ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam

The Providence is a Mobile Suit in the series Gundam SEED. It is piloted by Rau Le Creuset.

Combat Abilities
Like the other Gundams created by ZAFT in CE 71, the Providence features armaments reverse engineered from the stolen mobile suits of the Earth Alliance. In addition to its basic armaments of two head-mounted MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS guns, and a shield mounting small beam guns and a beam saber, the Providence is equipped with the powerful DRAGOON system, which is its primary weapon. However since the DRAGOON system is mounted on a large backpack, the Providence is incompatible with the METEOR weapon system. Optionally the suit can be equipped with a large MA-M221 "Judicium" beam rifle.

The Providence uses the operating system Generation Unsubdued Nuclear Drive Assault Module complex.

DRAGOON System
A powerful weapon system which was first tested in the YMF-X000A Dreadnought. It allows the pilot to remotely control mutiple weapon pods for a devastating attack from multiple directions. The Providence DRAGOON system is mounted on the large backpack and the hips of the mobile suit and includes 11 units, which mount a total of 43 beam gun nozzles. The only drawback of the system is the fact, that it can only be used by people with highly spatial awareness. Later a more advanced version of the DRAGOON system is developed which removes this drawback.

Composite armed shield system
Mounted over the left arm is the MA-MV05A composite armed shield system, which not only serves as a defense shield but also mounts two small beam guns and a beam saber, giving the Providence some close combat capabilities.

History
In mid CE 71, ZAFT creates a series of advanced mobile suits based on technology reverse-engineered from the captured Earth Alliance G Project suits. Like their EA predecessors, the ZAFT Gundams are armed with advanced beam weaponry and protected by Phase Shift armor. However, an additional technology is incorporated as well: the Neutron Jammer Canceller, which counters the effects of the ubiquitous Neutron Jammers and allows these suits to be powered by nuclear reactors. This gives them almost limitless combat endurance, even with Phase Shift armor activated.

One of these suits is the ZGMF-X13A Providence, which is the last of the series. The suit doesn't enter service until the final day of the war, September 26, CE 71, but it is used to great effect by Rau Le Creuset, who finally reveals his plot to destroy humanity. Rau proves the Providence's power by overwhelming and severely damaging Mu's GAT-X105 Strike and former subordinate Dearka Elsman's GAT-X103 Buster with its power. He then heavily damages Kira Yamato's ZGMF-X10A Freedom, destroying its METEOR unit in the process. However, Kira ultimately prevails, as Le Creuset is mortally wounded when Kira's beam saber pierced his cockpit, then vaporized by a misfire of the sabotaged GENESIS laser.

In CE 74, ZAFT creates a more advanced version of the Providence, the ZGMF-X666S Legend, which ironically is piloted by Rey Za Burrel, who, like Rau, is a failed clone of Mu's father Al Da Flaga.

Variants

 * LN-ZGMF-X13A Nix Providence

Trivia

 * Providence's head crest displays the text "UNDICI", which means "Eleven" in Italian and is a reference to the Providence being the eleventh Gundam to appear in the series (with the five original Gundams, the three Earth Alliance second-stage Gundams, the Justice and the Freedom, Providence is number 11).