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The VF-31AX Kairos Plus is a variable fighter featured in the Macross Δ Movie: Absolute Live!!!!!! movie. It is the upgraded form of Delta Flight's VF-31 Siegfried.

Development[]

The VF-31AX Kairos Plus was a field retrofit of Delta Flight's VF-31 Siegfrieds, with the intention of improving their abilities against Heimdall's Sv-303 Vivasvat. By incorporating the latest variable fighter technologies under the supervision of Makina Nakajima, the VF-31AX achieves performance characteristics on par with the YF-29 Durandal, making it one of the most capable variable fighters as of 2068.

The VF-31AX was built out of parts from three different aircraft; Xaos' VF-31 Siegfried series as the base craft, the VF-31A Kairos for spare parts, and the VF-31X, a newly developed variant intended to create a mass-production version of the Siegfrieds. Due to the rushed nature of the Siegfried's repairs owing to the urgent circumstances, the Fold Wave systems on the Siegfrieds were damaged in the process, and thus the aircraft had to be rebuilt. Fortunately the VF-31X parts were being carried aboard the Macross Gigasion when it was diverted to Windermere to support Xaos' Ragna branch, giving Delta Flight access to the parts for use in rebuilding the Siegfrieds, resulting in the craft being called the VF-31AX.

Technology & Combat Characteristics[]

The most significant upgrade of the Kairos Plus was the addition of more Fold Quartz to the Siegfried's Fold Resonance System resulting in it becoming visibly larger, further improving its ability to use Fold Waves generated by Walküre's songs to enhance its combat performance, and disrupt the enemy's own Fold Resonance technology temporarily. Additional changes include the use of a wrap-around image monitoring system in the cockpit similar to that seen on the VF-27γ Lucifer and the Sv-262 Draken III, improving the pilot's situational awareness. Visually the Kairos Plus replaces the Siegfried's forward-swept wings for a larger swept-back main wing, giving the Kairos Plus a visage similar to the VF-31A. Other visible changes include a longer single-piece cockpit canopy, larger saw-toothed canards, longer railgun barrels, and thicker arms with elbow covers in Battroid form.

Because the Kairos Plus is primarily meant to be a combat fighter to counter a specific threat, the multi-drone carriers on the legs have been replaced with the standard micro-missile launchers used by the VF-31A, and the multipurpose container unit is equipped with an additional beam gun instead of the drone charger. The Kairos Plus also sports a new model beam gun pod based off the Sv-262 Draken III's gun pod, which like the previous beam gun pod can either be wielded on the hand or mounted on the multipurpose container unit as a turreted gun.

Armaments[]

Standard[]

  • ROV-127E 12.7mm Beam Machine gun
    • Hayate, Chuck, and Bogue's variant has 1 gun on the forehead, while Mirage's variant has 1 gun on each side of the head for a total of 2 guns, and Arad's variant has 2 guns per side for a total of 4 guns.
  • AK/VF-M11 Assault Knife x 2
    • Can be reinforced with Pin-Point Barriers to enhance effectiveness.
    • The Assault Knives are each stored within the forearm's anti-projectile shields when not in use.
  • LU-22A Beam Gun Pod x 1
    • New model beam gun pod based off Windermere design.
    • Can be wielded on either hand, or kept on multipurpose container unit above left side as turreted gun.
  • Laser Cannon x 1
    • multipurpose container unit option weapon, deploys on right side in use. Can be used alongside Beam Gun Pod as a turreted beam gun.
  • LM-30A 30mm Rapid-fire Railgun Pod x 2
    • One on each forearm, can fold out when in use. In Fighter mode, the railguns are mounted under the wing roots to the side of the engines.
    • The Kairos Plus has longer barrels for its railguns compared to the Kairos or Siegfried.
  • CIMM-3B Micro Missile x 36
    • Stored on micro missile bays behind the legs, with 18 missiles per leg.
  • Anti-Projectile Shield x 2
    • Reinforced hardened shield for defending against ranged and melee attacks.
    • Unlike previous variable fighters, the shields are directly integrated into the forearms, allowing either arm to defend.
  • VPB-S24 Pin Point Barrier System

Optional Armament[]

  • Underwing Hardpoints for Pylon-carried Ordnance x 4
    • One pylon mount on the each outer wing, and one on each inner wing.
    • The inner wing hardpoints are directly connected to the anti-projectile shield, allowing any ordnance mounted there to be wielded on the forearms in GERWALK and Battroid modes.

Optional Packs[]

Super Pack[]

  • CIMM-5A/A Micro Missile Launcher x 10
    • Mounted inside of Booster pods.
  • HMM-7C CIWS 15-Tube Proximity Micro Missile Pod x 2
    • 1 per side of the chest by the shoulders.
  • Bulletproof Shield x 2
    • Enhanced defensive shield installed on top of existing Anti-Projectile Shield for added protection.
    • Retains weapon pylon mounts for optional ordnance.

Armored Pack[]

  • 105mm ASAWB-M55 Twin Beam Turret x 1
    • Mounted in place of multipurpose container unit. Can be fired while detached.
  • 35mm 6-barrel Heavy Gatling Gun × 2
    • Attached to each forearm.
  • AMC-22 22-Tube Micro Missile Launcher Pod x 2
    • 1 on each side of the chest.
  • AMC-17 17-Tube Micro Missile Launcher Pod x 2
    • 1 on each side of the shoulder.
  • 40mm Beam Cannon x 2
    • 1 on each side of the chest below the 22-tube missile launchers
  • AMC-14 14-Tube Micro Missile Launcher Pod × 4
    • 2 on front of each Booster weapon pod.
  • AMC-12 12-Tube Micro Missile Launcher Pod × 10
    • 3 on front of each Booster weapon pod, 2 at the rear of each pod.
  • Anti-Ship Reaction Missile bay x 4
    • 2 bays per Booster weapon pod. Each bay can carry 3 anti-ship missiles, or 1 reaction missile.
  • AMC-34 34-Tube Micro Missile Launcher Pod x 4
    • 2 per leg armor.
  • AMC-16 16-Tube Micro Missile Launcher Pod x 4
    • 2 per leg armor.

History[]

When the Heimdall organization declared war against the galaxy in 2068 by invading the Windermere Kingdom, the combined efforts of Xaos' Delta Flight and the Windermerean Aerial Knights proved inadequate to defend the capital, with their respective machines - the VF-31 Siegfried and the Sv-262 Draken III - being outclassed by the enemy's new Sv-303 Vivasvat variable fighters. After escaping aboard the Macross Gigasion towards a secret Xaos' owned Zentradi factory satellite, Delta Flight's VF-31s were repaired using spare VF-31A Kairos parts and given upgrades to improve their combat capabilities against the Vivasvats, resulting in the creation of the Kairos Plus.

The Kairos Plus would be first flown in an initial mock battle by Delta Flight against Super Ghosts and Maximilian Jenius' YF-29 Durandal to test the abilities of the new craft, before being used shortly afterwards to defend Xaos' factory satellite against an attack by a squadron of Sv-303 Vivasvat variable fighters. Later, the Kairos Plus units would participate in Operation Jormungand, a large-scale combat operation to liberate Windermere by destroying Heimdall's Battle Astrea flagship, where their capabilities in conjunction with Walküre would prove instrumental in turning the tide of battle.

Variants[]

Unlike the Siegfrieds, the Kairos Plus variants are not differentiated by model number, thus all of the craft are simply denoted as "VF-31AX".

Special Equipment and Features[]

Super Pack[]

  • The VF-31AX has its own set of Super equipment improved over the old VF-31 Super Packs for enhanced performance in space combat in all modes. The Super Pack consists of additional armor attached to the chest (with micro missile launchers by the shoulders), hips, thighs, and legs, as well as two large shields with one on each arm. Enhanced mobility is provided by two large booster packs mounted on each wing, along with additional maneuvering thrusters on the leg armor. Notably, the booster packs on the Kairos Plus are mounted perpendicularly to the main wing via a swivel joint instead of laying on top of the wing like on the Siegfried, allowing the Kairos Plus to pitch the booster packs along their axes for additional maneuverability.

Armored Pack[]

  • The Kairos Plus can use the VF-31 Armored Pack for heavy combat situations where both firepower and defense are essential, and like the VF-25 Messiah can use the Armored Pack seamlessly in all modes. The Armored Pack attaches additional heavy armor to the chest, shoulders, hips, thighs, and legs, and increased engine power is provided by two massive booster packs on the wings to compensate for the additional weight. For offense, the Armored Pack adds two beam guns on the chest, two large gatling guns one on each arm, a dual heavy beam cannon turret replacing the multi-mission pack, four anti-ship missile bays on the thruster pack's weapon pods, and multiple micro-missile launchers on the armor.
  • Each individual part of the Armored Pack can be individually jettisoned when required, and the micro missile packs on the armor can be set to launch their missiles at nearby targets after purging the armor. The dual heavy beam cannon can be detached from the craft and used as a hand-held weapon held by both arms.
  • Due to the VF-31AX having thicker forearm defenses, the extra armor on the forearms are not installed for the Kairos Plus.

Super Ghosts[]

  • The VF-31AX is shown to be capable of equipping up to two Super Ghost unmanned fighters by docking with them in the field, giving the Kairos Plus increased engine output and speed, along with using the Super Ghost's weapons in combat.

Gallery[]

Production Remarks[]

  • According to Hidetaka Tenjin, visual artist for Macross Δ, the change in design from the Siegfried - which was the main variable fighter of the TV series and the Passionate Walküre movie - to the Kairos Plus was made due to the VF-31A Kairos design being a bestseller when it came to merchandise, and thus for the second movie they made the lead mecha feature a design more similar to the Kairos than the Siegfried. The other visual changes to the Kairos Plus, like the thicker arms and larger railguns, came about from Director and mecha designer Shōji Kawamori wanting a "stronger" and more "aggressive" appearance for the main mecha.[1]

References[]

  1. Monthly Hobby Japan, Hobby Japan , December 2021, pp. 124-131.


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