RGM-79 Powered GM

RGM-79C Powered GM is a test use mobile suit, which first appeared in the OVA series/compilation movie Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. The unit is piloted by Dick Allen.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The RGM-79C Powered GM is a RGM-79C GM Kai that has been modified with advanced parts in order to test their functionality for use in future advanced mobile suits. Many of its new components are used in the form of a backpack system that incorporates a more powerful Minovsky-type ultracompact fusion reactor and more powerful thrusters. This new equipment granted the Powered GM significantly greater mobility. Its leaping height and speed greatly surpassed that of the MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Type, and it has greater mobility when in midair. Because of the stress the mobile suit's legs receives when landing from such heights, heights greater than the GM Kai was originally intended to go, the Powered GM was outfitted with new shock absorbers in the knees.

Armaments

 * 60mm Vulcan Gun
 * A standard armament of the mobile suits that are descended from the Earth Federation Forces's RX series is a pair of head mounted 60mm vulcan guns. These shell firing weapons have a high-rate of fire but have little power and can't damage the thick armor of a mobile suit, though it can damage lightly armored areas such as the sensors. The weapons are ideal for shooting down small, fast moving, lightly armored targets such as missiles, small land vehicles, and attack helicopters.


 * Beam Saber


 * The RGM-79C Powered GM is equipped with a single beam saber stored in a recharge rack in the left side of the backpack.


 * Shield
 * The Powered GM is given a similar shield to the GM Kai for defense.


 * 90mm Machine Gun
 * The 90mm machine gun is one of several optional ranged armaments that the Earth Federation regularly equipped their GM mobile suits with. Though not as powerful as the beam spray gun the 90mm machine gun has greater range. And unlike the beam spray gun which has a very limited number of shots and must be recharged using special facilities, the fact that the machine gun can be reloaded in the field and has a greater ammo capacity allows a pilot to be less conservative with ammunition. Also the 90mm machine gun is cheaper to produce, making it a cost effective weapon. The downside to using the 90mm machine gun goes back to the power issue. Mobile suits are heavily armored and at great range can even stop the armor piercing rounds of mobile suit machine guns. Often bullets from a mobile suit machine gun has been seen penetrating the torso armor of an enemy mobile suit, only to stop short of damaging the reactor or killing the pilot and the enemy can still fight.


 * 360mm Hyper Bazooka
 * The 360mm hyper bazooka is a mobile suit-sized bazooka that fires powerful explosive rounds. Arguably the most powerful weapon equipped to early Earth Federation mobile suits, the hyper bazooka is capable of firing explosive rounds powerful enough to completely destroy any of Zeon's mass production model mobile suits and mobile armors. The explosive impact causes more wide-spread damage than a beam rifle, nor does the bazooka sacrifice range as the beam spray gun does. The downside of the bazooka is that its large size makes is somewhat more difficult to handle and its ammunition is limited.

History
The RGM-79C Powered GM was built in the year UC 0083 and stationed at Torrington Base, Australia where it was assigned to test pilot Dick Allen. The Powered GM would be tested in mock battles against multiple Zaku II F2 Types, typically ending in victory without Dick having pushed the machine to its limits. On October 13 the Torrington Base was attacked by members of the Delaz Fleet. The Powered GM would be sortied against the enemy mobile suits, and later sent out as a member of one of the teams sent after the Zeon mobile suits. The Powered GM would be destroyed and its pilot killed during the pursuit. Another Powered GM was seen in the accident of the Torrington Base. However, it was also destroyed. It was believed that at least two Powered GM were built at that time. After the accident, the testing data of the Powered GM was mostly lost.