List of Mobile Suit Gundam mechanics

This is a list of fictional mobile units from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam.

Type 61 Tank
This article is about the fictional weapon Type 61 Tank, for the real world Type 61 tank, please go to Type 61 instead.

The Type 61 main battle tank is a type of ground weapon in the animation series Mobile Suit Gundam. It was fielded by the Earth Federation in U.C.0061 and saw service to at least U.C.0079. The Type 61 tank featured dual 150 mm cannons and a 12.7 mm machine gun, as well as eight smoke dispensers. There were also a wide selection of variants made for transport and troop deployment.

After the Zeon forces introduced the MS-05 Zaku I as a mainstay war machine in the One Year War, the Type 61 became practically obsolete, as Minovsky interference heavily undermined the tank's tactical communication abilities and also reduced its firing accuracy except at close ranges, but at these ranges it lacks enough gun elevation to hit critical parts of the mobile suit. Another disadvantage was that mobile suits, being highly agile humanoid robots, could outmaneuver the slow-moving tanks at close distances and dodge tank rounds with ease, as well as attacking the tank from the top. After Zeon initiated their Earth Drop Operation in March U.C.0079, Type 61s soon began to become the norm for protecting ground transports from attacks by the Magella Attack tanks and were crucial in the Capture of Odessa and Defense at Jaburo where the Federation armor took most of the burden. Type 61 was one of the most heavily deployed military hardware in the One Year War, and also among the greatest casualties.

While greatly lacking anti-MS weapons, Type 61s could be a serious threat to Zeon ground forces if correct tactics were used. They have a much smaller frontal visual projection and can be easily camouflaged for ambush operations. Employing ranged massed-fire tactics can be very effective in suppressing enemy positions (as evident in the Odessa Campaign). The tank's smaller size is also an advantage in hit-and-run missions, especially on harassing raid on Zeon supply depots (which are often undermanned in defence), or between the tight, narrow streets of urban warfare. Before the formal introduction of Federation's GM mobile suits, Type 61s were Federation's backbone of resistance in their bitter 9-month stalemate against the Principality of Zeon.

In the strategy games series Gihren's Greed, the Type 61 functions as the Earth Federation Forces' only ground unit until the Project V is completed. As in the series, the Type 61s are no match for mobile suits in equal numbers. However, because they take up much fewer resources than mobile suits, it is possible to recapture large areas of Earth territory from Zeon by the sheer weight of numbers. Needless to say, when in the war's focus shifts into space, the Type 61's importance become minute (though the RB-79 Balls perform a similar function spacewise).

Two new variants was shown in the MS IGLOO 2 — the Type 61's 3rd variant type of the Mk. 5 version and the commanding tank version. The main dual cannons are upgraded to 155 mm caliber smoothbore capable of firing APFSDS, flashbang and HEI munitions with autoloader. This up-gunned design severely depletes the internal room of the turret, restricting the crews to only the driver and the commander (who also assumes the role of the gunner).

Type 74 Hover Truck
When Minovsky interference rendered radar ineffective, the Type 74 hover truck was deployed as a communication support vehicle to provide Federation ground combat units with real-time battlefield intelligence, as well as reconnaissance and coordinates for artillery and air raids. Utilizing an advanced passive ground sonar suite to identify targets at long range, the hover truck was also equipped with a powerful communications system to penetrate low levels of Minovsky jamming. It was also designed with an open cargo bed for the transportation of supplies. For defense, the Type 74 hover truck was armed with a single 20 mm Vulcan gun mounted on the turret, primarily for anti-personnel and anti-aircraft defense. The standard Federation ground mobile suit combat squad consisted of three mobile suits and a hover truck.

Throughout the One Year War, the Type 74 hover truck had seen action all across the world from the Kojima Battalion in South Eastern Asia to the White Dingo team in Australia.

AH-17 Fanfan
The AH-17 Fanfan attack hovercraft was a cross-design between traditional hovercraft and jet aircraft. First deployed in U.C.0073, it served as a part of the integral defence system of Earth Federation's Jaburo Headquarter. The Fanfan's propulsion system comprised two large horizontal duct fan propellers and two jet engines, and it was armed with two 5-tube missile launchers mounted on the craft's top.

Fanfan was a decent gunship in terms of speed and agility, and was one of the Federation's few weapons that could yield some effectiveness countering the Zeon mobile suits. A different version, the AH-17P, was widely used in the Federation naval forces, and an upgraded version, the AH-17G, was introduced later in the One Year War mainly for base defence. Another variant, the AH-18 Fanfan Kai, continued service up to the time of the Gryps Conflict in U.C.0087.

FF-S3 Saberfish
The FF-S3 Saberfish (also translated as Shaverfish) was an Earth Federation high-speed space fighter built by the Hervic Company starting in U.C.0076. Designed to launch from the Federation's Columbus-class carriers or to, in dire straits, attach to and launch from the hulls of the Federation's Salamis and Magellan-class space warships, the Saberfish could also be utilized in atmospheric combat.

The Saberfish was armed with four 25 mm machine guns and 12 missile launchers, which gave it enough firepower to kill a first-generation mobile suit such as Zaku II. However, the starfighter can fall victim to the high mobility of mobile suits, which are capable of circling around (thanks to their AMBAC manuveurs) and attack the fighter from the rear. Nevertheless, it continued to see service well into U.C.0087, despite the continued odds stacked against it. Many Federation mobile suit aces of the One Year War such as Bernard Monsha, South Burning, and Yu Kajima first earned their wings piloting this starfighter.

In the strategy game series Gihren's Greed, the Saberfish will likely make up the bulk of the Earth Federation Space Forces fleet until the advent of mobile suits. While no match for mobile suits like the MS-05 Zaku I or MS-06 Zaku II in equal numbers, given enough numbers they can swarm and overwhelm most of the Zaku variants. However, when up against later model mobile suits such as MS-09 Doms and MS-14 Gelgoogs, the Saberfish are hopelessly outmatched even with numerical superiority.

FF-4 Toriares
The FF-4 Toriares was a short-range light attack aircraft capable of operating in both space and atmospheric battles. Due to its fast speed and light armament, it was mainly used to intercept hostile assault crafts, and engage group assaults or rapid saturational attacks on enemy positions, but was not able to deal effective damage to a mobile suit.

FF-6 TIN Cod
The FF-6 TIN Cod was an atmospheric interceptor built by the Hervic Company in U.C.0071. The TIN Cod was lightly armed with four 25 mm machine guns and two air-to-air missile racks. This light payload made the TIN Cod both inexpensive to produce and highly maneuverable. It was one of Federation's principal air superiority aircraft, and was usually used for escorting large bomber groups.

The TIN Cod's design later served to the development of the FF-X7 Core Fighter.

FF/B-2 Fly Manta
The FF/B-2 Fly Manta fighter-bomber was the Earth Federation Air Forces's backbone military aircraft during the One Year War. Armed with two 3-tube rocket launchers, large-caliber machine guns (later models equipped with 65 mm cannons) and anti-MS heavy bombs, the Fly Manta could deal critical damage to most Zaku mobile suits. Its high cruise altitude and fast speed made it a very difficult target for Zeon conventional and mobile suit forces. Cheap, easy to mass-produce and capable of carrying large payload, the Fly Manta was a well-rounded but more-or-less effective weapon against Zeon forces before the introduction of Federation's own mobile suits. The awesome sight of incoming Fly Manta herds was often the source of panic among Zeon ground forces.

Depp Rog
The Depp Rog heavy bomber was designed to carry out longer-ranged tactical and strategic bombing. While excellent in terms of payload capacity, cruising altitude, operational range, cruising speed, the Depp Rog delivered a heavier payloads than that of the lighter Fly Manta. Depp Rog served as the core attack units of the Earth Federation's Air Force.

Don Escargot
The Don Escargot attack aircraft was initially designed for ASW operations upon the Federation's Himalaya-class aircraft carriers (the so-called "Whales of Federation" by Zeon soldiers). It had folding wings and was capable of STOL, and was armed with 4 anti-air machine gun and large payloads of bombs and missiles. The Don Escargot was widely stationed at ports, coastal bases and surface fleets against Zeon submarine forces.

The name "Don Escargot" came from the aircraft's snail-like appearance.

FF-X7 Core Fighter
First appearing in the original anime series, the FF-X7 Core Fighter was an integral part of the Federation's Project V. The fighter itself could transform from plane mode into a roughly rectangular block, in which it formed an interchangeable torso module for the RX-78 Gundam, RX-77 Guncannon and RX-75 Guntank. Developed by the Hervic Company (the designer of the FF-6 TIN Cod and FF-S3 Saberfish fighters), the Core Fighter's primary purpose was to protect the combat data from the Gundam's learning computer system, serving as an escape vehicle in the event of the mobile suit being disabled or destroyed.

The Core Fighter was armed with four 25 mm machine guns mounted in the nose, and two small missile launchers mounted on the fuselage, and was capable of engaging alone as a low/mid-altitude light air superiority fighter. With thrust vectoring and VTOL ability, the Core Fighter also operated as a fast reconnaissance aircraft for large carrier ships such as the White Base.

The Core Fighter's most notable combat achievement was Amuro Ray destroying an airborne MS-07 Gouf with repeated direct hits.

The aircraft's Core Block concept was used in many later suits, and was used as late as U.C.0153 in the LM312V04 Victory Gundam.

FF-X7-Bst Core Booster
In order to compensate for the Core Fighter's deficiency in heavy firepower, the FF-X7-Bst Core Booster was deployed by the Earth Federation as a high-speed space/atmospheric assault aircraft. The unit was basically a Core Fighter combined with a heavy-duty booster module, greatly improving its speed, firepower, armor, operational stamina. Armed with two powerful mega-particle cannons, two dual-barrel 25 mm Vulcan cannons, two four-round missile launchers and an impressive payload of bombs, the Core Booster could serve both as a high-altitude air superiority fighter and a tactical bomber. In space combat, the Core Booster served as a serious support unit of the mobile assault squadrons for Federation warships, most notably the Pegasus assault carrier White Base.

An upgraded variant known as Core Booster II Interceptor Type was used as for strategic defence of the Earth Federation airspace, most notably South America. The Core Booster II's only on-screen appearance is in Episode 1 of MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079.

Dragonfly
With the advent of the Minovsky scattering system, the Earth Federation Forces found themselves without a reliable line of communication through areas saturated with Minovsky particles. The Dragonfly ferry aircraft served as a fast communication, courier and reconnaissance aircraft that allowed communication through areas of Minovsky jamming. Known to Zeon as the "Commu", this small propeller-driven aircraft was of very light construction and had a large wing surface, and the Federation's superior aeronautical technologies allowed it to be classified as a STOL-type aircraft, able to use very short runways such as the deck of a Big Tray land battleship.

Dish
The small patrol aircraft known as the Dish served multiple functions for the Federation Forces, including EWAC, electronic warfare and transport. The large radome that made up the central portion of the Dish's fuselage served as powerful long-range radar, although its effectiveness was greatly reduced by the advent of the Minovsky particle scattering system. Dish aircraft often assisted in long-range target identification, increasing the effectiveness of Federation Forces troop deployment. General Revil, commander of the Federation Forces in the One Year War, used a Dish to fly to Belfast, Ireland, in late U.C.0079 to inspect the Newtype crew of the Pegasus-class assault carrier White Base. Since Dish aircraft were not designed for combat, they were armed with only a small machine gun for defense.

G-Modules
During the One Year War, the already impressive RX-78 Gundam had a design drawback in terms of mission versatility. To correct this problem, the Earth Federation designed the G-Modules as various support parts for the Gundam in the form of G-Parts A (the main cockpit and caterpillar treads armed with a double barrel mega particle cannon above the pilot and missile launchers stored in the nose) and B (the four engine fuselage). Two G-Module units were assigned to the White Base piloted by Sayla Mass and Sleggar Law.

The G-Modules were only present in the original anime series. In subsequent movie and game adaptations, the G-Modules were scrapped in favor of the more realistic Core Booster design.


 * G-Bull
 * Similar to the RX-75 Guntank in design, the G-Bull is designed for ground combat roles. It utilizes G-Part A with the top part of Gundam including the Core Fighter, using an extra shield for protection but sacrifices using any of the Gundam's handleld weapons.  The G-Bull is only seen once in the anime, when Sayla and Amuro use it to defend Belfast Base from a Zeon fleet.


 * G-Bull Easy
 * The G-Bull Easy has the same function as the regular G-Bull, but lacks the Core Fighter component, allowing the G-Part A pilot to have sole control of the unit.


 * G-Armor
 * The G-Armor is the combination of both G-Parts A and B with the whole Gundam mobile suit. This essentially serves as a bomber, as the fighter pilot can attack the enemy from above, drop Gundam to handle the remaining forces, and intercept enemy aircraft.


 * G-Fighter
 * The G-Fighter is the combination of G-Parts A and B. It can be used in both space and on Earth, and can use both of the G-Modules weapons.  This was the main configuration of the G-Modules used during the One Year War. One G-Fighter was lost during the Battle of Solomon when Sleggar Law kamikazed his fighter into the underside of the massive MA-08 Big Zam in order to cripple the mobile armor's beam-deflecting I-field.


 * G-Sky
 * The G-Sky is the combination of G-Part B with the legs of Gundam attached to a Core Fighter. It serves in similar function to the Core Booster, increasing the fighter's speed and maneuverability.  The G-Sky uses the main weapons of the Core Fighter.


 * G-Sky Easy
 * G-Sky Easy is of the same function as the regular G-Sky, only missing the Gundam's legs. In theory this makes the unit lighter and more maneuverable. It is seen once in the anime, piloted by Hayato Kobayashi when the White Base fights against the remaining two Black Tri Stars during Operation Odessa.


 * Gundam + B Parts (Gundam Sky)
 * Known as Gundam Sky in the television series, the Gundam + B Parts configuration combines the whole RX-78 Gundam with the fuselage of the G-Fighter. Although it is seen as a space-only module, it tremendously increases the Gundam's maneuverability. It is only seen once when the Gundam is battling the MA-04X Zakrello mobile armor.

HT-01B Magella Attack
The HT-01B Magella Attack tank was the main battle tank of the Principality of Zeon's ground forces throughout the One Year War.

Magella Attack used a powerful 175 mm cannon for their main purposes. The Magella Attacks also used a 3-barrelled 35 mm machine gun for attacks against infantry, the Earth Federation's Type 61 Tank, and enemy mobile suit forces. The Magella Attack also has a very large canopy-style cockpit, very similar to fighter aircraft, which is very unusual for a tank but gives the men inside a more open view of the battlefield.

The Zeon designers gave the Magella Attack tanks a detachable cockpit, called the Magella Top, so the pilot could continue fighting in case the tank's body was destroyed. In reality, the Magella Top was little more than a poorly qualified escape vessel with a cannon, lacking the fuel to stay afloat for more than a few mere minutes.

Magella Attack tanks, as other weapons that preceded mobile suits, were ineffective in the age of mobile suits during the One Year War. They were slower and their cannon had a slow rate of fire compared to the weapons used by mobile suits. The detachable top design severely limits the turret's movements, to the point that Magella Attacks almost exclusively relied on maneuvering its tracks for targeting, much like a casemate assault gun. Lastly, their 35 mm machine gun was just too small to be effective against a mobile suits with either titanium armor or lunar titanium alloy armor. However, unlike some other out-of-date weapons employed during the One Year War, the Magella actually scored victories against mobile suits, since its 175 mm main gun was capable of destroying enemy mobile suits with a well-placed shot, even mobile suits with lunar titanium alloy would be destroyed or suffer heavy damage from a direct hit. One other good use came out of the Magella Attack tanks: The Magella Top Cannon. This weapon was basically a jury-rigged hand-held cannon for the Zeon's MS-05 Zaku Is and MS-06 Zaku IIs, when they could not get a hold of their standard 280 mm Zaku Bazookas, ammo for their bazookas, or when they needed the additional punch of this weapon.

Finally, Zeon engineers also found another use for the base of the Magella Attack tanks when they fused it with the torso of a Zaku. The result was the Zaku Tank, which came as a blessing to many Zeon forces who were lacking mobile suits. Since they were made of destroyed units and spare parts, abandoned Magella bases were more than welcome for their construction. These units also proved that the 35 mm machine gun could be replaced by other equipment according to the situation, such as a dozer blade or missile launchers, as well as being used for engineering purposes.

マゼラアタック

Dopp
The Dopp is the Principality of Zeon's only atmospheric fighter aircraft in use during the One Year War. Zeon's Gaw atmospheric attack carrier could carry eight Dopp fighters and was its most common operational platforms.

The Dopp is superior to other aircraft in turns of agility, but suffers badly in turns of cruise airspeed, operational range, rate of climb due to its poor aerodynamic design — a common symptom of (the traditionally space-bound) Zeon's lack of design knowledge in atmospheric air combat. These shortcomings lead to a significant tactical disadvantage, a fact that the Federal aviators soon took advantage of and came up with tactics negating Dopp's agility advantage. Due to its high fuel consumption rate, the Dopp had to rely heavily on secured ground depots, the vulnerable Gaw carriers or a Dodbay class land battleship for refueling between operations. As a result, Zeon never gained air supremacy against the Earth Federation Air Forces throughout their time on Earth, a circumstances that allowed Federation to hold back Zeon advances for over 9 months with obsolete conventional weapons. With the introduction of the Federation's MS, the Dopp became considered hopelessly obsolete. The twin 20 mm Vulcan guns are far too weak to pierce a mobile suit's armor, and only the missiles from the 6-tube missile launchers could pose some threat to a mobile suit.

The Dopp fighter was designed to be fast enough to easily attack and destroy the Earth Federation's naval/air warships, land battleships, and other fighter aircraft. They were smaller and faster than Zeon's Zaku II and were quite difficult to shoot down by ground units due to Minovsky interference. Dopps were more likely to be deployed attacking slow-and-big targets with hit-and-run tactics, such as poorly guarded Federation ground bases, Big Tray class land battleship, Himalayas-class aircraft carrier, and the White Base. However, their efficacy throughout the War was very poor due to Federation's absolute superiority in conventional air-to-air and anti-air warfares.

The Dopp fighter would be phased out and discontinued after Zeon retreated from Earth later in One Year War.

ドップ

Dodai YS Bomber
The Dodai YS Bomber is a Principality of Zeon's aircraft initially used as a bomber during the One Year War. It was equipped with eight frontal missile launchers. However it was given a more important role as an aerial sub-flight support craft, allowing a mobile suit to ride on top of it into the battlefield and perform airborne combat.

Later on, an upgraded model known as the Dodai II was created. Armed only with a two-barreled tail gun, it had better flight capabilities and was designed to make sure the MS had even greater maneuverability than the original Dodai.

ドダイYS