AMX-009 Dreissen

The AMX-009 Dreissen is a mass-produced general purpose mobile suit and a distant descendant of Zeon's MS-09 Dom. It first appeared in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, and later appeared in the OVA series Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. It is piloted by Rakan Dahkaran.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Like its ancestor, the MS-09B Dom, the Dreissen was designed with high speed ground combat in mind. Although larger than the Dom, the new alloys used in its construction make the Dreissen much lighter and thus more agile. One significant difference however is that the Dreissen was designed with melee combat in mind, although with the three barrel beam cannon mounted in its arms it proved to be a versatile suit. Although intended for ground combat, the Dreissen was used both on Earth and in space.

The Sleeves would modify their Dreissen units by improving the power supply system of the beam cannons, and creating armament holsters that can be mounted on a tri-blade rack in place of the tri-blade. These holsters are used to carry weapons such as the heat saber or the newly designed giant bazooka.

Armaments

 * 3-barrel Beam Cannon
 * Mounted in each of the Dreissan's arms is a triple-barreled beam cannon, which fire beams rated at 2.8 MW. The covers of the weapon slide up when in use. Initially the weapon is powered by E-Cap, but modification to the power supply system carried out by the Sleeves allows it to be powered directly by the suit's generator. This also has the effect of increasing the power of the beams fired.


 * Tri-Blade
 * Each Dreissen carries three tri-blades, throwing weapons that has three high-speed rotating blades each and can move towards their target using the single vernier mounted at the bottom. They are stored on backpack when not in use.


 * Beam Lancer
 * The beam lancer is a staff weapon that emits a short beam blade with high penetrating power, and can combine with the beam tomahawk into a naginata. The beam blade emitted has a power rating of 1.7 MW.


 * Beam Tomahawk
 * The beam tomahawk is a beam weapon that emits an axe-shaped blade, which has a power rating of 0.92 MW. The output of the beam axe can be increased when the beam tomahawk is combined with the beam lancer.


 * Heat Saber
 * The heat saber is not a weapon originally used by the AMX-009 Dreissen. By the year of the Dreissen's introduction, the heat saber was an archaic and out of date weapon when compared to beam sabers that were the standard for mobile suit combat. Still, when put into service by the resource strapped Sleeves, the Dreissen became an experiment in reverse compatibility, being equipped with several weapons from its ancestor, the MS-09R Rick Dom, among which is the heat saber.


 * Giant Bazooka
 * Like its predecessor, the MS-09R-2 Rick Dom II, the Dreissen can also utilize a Giant Bazooka for improved ranged combat capabilities. This Giant Bazooka is a newly designed weapon created by the Sleeves and is used for both anti-MS and anti-ship combat.

History
When Neo Zeon forces launched its war again the Earth, it rolled out a number of new mobile suits designed for ground combat and one of them is the AMX-009 Dreissen. Although initially produced in small numbers for combat on Earth, the Dreissen's excellent performance and adaptability proved it to be a popular and versatile mobile suit, and it was soon mass-produced for both ground and space combat for the rest of the war.

The Dreissen is first seen aboard the Sadalahn-class battleship and is piloted by Rakan Dahkaran, commander of the Mindra. During the AEUG's first attempt at disrupting Neo-Zeon's invasion of Earth, Rakan Dahkaran used his Dreissen and battled against Judau Ashta's MSZ-010 ΖΖ Gundam, proving how formidable the Dreissen is in close combat. However Judau's growing skill and the ZZ Gundam's power eventually overwhelmed the Dreissen. Though the Dreissen was destroyed, Rakan Dahkaran managed to escape death.

Shortly after, the Dreissen would be put into full mass production and this mobile suit would participate in future battles of the First Neo Zeon War. Near the end of the war, a large number of Dreissens would be taken and used by Glemy Toto's faction during the brief civil war amongst the Neo Zeon's forces. These machines would be repainted with a gray color scheme.

Almost a decade later, in UC 0096, surviving Dreissens would be used by the newest Neo-Zeon Movement "The Sleeves". These units would be repainted into a new color scheme and given the distinctive markings featured on many of the mobile suits used by The Sleeves. Some of these units were seen deployed by The Sleeves during the Federation's attack on Palau. One Dreissen used by veteran pilot Samuel engaged in combat with the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. However, it is ultimately destroyed by the Unicorn's beam gatling gun.

Notes and Trivia

 * In every Super Robot Wars games released, the Dreissen can sometimes be seen piloted by the Black Tri-Stars. This, however, is not official.