The Tactical BattlePod is the standard Zentraedi fighter, used in all Zentraedi operations.
They are small, simple mecha, being very cheap, easy, and quick to build. However, this
means that they cannot withstand much damage, especially from armor-piercing rounds such
as those fired by the RDF's GU-11. Because of this, BattlePods are best used in large numbers so
that at least some survive to destroy the opposing craft with their medium-power PBCs.
The Recon Scout Pod is an adaptation to the regular tactical pod. All of the weapons have been replaced
with advanced sensors and detectors, allowing the fleet time to prepare before an enemy attack. Recon Scouts
are also good for scouting out an enemy position prior to attack. However, Recon Scouts are very lightly
armored and have no weapons, and so are absolutely defenseless. A standard escort is usually composed of
two Tactical Pods or two Male Power Armor units.
Officers have their own personal BattlePods, which are vastly different from Tactical BattlePods.
Officer's Pods no longer have just the two medium PBCs; they have much more advanced weaponry, including
one heavy PBC and two medium impact cannons. Officer's Pods are also much tougher than Tactical Pods,
but, therefore, take more resources and time to build. While not as fast as the Tactical Pods, the
Officer's Pod is still quite maneuverable, and makes up for it in raw firepower.
The Officer's Armored Vehicle is simply an Officer's Pod 'strapped' in a larger powered vehicle. The Armored
Vehicle can sustain itself in space for months at a time, making it a nice safety measure for transporting high-priority
officers. The Armored Vehicle also adds speed and durability to the officer's pod. However, the Armored Vehicle
does have a cost, in required time and resources, like always. Some believe that the cost is greatly offset
by the added durability and the new multi-blasters, while others argue otherwise. Either way, usually a few
Armored Vehicles end up in all commanders' fleets.
The new Officer's Pod variant, known as the 'Super Officer's Pod', is basically a walking/flying artillery piece.
Its wide range of armaments include the standard Officer's impact cannons and PBC, along with two large
autocannons and two small missile pods. It is also more heavily armored. However, the firepower comes at a price;
the 'Super Officer' is much slower and less manueverable than the standard Pod. Zentraedi specialists are working
on a new propulsion system to offset this.
The Nousjadeul-Ger, or Male Power Armor, is a powered suit which fits over a single Zentraedi soldier.
The exoskeletal systems enhance the Zentraedi's strength and speed, making it ideal for manual labor
and short reconnassiance missions. An exploration team usually has at least two Nousjadeul-Ger units, sometimes
as many as six. However, the Powered Armor's armament is quite limited, usually just the built-in impact cannon
and either a PBC or plasma cannon. Since the Nousjadeul-Ger units are not much bigger than regular Zentraedi,
they can use hand-held weapons, such as the laser pistol and assault rifle, but these are not standard issue.
The new Male Powered Armor variant, the Assault Power Armor, is designed to offer an alternative to the standard
pods. Based on the male powered armor systems, the assault power armor still is an exoskeletal system which
fits over a single Zentraedi soldier. However, the firepower and maneuverability is much greater. Armed with
two quad-pulse PBCs, the assault armor offers extreme firepower at a very high rate of fire. The engines have also
been changed, now smaller but more powerful. However, the assault armor still has a few problems and is much more
expensive and time-consuming to build.
The Queadluun-Rau, or Female Power Armor, is a highly maneuverable, heavily armed fighter. Piloted
by a single female Zentraedi, the Queadluun-Rau is not much bigger than an average male Zentraedi.
Utilized by the feared Quadrano Battalions, the Powered Suit is obviously created for battle, filled
with all kinds of weapon and sensor systems. The standard combat units are armed with two chest-mounted
autocannons and two arm-mounted tri-barrel pulse lasers. These weapons are quite deadly and offer a high
volume of fire.
The Queadluun-Rau, or Female Power Armor, is a highly maneuverable, heavily armed fighter. Piloted
by a single female Zentraedi, the Queadluun-Rau is not much bigger than an average male Zentraedi.
Utilized by the feared Quadrano Battalions, the Powered Suit is obviously created for battle, filled
with all kinds of weapon and sensor systems. The support version relies on two very large missile launchers,
which are located at the shoulders, for all attacks. Holding over 100 missiles, they are truly devestating.
The great Botoru mechanized divisions heavily rely on Tri-Thruster Pursuit ships, and thus they are
called Botoru Tri-Thrusters. The Tri-Thrusters are very fast and agile, but have little armor. However, to
offset this, Pursuit ships are extremely heavily armed. A tri-barrelled PBC is the Tri-Thruster's main weapon,
which is quite powerful and has a high rate of fire. For longer-range assaults and attacks on larger craft,
the Tri-Thruster has a built-in short-range missile launcher. While Tri-Thrusters are a rarity in main
fleets, they form the backbone of the Botoru divisions' fighter wings.
The Recovery Pods are salvaging and resourcing craft designed for only that purpose. They have no offensive
or defensive capabilities, and so require an escort. Two to six Tactical Pods are standard. The Recovery Pods
have two models: the Mk1 and the Mk2. The Recovery Pod Mk1 is a resource craft, used for gathering space debris
and converting it to usable material. The Mk2 is a special salvaging craft which can capture enemy ships, due
to stronger 'hands'. The Mk2 has been used to great effect on several occassions, against both renegade
Zentraedi and RDF forces.
The Reentry Pod is a large transport and support craft, able to refit hundreds of pods within minutes.
The Reentry pod is generally used as a battlefield support craft, only refitting and refueling fighters instead
of carrying them; transport is now left to the support-modified Salans. Reentry Pods can contain enough
supplies to sustain a full complement of troops for over 6 months.
The resource pod is a modified Reentry Pod that can accept and process resources.
The Thu'lan is a relatively new Zentraedi ship, offering increased capabilities through the use of
self-guided missiles. Since many of the remaining cruisers have had to be stripped of their missile
launchers to house manufacturing and support facilities, the Thu'lan is a truly prized ship to have.
Another new Zentraedi design, the overall layout of the Fi'Ril ("Fury") Destroyer is based on two existing
Zentraedi cruisers, the Salan Scout Cruiser and the Thuverl Salan Destroyer; in fact, when the Fi'Ril was first
spotted by RDF troops, it was believed to be a smaller Thuverl Salan variant. The Fi'Ril is an excellent all-around
cruiser, armed with one large cannon for cruisers, two missile launchers for faster fighter craft, and two heavy
plasma cannons for medium-sized craft. The Fi'Ril is now becoming the standard Zentraedi attack cruiser, and is
usaually found escorted by a large flight of BattlePods and new experimental 'Super Officers'.
The support variant of the Salan has had the majority of its targeting and weapons systems removed,
to make room for large hangars and prefab facilities, so that it may rearm, refuel, house, and build
fighters. The support Salan is often used as an 'outpost', a raider command vessel, or command center
for very small-scale ops.
The Salan 'Scout' Cruiser is a standard light assault Zentraedi cruiser, extensively used
after the First Robotech War. Armed with five medium/heavy laser 'turrets' the Salan is an excellent
assault craft. However, the guns have a very limited field of fire, restricted to targets directly
in front of the Salan. They also have trouble targeting small, fast-moving fighters, and so should
always be escorted with a full complement of BattlePods.
The Thuverl Salan is the standard Zentraedi warship. Now that the main Zentraedi fleets have been eliminated,
the Thuverls are now used as command ships for most of the smaller-scale ops that take place. Basically
all Thuverls have now been modified so that they can build and house fighters, as well as a single Salan
light cruiser. However, this means that some of the weaponry has been removed. Even with many of its turrets
removed, the Thuverl still outclasses the RDF's abundant ARMD platform, and may be more powerful than
the new Epsilon-class cruiser.