The Typhoon Veritech Motorcycle: A poisoned garland

One of the greatest 'missed opportunity' designs of the Robotech Wars would have to be the VM-5A Typhoon, also known as the MODAT. This was a design that never lived up to its potential due to no fault of its own, but rather being the victim of circumstances.

An outgrowth of the Southern Cross' considerable investment in their infantry forces, the MODAT had its genesis in several transforming motorcycle projects of the early 2020s. Only one of those had reached maturity, the VPA-01 CDAC (Civil Defence Armoured Cycle), and even then, it had been a compromised design. The CDAC was unable to fully transform and was instead dependent on a support vehicle to carry its Battloid-mode limbs and attach them in the field. This severely limited its capabilities and deployment, although it had the unexpected benefit that the CDAC's motorcycle mode appeared to be an innocuous vehicle that could easily pass for a regular motorcycle. Despite its shortcomings, the CDAC was deployed by both the CDU and GMP Enforcement Division with the understanding that it would be an interim design until a fully transformable Veritech motorcycle was developed.

The Typhoon was the end product of that process, and was developed alongside another project, one aimed at creating a mobile data terminal that could be connected to the EVE computer in the Tokyo Robotech Research lab. Headed up by Chief Minister Embry, the project resulted in a series of five prototypes developed under the code-name MODAT (MObile DAta Terminal) that were integrated into the transformable motorcycle design. Testing of the prototypes proved promising; not only were the MODAT series capable of a full transformation, but their performance exceeded that of the CDAC at every step. Furthermore, the use of the terminal proved to be an invaluable tool for GMP enforcement teams in their location and apprehension of suspects.

Southern Cross command were impressed with the results and had ordered production of the MODAT under the designation VM-5A Typhoon. While seen as being costly, the effectiveness of the prototypes could not be disputed. Initial plans were to deploy the Typhoon with the GMP and CDU to replace existing CDACs, and then expand to worldwide deployments. The Tactical Corps had also shown interest in the design for use as an Infantry Support and recon platform.

However, the MODAT project became a key part of Colonel B.D. Andrews' coup and effort to take control of the entire Far East Sector in the days before the Second Robotech War. On Andrews' orders, the five MODATs were destroyed to limit communications, while Chief Minister Embry was targeted for elimination due to his connection to the program. In a twist of fate, MODAT-5 survived the purge and was used by Mark Landry, a Tokyo biker, to fight back against Colonel Andrews and his plan. Ultimately, MODAT-5 was destroyed and Andrews was killed, ending his coup attempt. And while Minister Embry survived, the EVE System was compromised by Andrews during the coup.

As a result, the MODAT project fell under a cloud; it was tied to the entire affair, and quickly became politically untouchable to many within both the ASC's command and the UEG. After some deliberation and considerable delay, the decision was made to push forward with production with some modifications. The most important of which was the removal of the EVE connection which was now seen as an avenue for potential compromises of security (Unsubstantiated claims that the EVE system itself had been damaged or destroyed notwithstanding). Production of the Typhoon was finally agreed to after no small degree of debate.

Even then, the rollout was further hampered by the start of the Second Robotech War. The Southern Cross were forced to shift their priorities, and production the Typhoon was considered to be less urgent then replacing combat losses. Plans for advanced variants, such as a hoverbike model, were shelved indefinitely. As a result, only a relatively small number of Typhoons were shipped to units, many of which were then lost in combat in the devastating final days of the war. Ironically, many GMP and CDU units ended up retaining their CDACs long past the point where they were expected to replace them.

None the less, those Typhoons that did see service were well-liked by their crews and proved to be a capable urban combat and infantry support platform. The few that survived the Invid Invasion were in demand among resistance fighters for their mobility and low profile, while offering a greater level of protection than the Cyclone.