Clop-class

The Clop-class is a fictional space cruiser class first seen in the full-length movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack.

Technology and Combat Characteristics
This scaled down version of the Ra Cailum is equipped with two two-barrel main turrets, two twin secondary turrets, six internal missile launchers and twelve anti-aircraft guns mounted in the aft, below the bridge. The Clop class sports six engines, but only one Mobile Suit hangar.

Visually, the ship's design appears to be a combination of the Zeon Musai-class cruiser(Back-half) and the Salamis-class cruser ( Front-half ) used during the One Year War. The Clop lacks the ability to shoot directly to port and starboard, as its main weapons are mounted on vertical walls of the ship rather than horizontally. Unlike its predecessor, the Salamis-class, the Clop class' hangar deck is somewhat more exposed, especially during mobile suit operations, because of this flaw it may it may serve to provide somewhat of an explanation as to why the Salamis class remained in service alongside the Clop class for much of the Second Universal Century, (despite myriad disadvantages) the Salamis-class possessed exceptional firepower and a better-protected mobile suit deck

The Clop class never underwent any class-wide overhauls; however, the Space Ark seen in Gundam F91 appears to be a Clop-class ship stripped for the training role. There is also a Reinforce-class light cruiser seen in V Gundam which resemble Clop class without cooling fins. In SD Gundam G Generation Portable, another Clop-class cruiser Carry Base can be purchased by the player. It's lacking the cooling fins and paint in orange scheme.

Armament

 * Two-Barrel Main Beam Gun
 * The main weapons of the Clop-class are a pair of 2-Barrel beam cannons situated on the port and starboard hull just under the mobile suit hanger. The guns are capable of pivoting up and down to increase their firing arc however, their position still leaves the ship vulnerable to attacks from port and starboard.


 * Two-Barrel Defensive Gun
 * For anti-air defense the Clop-class is equipped with 12 two-barrel secondary guns. The guns are placed on the sides of the ship beneath the bridge tower with six on the starboard hull and six on the port hull.


 * Missile Launcher
 * The Clop-class is equipped with six missile launchers which, depending on the ordnance loaded, can be used for anti-ship or anti-mobile suit combat.

History
In the fictional Gundam universe, the Clop class (also called the Ra Clop class) was introduced in UC 0093 as a replacement for the Salamis Kai-class cruiser. These ships are light cruisers, and resemble the Ra Cailum-class mobile battleship in design. When the first three ships of the Clop-class were introduced they were assigned to Londo Bell, and saw action in the Second Neo Zeon war.

In the year UC 0096 ships of the Clop-class under the control of Londo Bell were used to pursue leads on Neo Zeon remnants that had escaped after the end of the Second Neo Zeon War and would become The Sleeves. The ship-line would continue service for more then half a century, serving as one of the Earth Federation's primary combat vessels for major conflicts such as the Crossbone Vanguard invasion of UC 0123 and the war with the Zanscare Empire that ended in UC 0153.

The first ship of the class, Clop, was commissioned in UC 0093 at the same time as the new battleship and Londo Bell flagship Ra Cailum. Although the Clop-class cruiser was intended to be a replacement for the aging Salamis Kai-class cruiser, the older cruiser model was never entirely decommissioned from active fleet service. Instead many Salamis Kai-class cruisers would continue service, likely due to the fact that they are more heavily armed then the Clop-class.

Variants

 * Ark-class
 * Reinforce

Trivia
In SD Gundam G Generation Portable, another Clop-class cruiser, Carry Base, can be purchase by player. It's lacking the cooling fins and paint in orange scheme.