VF-22 Sturmvogel II

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The VF-22 Sturmvogel is a fictional variable fighter from the anime Macross 7.

[edit] Backstory

It is designed by General Galaxy after its YF-21 prototype failed in its competition against Shinsei Industries' YF-19 prototype for the U.N. Spacy-sponsored Project Super Nova.

The VF-22 is the updated version of the YF-21 prototype. It uses a conventional control interface rather than the flawed Brain Direct Image (BDI) system that causes mental feedback to pilots, which can result in psychological problems. It retains the active stealth technology and inertia vector control system of the prototype. A legacy of the YF-21 design is its odd, heavily-framed cockpit canopy, compared to the clean bubble canopy of the VF-19.

The VF-22 design was transmitted to the Macross 7 colonization fleet and authorization was given to build two of these fighters for the fleet's special forces. The first two VF-22s were piloted by the Macross 7 fleet commander, Captain Maximilian Jenius, and his wife, City 7 mayor Milia Fallyna Jenius. A third one was piloted by the Diamond Force leader, Lieutenant Gamlin Kizaki, in the OVA Macross Dynamite 7.

The VF-22 shares the distinction with the Octos, Variable Glaug, Neo Glaug, VB-6 König Monster, Fz-109 Elgerzorene, Az-130 Panzerzorene, and FBz-99 Saubergeran as being among the only variable vehicles given a non-English name. Mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori named the vehicle after the Messerschmitt Me 262A-2a Sturmvogel. Sturmvogel is the German word for petrel, and is a combination of the words "sturm" meaning "storm" and "vogel" meaning "bird".

[edit] Design

This design is loosely based on the real-life YF-23 prototype fighter built for the United States Air Force in the Advance Tactical Figher (AFT) competition that lost to the YF-22 (that eventually became the current F-22 Raptor), although it took the F-22's numeric designation leading some to believe that it was based on the F-22.