In honor of the Queadluun-Rau finally making it back to Macross television...
From the
Macross Mecha Manual:
Quote:
Quimeliquola Queadluun-Rau Battle Suit
Technical Data
Equipment Type: Zentradi female division high-maneuverability battle suit
Government: Zentradi Army
Manufacturer: Quimeliquola 74710020692nd Zentradi Fully-automated Weapon Development and Production
Accommodation: pilot only
Dimensions: height 16.75 meters (18.8 meters including antennae); width 18.4 meters; length 10.8 meters
Mass: total mass 32.5 metric tons
Power Plant: two 2.1 GGV class Quimeliquola thermonuclear converters
Propulsion: two booster thrusters; many x vernier thrusters
Design Features: main cockpit screen; main sensor mounted in head; many x other sensors; Quimeliquola special inertia vector control system.
Armament:- 2 x medium-bore fire-linked impact cannons (mounted front torso)
- 2 x air-to-air high-speed-rotating tri-barrel laser pulse guns (one per arm)
- 4 x close-combat short-range super-miniature missile launchers (one per
left/right engine mount and one per left/right knee) with 21 x high-maneuverability missiles each (overall standard payload: 126 missiles)
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The Queadluun-Rau was the most powerful of the original Zentradi mecha, and they were exclusively piloted by elite female pilots. Even though it was the largest of the Zentradi mecha, it was also the most maneuverable (thanks to the vector control system), and probably the best acceleration as well (based on what we see on-screen). With its huge arsenal of missiles, it can (and does) do massive damage against an enemy formation, and speed away before they can react.
Unfortunately, there are no concrete performance notes for the mecha, but there's plenty that can be drawn through interpretation of what data we have. Compared to the VF-1, the Queadluun-Rau is greatly superior in just about every way except for a lack of long-ranged weapons and having a much larger target profile. Therefore it's not much of a stretch to assume that it can match the VF-1 in every performance envelop (with the possible exception of atmospheric flight).
As a development platform, the Queadluun-Rau has seen a great deal of longevity: it served as the basis of the both the YF-21's battloid configuration and its own vector system. Moreover, as we see in Macross Frontier, there's an updated version of the mecha in production; and its employment suggests that it's been given a similar developmental consideration to the brand-new VF-25. Since the external cues and weapons layout are almost identical between the new and vintage models of the Queadluun-Rau, that speaks volumes as to how highly its original concept was viewed by the military.
On a personal note, the Queadluun-Rau is my favorite SDF Macross mecha to have never shown up in Battletech (admittedly, there aren't all that many that didn't
), and it's one of my favorite mecha in general. Nothing says "female mecha" better than this particular design (even though it's more or less headless
), and I'm very happy to see it get a new lease in Macross.