DRAGOON system

The DRAGOON (Disconnected Rapid Armament Group Overlook Operation Network) system is a weapon system used in the Cosmic Era timeline.

Technical Informations
The DRAGOON (Disconnected Rapid Armament Group Overlook Operation Network) system is a control system developed by ZAFT to guide remote weapons. The system allows a single mobile weapon pilot to control several smaller weapon pods to attack enemies from different angles, using a quantum communication network to send signals to move them around the battlefield. This is performed without the awkward wire-guidance restrictions used in mobile armors such as the TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero, or the Striker Pack AQM/E-X04 Gunbarrel Striker. These pods are usually stored on several hardpoints across the suit's body (usually a large backpack) and after a certain amount of use must return to their respective unit to recharge.

The DRAGOON system is so powerful that a mobile suit equipped with this system, in combination with a skilled pilot, can match or overwhelm the firepower of an entire team of conventional mobile suits, but with more coordination than a group of individual pilots. This is best shown in the final battle between Rau Le Creuset and Kira Yamato, during which the ZGMF-X13A Providence severely damaged the ZGMF-X10A Freedom with the system. Over two years later Kira himself would display the strength of the system when he disables 25 ZAFT mobile suits in under 2 minutes.

Over time, several versions of this system have been invented, most of them possessing different capabilities. The original system was first tested in the YMF-X000A Dreadnought Gundam, tested by ZAFT pilot Courtney Heironimus and later civilian Prayer Reverie.

An alternate version of the DRAGOON system was developed by Earth Alliance's Azrael Financial Group and utilized in their prototype TSX-MA717/ZD Pergrande mobile armor. This version required three pilots, and compensated for the lack of spatial awareness by using the X, Y, and Z coordinates from the pilots to create a three-dimensional simulation. These pods mounted a beam cannon and beam gun, which made it much more powerful than the DRAGOON system used by most mobile suits.

In CE 73, another variant of the DRAGOON system was developed by ZAFT. This version did not require a pilot with high spatial awareness, meaning even an average pilot can control the system (even though spatial awareness does improve the system's performance). The ZGMF-X666S Legend is equipped with this version of the DRAGOON system, as is the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom. The ZGMF-X24S Chaos uses a simplified version of this system in the form of two Gunbarrel-like weapon pods. It is likely that the GFAS-X1 Destroy's detachable arms are copied from this technology.

The ORB-01 Akatsuki can be equipped with the "Shiranui" backpack, which is equipped with 7 mobile weapon pods that function in a manner similar to DRAGOONs and have the capability to create a beam shield large enough to surround a battleship. The YMF-X000A Dreadnought also had the ability to create a tetrahedral beam shield from its DRAGOON units.

ZAFT also tested but never fielded a "DRAGOON Flyer" system for the ZGMF-X56S Impulse. The intention was to replace the Impulse's Silhouette Flyers with combat-capable DRAGOONs, which would accompany it in battle. The DRAGOONs would be armed with four small beam guns a piece, but their primary purpose would be to allow the Impulse to switch between Silhouettes without waiting for them to be loaded and launched from the Minerva. As the DRAGOON Flyers could only be used by the Impulse, it was considered unwise to expend precious wartime resources completing the system.

Weaknesses
Despite its immense strength the DRAGOON system has several weaknesses, the first being its extraordinary power consumption: all suits with full-fledged DRAGOON systems are nuclear-powered. This is because all pods of the system use beam technology, which consumes an immense amount of energy. A second one is its extraordinary difficulty to operate: a person with great spatial awareness and mental and physical prowess is required to use the system to its full potential. However, newer versions of the system have been able to overcome this shortcoming through use of quantum computers, although it is still difficult to properly coordinate the pods. Third, it cannot be used on Earth since none of the pods are capable of atmospheric flight. Also, even if the pods could fly in the atmosphere, they would be far less effective due to air resistance and the thrust needed to overcome gravity. Finally, for each pod destroyed the system's effectiveness exponentially diminishes. For example, the Providence is almost unbeatable when using its DRAGOON system; however, when stripped of all its pods it is essentially nothing more than a nuclear-powered ZGMF-600 GuAIZ.

Users
Over time, several mobile weapons were equipped with this system, with most of them being prototype units.

YMF-X000A Dreadnought
The first mobile suit created by ZAFT to use the DRAGOON system was the YMF-X000A Dreadnought, which also served as a testbed for the system. The Dreadnought was equipped with two XM1 "Pristis" beam reamers (beam cannon/scissor anchors), which were mounted on the hips of the suit. While these weapons were tethered to the suit by wires, they were completely DRAGOON controlled; the wires were simply there to recover the weapons in the event of a malfunction in the still-experimental system. Later a large backpack mounting four weapon pods was installed on the suit. These pods mounted a total of nine GDU-X7 beam guns and, like the beam reamers, were connected with wires to the suit, although they also could function without them.

ZGMF-X13A Providence
The last Gundam-type mobile suit created by ZAFT during the Bloody Valentine War, the Providence was equipped with 11 units (the highest number so far), which mounted a total of 43 beam gun nozzles.

ZGMF-X3000Q Providence ZAKU
A testbed unit created by ZAFT after the first war to test the new DRAGOON system which could be used by ordinary pilots. The system on this ZAKU unit was the same as the one later used on the Legend.

ZGMF-X666S Legend
The successor of the Providence which uses the new DRAGOON system first tested on the Providence ZAKU. The suit mounts ten units, with two of them being large pods, each mounting five GDU-X7 beam machine guns and four beam spikes. These spikes are capable of penetrating a Positron Deflector shield used on some Earth Alliance mobile armors. Besides these two the Legend also mounts eight small DRAGOON pods, each being equipped with two GDU-X4 beam assault cannons. Also different to earlier versions of the DRAGOON system, the pods can swap up or down when mounted on the backpack, an then fired to concentrate their firepower on one target even if not disconnected.

ZGMF-X24S Chaos
Although the suit doesn't use the DRAGOON system as its main armament, it is equipped with two EQFU-5X mobile weapon pods, which utilize the new form of the DRAGOON system. Thanks to their small wings and thrusters the pods can be used not only in space but also in the gravity of a planet. Each pod mounts a single MA-81R beam assault cannon as well as a large number of AGM141 "Firefly" guided missiles. The weapon pods also function as additional boosters while attached to the Chaos, providing it with high mobility in MA mode.

The prototype unit of the Chaos, called the XMF-P192P Proto-Chaos, is also equipped with these pods but features four instead of two units.

ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom
One of the newest suits designed by ZAFT and completed in secret by Terminal, the Strike Freedom is an upgraded form of the old ZGMF-X10A Freedom. It is equipped with eight EQFU-3X Super DRAGOON mobile weapon pods in its wings, each mounting a single MA-80V beam assault cannon.

ORB-01 Akatsuki
Created by the Orb Union in secret during the first war, the Akatsuki features an optional Striker Pack called the "Shiranui" Space Pack. This backpack mounts seven DRAGOON units, which each mount a beam cannon as well as beam shield emitters that when coupled with other DRAGOON units, can provide full defense in a limited area, of around 1-2 ships' size. Whether this version of the DRAGOON System can only be utilized by a pilot with highly spatial awareness is unknown, since the only pilot using it was Mu La Flaga, who has such abilities.

TSX-MA717/ZD Pergrande
The Pergrande is an Earth Alliance-created mobile armor, which features a unique version of the DRAGOON system. Instead of using a pilot with high spatial awareness or the new ZAFT-created control system, the modified DRAGOON system utlizes 3 pilots, which taps into each of the pilots brainwaves and extracts the X, Y, and Z coordinates necessary to utilize the pods. The Pergrande is equipped with six pods, each mounting two large beam cannons, one beam cannon and two beam guns.

DRAGOON flyer
ZAFT also tested but never fielded a "DRAGOON Flyer" system for the ZGMF-X56S Impulse. The intention was to replace the Impulse' simple Silhouette Flyers with combat-capable DRAGOON versions, which would accompany it in battle. These DRAGOONs would be armed with four small beam guns each, but their primary purpose would be to allow the Impulse to switch Silhouette packs without waiting for them to be launched from the Minerva. As the DRAGOON Flyer could only be used by the four Impulse units, it was likely considered unwise to expend scarce wartime resources on completing the system.

LN-ZGMF-X13A Nix Providence
The only Gundam of the Librarian Works to use the DRAGOON system inherited from the Legend after discovering both it's wrecks. Unlike the other unit's, the Nix's DRAGOON pods were mounted into the DRAGOON Striker and has the same fire power as the Legend does.

Trivia

 * The DRAGOON system is similar to the Funnels and Bits used in the Universal Century timeline.
 * The Anno Domini era also features a similar technology called "Fangs".