MBF-02+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Rouge

The MBF-02+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Rouge is a high mobility Mobile Suit that appears in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and its sequel Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Its primary pilot is the Princess of Orb Cagalli Yula Athha.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Like the GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam, equipping the Strike Rogue with the AQM/E-X01 Aile Striker pack improves the MS's speed and maneuverability. Weapons wise, the Aile Strike Rouge features two head-mounted CIWS guns, two combat knifes, a beam rifle, a shiled and an additional pair of beam sabers mounted on the Aile Striker. Aile Strike Rouge is the most commonly seen form of Strike Rouge.

Armaments

 * "Igelstellung" 75mm Multi-barrel CIWS
 * Mounted in the Strike Rouge's head are two "Igelstellung" 75mm multi-barrel CIWS guns. These light projectile weapons are used to intercept missiles and to destroy lightly armored vehicles, although it is classified as Anti Air.


 * "Armor Schneider" Combat Knife
 * Stored in the Strike Rouge's hips are a pair of folding "Armor Schneider" combat knives. These knives do not need power from the suit, can be thrown, and their blades vibrate at high speed allowing them to pierce through most armor except PS armor.


 * Beam Saber
 * Stored in the Aile Striker is a pair of beam sabers. These are the primary close range combat weapons and can slice through any armor that does not have an anti-beam coating.


 * 57mm High-energy Beam Rifle
 * Aile Strike Rouge's primary ranged combat weapon, it can be stored on the rear waist. The beam rifle can easily destroy a ZGMF-1017 GINN with one shot, but is mostly ineffective against suits with anti-beam coating. It has an additional handle that can shift to the side, and is often used for extra stability when the Aile Strike Rouge is firing its rifle rapidly.


 * Shield
 * The shield is an optional piece of handheld equipment designed to increase the Strike Rouge's defensive capability. The shield does not have phase shift armor, so it is not as durable as the Strike Rouge's armor, however it also does not drain energy each time it is hit. The shield's major advantage is that it is anti-beam coated and can block or deflect beam weapon attacks, against which phase shift armor is ineffective.

System Features

 * Hardpoints for Striker Packs
 * The key feature of the Strike Rouge is its ability to equip additional equipment in the form of striker packs. Each striker pack is designed to outfit the MS with the equipment needed to fulfill specific combat roles with maximum efficiency.


 * Phase Shift armor
 * Like the Strike, the Strike Rouge is equipped with Phase Shift armor, although the active colours are red and pink rather than the blue, red and white of the first Strike. This is a side effect of the power extender, which also resulted in improved efficiency and armor strength of the Phase Shift armor system. This system is later developed into Variable Phase Shift armor.


 * Power Extender
 * The suit features a "power extender" system to increase battery life.


 * Natural-use OS
 * Developed by Kira Yamato, it allows a Natural such as Cagalli Yula Athha to use the mobile suit.


 * AI(Artificial Intelligence) Support System
 * A pilot-assisting AI system that helps inexperienced pilot in controlling the MS.

History
While rebuilding the Strike Gundam that was badly damaged outside the territory of the Orb Union, substantial spare parts enough to build another Strike were produced. These parts were later loaded onto the Kusanagi and assembled into a Strike variant, called the Strike Rouge, during the last days of the first Bloody Valentine War. It was piloted by Cagalli Yula Athha, who used the suit for a short time during the Second Battle of Jachin Due on 26 September, CE 71. Among her actions was the rescue of Athrun Zala, who detonated his suit inside ZAFT's superweapon GENESIS to prevent it from firing on Earth.

The Strike Rouge remained operational until mid CE 74, and was used as Cagalli's personal mobile suit after she and the crew of the Archangel left Orb. She launched in her suit several times to convince the Orb forces not to fight against the ZAFT ship Minerva, although with little success. Later, the Strike Rouge was modified to Kira's specifications (by configuring the suit's Variable Phase Shift armor to reflect the original Strike's colors) and launched into space with the help of an attached booster, and used briefly to protect the Eternal. The Strike Rouge however was no match against ZAFT's newer and more powerful mobile suits and was heavily damaged in this battle. With both of its pilots equipped with newer and more powerful mobile suits, the Strike Rouge did not see battle again and it remains questionable if it was ever repaired or simply decommissioned.

Technical Improvements
Though never stated in the series, it is obvious that the Aile Striker Pack for the Strike Rouge was upgraded by the Orb Union between the end of the First Bloody Valentine War and the Second Bloody Valentine War. The original Aile Striker Pack did not have full flight capability in the atmosphere, however in Gundam SEED Destiny the Aile Strike Rouge is shown on several occasions flying in Earth's atmosphere alongside the ZGMF-X10A Freedom.

Triva

 * After the events of Gundam SEED, Strike Rouge is the only mobile suit seen to be operational.
 * In Gundam SEED Destiny HD Remaster, Cagalli does not use the Aile Strike Rouge. Instead, she uses the MBF-02+EW454F Strike Rouge Ootori.