VFB-9 Beta

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The VFB-9 Beta Fighter is a Veritech fighter-bomber in the fictional universe of Robotech.

See VF-9 Cutlass for the unrelated variable fighter in the fictional Macross setting.

The VFB-9 Beta Fighter is based on the AB-01 Tread Armo-Bomber from Genesis Climber Mospeada. It is a large aerospacecraft capable of making orbit on the brute-force power of its three huge rocket engines. The VBF-9 is rather unaerodynamic, flying on the "brick with giant engines" principle. Its huge size and slender wings give it an extremely high wing loading, degrading its performance further - in terms of combat use, the Beta is a giant missile truck and little more in fighter configuration. In Battloid mode, the Beta is a hulking, powerful combatant with an impressive array of weapons including three heavy beam guns in each forearm and several missile launchers. The Beta's third configuration is a VTOL and walking configuration with little real combat ability. The deep, narrow fuselage means that the Beta has little handling capability on the ground in fighter mode. With its slim wings and poor maneuverability, the Beta somewhat resembles the Douglas F3D Skyknight.

The Beta has the unique ability to dock with an Alpha Fighter, combining the two into a larger and more aerodynamic combat unit. The Beta fighter provides additional fuel for a docked Alpha and gives it the necessary thrust for escape velocity. Beta Fighters were used as unmanned boosters for their smaller Alpha brethren. Once the two mecha are combined, the sleeker Alpha Fighter acts as canard wings which allows the combined unit massivly increased atmospheric handling conditions. In space, the advantages of combining together aren't as apparent (aside from getting the Alpha into space from a planet's surface in the first place), but such tactics allow twice as many mecha to be transported into a combat zone at a time. In this case, the Beta Fighter brings the lighter Alphas into the combat zone, at which time the two mecha separate with the Alphas closing in for a dogfight and the Betas holding back to punish the enemy with missiles.

In older references, the VFB-9 was referred to as the "VBF-1" Beta Fighter, a designation which made little sense since it implied a separate sequence of designation for each type of Veritech.

The Beta was preceded in service by the Condor, of which very little is known. The Condor in Genesis Climber MOSPEADA is the Armo-Soldier predecessor of the Legioss that was used in an earlier campaign, and it could transform into Armo-Fighter mode.