List of Robotech Vehicles - Mecha - VFH-10 Veritech AGAC

VFH-10 Veritech AGAC

The VFH-10 Armored Gyro Assault Chopper, designated "Ajax" upon its introduction, was the last mecha series developed by the Army of the Southern Cross in both the anime television series Robotech and its original Japanese source The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross. An advanced space-combat fighter based on a helicopter concept, the AGAC was the mainstay of all Southern Cross assaults against the Robotech Masters once the Southern Cross began fleet operations.

Unlike the earlier VF-8 Logan, the AGAC was designed with space combat in mind and proved particularly adept in that arena. Its helicopter mode was intended to give it atmospheric capabilities as well; in practice, these did not prove particularly important given the timing of its introduction, which coincided with humanity's transition from a defensive posture to an offensive one that placed emphasis on engaging the Masters in space.

The AGAC boasted considerably improved firepower over the Logan and was considered a significant rival to the heavy armament of the Veritech Hovertank, in part because of its reintegration of missiles (whose area-affecting damage potential was less of a problem for combat operations in space than would be true in a cityscape). It also featured multiple banks of thrusters to maximize maneuverability in a vacuum, making it far less dependent upon the linear fighting tactics of earlier veritech fighters like the Logan and VF-1 Valkyrie whose powerful forward-thrust engines led pilots to mimic atmospheric flight.

Large numbers of AGACs were produced in the wake of early successes, and they continued to replace earlier space fighters and the Logan in Southern Cross squadrons even after the Second Robotech War ended. Declining production capabilities in the wake of the destruction of Monument City resulted in much slower replenishment after the war than had been true at its heydey, however, and those AGACs that were in service when the Invid arrived were far too few to hold off the invaders.