VF-19 Excalibur Custom

The VF-19F Excalibur was developed to phase out the aging VF-11B Thunderbolt, which had been in operation since A.D. 2040. However, due to its limited production number, only the most skilled and capable pilots were allowed to use it. Ray Lovelock, using his connections with the military aboard the 37th Long Distance Colony Fleet, procured a standard VF-19. He gave Basara Nekki free rein to modify the fighter as he saw fit, and soon, the "Fire Valkyrie" would play a major role in the evaluation and formal adoption for the Macross 7 fleet. Despite the presence of the military, the use of the Fire Valkyrie is still classified as a civilian unit and is frequently used during Fire Bomber concert events.