YMF-X000A Dreadnought Gundam

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 N-Jammers and allows these suits to be powered by nuclear reactors. This gives them almost limitless combat endurance, even with Phase Shift armor activated.

The first of these suits is the YMF-X000A Dreadnought Gundam. The Dreadnought Gundam is separate from the main ZGMF-X series, and serves as a testbed for both the N-Jammer Canceller and the DRAGOON system of the ZGMF-X13A Providence. Unlike the other nuclear-powered mobile suits, which are entirely new designs, the Dreadnought is actually built from a heavily modified ZGMF-600 GuAIZ frame. It is equipped with the ubiquitous beam rifle and CIWS guns, and a combined shield/beam saber, but the primary armament is a pair of "Pristis" beam reamers (beam cannon/scissor anchors) mounted on the hips. While these weapons are tethered to the suit by wires, they are completely DRAGOON controlled; the wires are simply to recover the weapons in the event of a malfunction in the still-experimental system.

The Dreadnought Gundam is test piloted by Courtney Heironimus, then acquired by the Junk Guild, and piloted by Prayer Reverie, a Newtype clone whose exact origins are unknown. Shortly before the war's end, it is upgraded by Lowe Guele with a new backpack mounting four large DRAGOON weapon pods, similar to those of the Providence. The configuration of the backpack causes Lowe to nickname the Dreadnought "X Astray". The final use of the Dreadnought is against Prayer's rival Canard Pars and his CAT1-X1/3 Hyperion Unit 1. During this fight, Prayer uses the large DRAGOON pods to create a tetrahedral energy shield, in a manner similar to the Fin Funnel Field of RX-93 Nu Gundam. Since at that point only the Eurasian Federation knew how to make energy shields, and Lowe acquired the data for the large DRAGOON pods from Andrew Waltfeld, formerly of ZAFT, this leads fans to wonder how Prayer was able to create the energy shield. Some speculate that it was a modification made by Lowe to the original data, while others think that it was because of Prayer using his Newtype abilities. In the end, the Hyperion is destroyed, but Prayer protects Canard from the explosion and seemings dies shortly thereafter due to flaws in the cloning process. However, it was discovered later on that Prayer had actually faked his own death, in order to convince Canard to change his life.

The Dreadnought is then rebuilt by Lowe as the YMF-X000A/H Dreadnought H (the H standing for "Hyperion", as elements of the Hyperion Gundam are incorporated into the design), and piloted by Canard. The DRAGOON system is removed, and its backpack is replaced with a pair of weapon pods, each mounting a combined beam cannon/long beam sword, an "Igelstellung II" vulcan, and a grenade launcher. In combat, the Dreadnought H can assume Buster Mode, in which the pods are mounted over the shoulders for use as beam cannons, and Sword Mode, in which they are mounted under the arms as beam swords. In Sword Mode, the vulcans and grenade launchers can also fire over the shoulders. In addition, the "Pristis" beam reamers are converted into "Armure Lumiere" mono-phase lightwave shield generators, and mounted on the forearms when in use. The long beam rifle is replaced by a "Zastava Stigmate" beam submachinegun from Hyperion. However, unlike Hyperion's submachinegun, which is powered by the battery pack on the gun, the upgraded version is connected by a cable to the suit's reactor.

YMF-X000A Dreadnought Gundam
Manufacturer: Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty/Junk Guild Users: Junk Guild Unit type: prototype attack use mobile suit Head height: 18.21 meters Weight: 67.50 metric tons (without DRAGOON pod backpack) Special equipment: Phase Shift armor, Neutron Jammer Canceller, DRAGOON system Powerplant: Ultracompact nuclear fission reactor Armament:  MA-M22Y high-energy beam rifle x1, MA-MV04 composite armed shield system with beam saber x1, MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS x4, XM1 "Pristis" beam reamer (beam cannon/scissor anchor) x2, large DRAGOON pod (GDU-X7 beam gun x9) x4 Pilot: Courtney Hieronimus, Prayer Reverie

YMF-X000A/H Dreadnought H
Manufacturer: Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty/Junk Guild Users: Canard Pars Unit type: prototype attack use mobile suit Head height: 18.21 meters Weight: unknown Special equipment: Phase Shift armor, Neutron Jammer Canceller, "Armure Lumiere" mono-phase lightwave shield system Powerplant: Ultracompact nuclear fission reactor Armament:  MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS x4, beam cannon/long beam sword x2, "Igelstellung II" 40mm multi-barrel CIWS x2, grenade launcher x2; "Zastava Stigmate" RFW-99 beam submachinegun with "Romteknica" RBW Type 7001 beam bayonette x1 Pilot: Canard Pars