Can anyone please identify this aircraft for real? The Macross universe is full of mecha that are based on Grumman's venerable F-14 Tomcat but which are not actually the same.

hungkok2007 said:

Can anyone please identify this aircraft for real? The Macross universe is full of mecha that are based on Grumman's venerable F-14 Tomcat but which are not actually the same.

I'd say it's fictional, for sure isn't F-14. No current fighters match the stabilizer and nozzle shape.

Maybe YF-23? That's the closest I can think of.

ArdWar said:

I'd say it's fictional, for sure isn't F-14. No current fighters match the stabilizer and nozzle shape.

Maybe YF-23? That's the closest I can think of.

not even close to the YF-23

it's the VF/D-12 Rapier

tutcat said:
not even close to the YF-23

it's the VF/D-12 Rapier

The pixiv source page labels it as "F-14++ Advanced Tomcat" though.

See also post #1326020.

hungkok2007 said:

Can anyone please identify this aircraft for real? The Macross universe is full of mecha that are based on Grumman's venerable F-14 Tomcat but which are not actually the same.

After the VF-1A/D/J/S designs, the only others to share any similarity to the F-14 were the VF-0A/S, and even the VF-25's share some characteristics with it. Afterwards the only few I can say draw any near modern day examples are the YF-30 Chronos and the F-22A, YF-21/VF-22 Sturmvogel and YF-23, VA-3 Invader and A-6 Intruder, VF-14 and the SR-71 Blackbird, VF-17/VF-171 Nightmare and F-117, SV-52 and F/A-18 Hornet, and the most recent one being the SV-262 resembles the Saab Drakken. Otherwise they have lots of similarities to other modern aircraft like the X-29, and SU-47, but I can't say for certain if they had any other inspiration or even can have lines drawn back to them.