ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam

The Gaia Gundam is a Mobile Suit in the series Gundam SEED Destiny.

Combat Abilities
The Gaia is a transformable unit specializing in ground combat. In mobile suit mode, the Gaia is armed with a large beam rifle, a pair of beam sabers, and head-mounted CIWS. For ground combat, it can also transform into a quadrupedal mobile armor mode similar to the TMF/A-802 BuCUE. In this mode, the beam rifle is mounted on the right side and is still useable, and is supplemented by a pair of shoulder-mounted beam assault cannons and four CIWS. In addition, for close range combat in mobile armor mode, the Gaia Gundam has two back-mounted wings, which each mount a beam blade for slicing through enemy mobile suits.

The ZGMF-X88S Gaia uses the operating system Generation Unrestricted Network Drive Assault Module.

History
In late CE 73, ZAFT creates a new series of advanced mobile suits to succeed their previous generation of Gundams, which were all lost in the previous war, with one of these suits being the Gaia

The Gaia is initially tested at Armory One by Riika Sheder, a defective Coordinator who could only see with artificial assistance. However, before ZAFT can bring it into active service, Stella Loussier of the Earth Alliance's 81st Independent Mobile Battalion steals the mobile suit and escapes with it to the battleship Girty Lue, where it is given the new model number RGX-03. The Gaia is later transferred to Earth and operates from the carrier John Paul Jones, where it remains until Stella launches a solo sortie against orders at the Lodonia laboratory facility. There, the Gaia is disabled by the ZGMF-X23S Saviour and ZGMF-X56S Impulse, and Stella is captured. The Gaia is then recovered by the Minerva, and shipped back to PLANT after being repaired.

Later in the war, the Gaia is acquired by the Clyne Faction, and cosmetically altered with a custom orange and yellow color scheme. The recolored Gaia is piloted by Andrew Waltfeld. According to the "Destiny IQ" section of the official Japanese Seed Destiny website, is indeed the original Gaia unit.

A special ZAFT variant of the Gaia is the ZGMF-X56S/&zeta; Gaia Impulse, which is a modified version of the ZGMF-X56S Impulse with a new Leg Flyer, enabling the Impulse to emulate the function of the Gaia as a ground attack unit.