Variable fighter

A variable fighter is a fighter that transforms into two or more modes. It usually has a humanoid form called Battroid and an in-between mode called GERWALK (Ground Effective Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Knee-joint), in which the fighter has a pair of reverse-articulated legs extending underneath to enable VTOL.

The reason behind the development of the variable fighters' Battroid mode was the discovery of the existence of the Zentradi race, a giant humanoid race created by Protoculture for proxy warfare. Although at the time the humans had not met any actual Zentradi, the discovery of the SDF-1 Macross and its accommodations for humanoid giants justified the development of a weapon that could enable mankind to fight the aliens in land and aerospace combat. Thus, research into Overtechnology culminated in the development of the variable fighter for the U.N. Spacy.

Variable fighters are commonly nicknamed "Valkyries" after the first major, mass-produced variable fighter of the U.N. Forces, the VF-1 Valkyrie (This is Animation Special: Macross Plus).