satellite, hesitantly dubbed Space Station Valhalla, the crew of the SDF-3 then detected the Ark Angel defolding near the station. After establishing contact, Rick and the others learned that their Hyperspace Fold took them 4 months to complete due to their horribly executed nature. Since then, the Haydonites have been attacking all Sentinel worlds and have been causing horrendous damage to the combined fleets.
The Ark Angel docks with Space Station Valhalla and the station quickly Folds away from her resting place for decades and Folds nears Earth.
After getting the situation sorted out with REF High Command as well as getting as many personal onto Space Station Valhalla as possible, Rick begins to try ad devise a plan to get more time for the REF as well as work out a way to get rid of the boobytraps laid within the Shadow Technologies given to the REF by the Haydonites.
Eventually, a plan is constructed to use the Pioneer as bait to draw in the Haydonites while Arial, Janice and a platoon of troopers will teleport aboard a Haydonite warship to download all it's data or to capture the ship if possible.
The plan is executed smoothly as thousands of Veritechs launch and move towards the Haydonite warships each with a tracking beacon Once close enough, the Veritechs attach the beacons to the ships, allowing Arial to get a lock onto their location and teleport the team members inside.
Once inside, the Heavy Assault Cyclones kept the Haydonites away from Janice long enough for her to download the complete computer core and then Arial teleported the team away after which, the ship was destroyed and the allied fleet Folded away, leaving behind a battered Haydonite fleet.
Using the newly acquired Haydonite data files which contained knowledge about the latest, most cutting edge Haydonite technologies, the REF combined this data with the data of the Sentinels most advanced technologies as well as those of Zor himself creating a well of knowledge greater than any other in known space. Using this highly advanced library, the REF immediately began using the data files to design brand new warships from the ground up with all the latest technologies, including Haydonite technology that did not contain booby traps.
The SDF-3 was amongst those that underwent a major refit to get all the bad technology off of her as well as getting better technology onto her. While they were doing that, the REF used the data of Zor as well as the intelligence of Kam as well as Arial's knowledge to upgrade the Second Protoculture Matrix into a much more powerful, third generation Protoculture Matrix, hence forth called the Third Protoculture Matrix.
With these upgrades in place, the newly created United Robotech Defense Forces gathered together to fight the Haydonites, with the SDF-3 Pioneer at the helm.