Zentraedi Capital Ships
General data Transport Command ship Reflex cannon platform
Scout ship Cruiser Flagship Go back to index

 

General data

The Zentraedi Armada was the most powerful military force in known universe;

Propulsion Systems: (Standard for all Zentraedi starships)

  • Reaction-Mass thrusters for combat: The design board demands for the thrust and fuel supply of the Zentraedi Starships were as follows:
    • maintain 0.23g for 5 hours 6 minutes;
    • be capable of 1.1g for 38 minutes;

    and the emergency thrusters are expected to:

    • propel a Zentraedi vessel at 2.1g for 10.8 minutes.

    Although no Zentraedi class met this precisely, these standards were the minimal requirements. Most ships were at most 3% over these limits.

  • Gravitic Displacement Drive for sublight travel: Local, monopolar-induced gravitic space-time distortion, powered by main protoculture reactors, accelerates vessel at 400-500 g, but the vessel's maneuverability is reduced to such a degree that only minor course corrections are possible. Typical cruising speed is .001 C. A low-power anti-gravity system provides hover capabilities.
  • Space Fold: A hyperspace system that catapults the vessel through space-time. The spacefold system is used for travelling from one system to another quickly. Range: Unknown, presumably limitless. However, extreme long-distance jumps are always made in a series of smaller jumps. Unlike Tirolian and later Terran vessels, Zentraedi folds are conformal to the ship's surface.
  • Planetary capabilities: All Zentraedi starships can enter and leave a planetary atmosphere. The Monitor can make planetfall without many problems. A good alternative for any Starship is an oceanic touch-down, since the vessels will float.
Weapon Systems:
  • Particle Beam Turrets: All Zentraedi Starships mount large numbers of these powerful multi-purpose weapons. They have the same range as the main guns, and are designed to suppress attacking spacecraft in support of the larger cannons and to provide orbital fire support for ground forces, something that the larger cannons are unsuited for. They deliver 1000 MJ of particle energy and can fire every three seconds at maximum intensity.
  • Missile Turrets: These turrets serve as the primary anti-mecha weapons of the ships. They can fire a 320 km range (in an atmosphere) high explosive or multi-warhead anti-mecha missiles ten times every minute.
  • Torpedo Tubes: Each Zentraedi warship mounts two different missile systems. The larger of these missiles is the anti-ship torpedo, which is noticably different from the anti-mecha missile. The launch installation for these missiles is a Reloadable Silo Launch System (RSLS), or as it is better known, a torpedo tube. Zentraedi starships mostly carry these tubes forward, often with a large concentration in the black groove between the two halves of the ship's armor (if built in this way). The tubes can reload in ten seconds, and have a large magazine available. Two separate types of missile are available: the Type 1 Sniper, a rather fat-looking design with multiple sensor heads, and the more elongated Type 2 Scrapper, which carries a similar payload but less electronics while also having a superior acceleration and delta-v capacity compared with the Type 1. Both missiles come with either a powerful plasma warhead or a 280 kiloton tactical fusion device, similar to the "Angel of Death" cruise missiles of the RDF/REF. Both missiles are optimized for deep space, but can be used in an atmosphere.
    • Although Zentraedi warriors were incapable of repairing their craft (the Robotech Masters' precaution), capital ships had the ability to automatically repair themselves to a certain extent.

    Generally capital ships' armor is dark green, with special units being an exception - the Meltran fleet wore purple, and Dolza's command base was black.

     

    A recon droid is being detached from the scoutship's internal deck Scout ship

    The smallest of Zentraedi capital ships, the scout is a lightly armed and armored vessel carrying loads of sensory equipment - long-range radars and electronic countermeasures systems. Small size and mass combined with powerful propulsion allows the scout to outrun bigger capital ships, while its own weaponry (a couple of particle beam turrets and a light missile launcher) is sufficient to holding back enemy mecha. Risk of detection and destruction is further minimized by employing a recon droid - basically a remote-controlled flying radar, which is normally carried inside the scoutship, and launched when needed. The scout is the only capital ship not equipped with a spacefold system, therefore is itself often carried inside a larger ship (usually a strike cruiser).

    Scout ships are often used for surveying planet surfaces; the droid can fly in dense atmospheres, and the ship itself is capable of rapid transorbital maneuvers. When performing a ground landing, the scout uses its four spearlike antennae as landing gear.

    Aside from harmless surveying, the scout's speed and stealth can also be used in hit-and-run commando raids - the ship's internal deck can house about a dozen mecha. In "Season's Greetings" Khyron uses a scout as a means of escaping after successfully recovering the protoculture chamber from New Macross city.
    Khyron's Glaug en route to the internal deck. Scout ship's antennae in landing position.
    Transport

    The name says it all. This medium-sized ship is used exclusively for transporting massive amounts of mecha through sub-space, space folds, and dense atmosphere. Its armor and armament are inadequate for direct ship-vs-ship combat - like aircraft carriers used planes, the transport uses mecha for attack and defence. A mechanized infantry battalion (around 500 mecha) is usually carried by a transport.

    Eight transports are assigned to each mechanized infantry space division.
    Thuvert Salan-class cruiser

    The backbone of Zentraedi interstellar forces, the Thuvert Salan cruiser is a basic attack ship, armed with half a hundred particle and missile turrets, plus a dozen of heavy anti-ship torpedo tubes. It can also carry a mechanized infantry company (around 100 mecha), but usually carries no more than a platoon, being primarily anti-capital-ship and therefore needing as much speed/maneuverability as possible.

    A mechanized infantry space division is normally equipped with six cruisers.
    Queadol Magdomilla-class command ship
    Otherwise known as the Strike cruiser, the Queadol Magdomilla is a powerful attack ship normally under the flag of a division commander. It is heavily armored and delivers a powerful punch. Basic attack systems include over a hundred PB/missile turrets and several heavy torpedo-tubes such as those found on Thuvert Salan. The main weapons, however, are six high-power particle beam cannons - two in the rear and four mounted within the bow-section's nose. These four can be fired all at once in an awesome salvo, penetrating the heaviest armor and even a forcefield barrier system found on the SDF-1. Such a salvo is the most powerful ship-mounted weapon in the Zentraedi fleet, with the only exception being the Reflex cannon.

    Being a command ship, the Queadol Magdomilla has a sophisticaled command&control section merged with a normal bridge; it is the space division's brain, where the commander and his aides plan and direct all divisionary actions. For higher flexibility and survivability, the strike cruiser's bow section can detach and perform as a separate ship, only without spacefold capabilities. The main intention of this construction was to ensure that the division's headquarters survives in battle even if the Queadol Magdomilla's main body was destroyed (since naturally the enemy would try to take out the command ship ASAP). However, in the series Khyron used the bow section not in defensive but offensive purposes - first to carry his troops to attack SDF-1 on Earth, against Azonia's orders, and then, under remote control, to ram the micronian battlefortress.

    Speaking of troops - the command ship usually carries the division's best mechanized infantry company, often led to battle by the commander himself, to deliver a deadly blow in the enemy's weakest point. Often there is also a scout ship on board, for reconnaisance and diversionary purposes.

    Each space division was equipped with one Queadol Magdomilla. Strike cruisers also sometimes carried the flag of a larger unit, such as the Meltran fleet.

    Flagship

    The most powerful starship in the Zentraedi fleet, and probably in existence (with the single exception of Dolza's command base), the Flagship is assigned only to the highest-ranking and most loyal fleet commanders. This single behemoth is well worth of a whole space division in armor and armament. The latter includes hundreds of particle/missile turrets, dozens of torpedo tubes and particle cannons, a whole regiment of mecha; but the most fearsome weapon is the infamous Reflex cannon, an energy concentrator of enormous capacity, capable of destroying whole fleets and scorching cities in one grand sweep.

    The two sections of the hull separate horizontally, and energy is concentrated inbetween. My guess would be that the sections act as a positive and negative poles in the creation of a powerful magnetic field; then a "fuel" unit is injected (could be deiterium-tritium plasma); the resulting thermonuclear reaction releases a wave of energy, which is reflected by the sections' inner covering (must be of a nearly absolute reflecting material) and is directed by the magnetic field in the desired area. An unfortunate side effect is that if the beam encounters a solid body head-on, there is a huge thermonuclear explosion. The basic principle is that of a photon drive, only used not for propulsion but as a weapon.
    In case things ever get out of hand (which is always an option given the nature of Zentraedi warlords), the Flagship is equipped with an override system, which allows direct control of any Zentraedi mecha, and possibly even capital ships. Breetai used it once to recall Khyron's forces from an unsanctioned and (almost) successful attack on SDF-1. Well, the manual override works only for mecha and not for Zentraedi brains, so Khyron resumed his attacks as soon as Breetai with his flagship was out of the way. Azonia had no other choice but to use direct physical threats to stop the reckless warlord, since her Queadol Magdomilla, naturally, had no override capabilities.
    The manual override system in action - emitting strong override signals

    Rineunadou Lojmeuean-class Reflex cannon platform

    A fleet of Monitors devastating a planet
    Being an ultimate doomsday weapon, the Reflex cannon was to be controlled only by the Robotech Masters themselves and their most trusted Zentraedi - Dolza and some of the fleet commanders. However, several dozen cannons mounted on Flagships were not enough in the escalating war with the Invid, and with growing tension on the Tirolian Mercantile Empire's planets. But building new Flagships was too expensive a way to get hold of more Reflex cannons, and so was designed a spacecraft whose sole purpose would be to transport and operate a Cannon.

    Otherwise known as the Monitor, the Rineunadou Lojmeuean is a relatively small ship, with mediocre armor and less than a cruiser's worth in conventional weaponry (particle beam and missile turrets - 30 each, 20 torpedo tubes); like a cruiser, it could also take a mechanized infantry company on board, but, again like a cruiser, usually got along with no more than a platoon. Its strength lay elsewhere - in the all-powerful Reflex cannon. In terms of firepower therefore each Monitor was almost equivalent to a Flagship - even though the latter's Reflex cannon had a wider area of effect, the general result was still similar. Moreover, unlike Flagships, Rineunadou Lojmeueans were concentrated in fleets for maximum destruction. Such a fleet could wipe out all life from the face of a planet, or even destroy the planet itself.

    Naturally, these fleets were under direct control of Robotech Masters and Dolza. Giving such awesome power to commanders like Khyron would've probably resulted in a long streak of unfortunate accidents. But even these precautions were not enough - simply because Dolza played his own game, and finally got control over all Reflex cannon platforms (that wasn't very hard, taking into consideration that all Monitors were manned by Zentraedi). This made him the most powerful creature in the universe, and Robotech Masters have only begun to realize that they were in the hands of their own creation.

    Fortunately for them, Dolza and his incredible fleet were annihilated in a battle with micronians and Zentraedi defectors. No one, even the Invid, would ever muster such power for at least another century.

    The last Rineunadou Lojmeuean had fallen in the hands of Khyron, who used it to destroy SDF-1, himself dying in the attempt.

    Length: 1215 m
    Width: 550 m
    Height: 380 m
    Mass: 23,000,000 metric tons
    Crew and troops: 1800
    Some info here I took from Peter Walker's site, a cool place with lots of factual material.