ACA-01 Gaw

The Gaw atmospheric attack carrier is an atmospheric warship used by the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War. It made its anime debut in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam, followed by The 08th MS Team and the MS IGLOO series.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The Gaw atmospheric attack carrier, known very simply as the Gaw, is a flying fortress that was sent in to attack and obliterate its target. The Gaw also sported three double-barreled mega particle cannons for attacking bases and other large-scale aircraft. It also had several machine guns for point defense.

The Gaw's eight Dopp Fighters and three mobile suit units made them very effective in their ship-type as carriers. The Gaw could also hold six vehicles on its rear hangar, such as the Cui or Magella Attack Tank. In some cases these vehicles could be replaced by three additional mobile suit units which would be parachuted in a similar way Medea Transport Plane eject their mobile suits. It also has a large number of gravity bombs which made them extremely effective as carpet bombers.

Armaments

 * 2-barrel Mega Particle Gun


 * Triple Missile Launcher


 * Anti-Air Machine Guns


 * Bombs

History
The Gaw atmospheric attack carrier was used by the Principality of Zeon to help spearhead their Earth Invasion Forces, led by Captain Garma Zabi. However, when the Earth Federation began producing mobile suits of their own, the vulnerability of these attack carriers would be exploited, including the famous moment when the Pegasus-class White Base used it's mobile suits to shoot down Garma's Gaw after being led away by Amuro Ray in the RX-78-2 Gundam and Char Aznable's deception.

Several Gaws were used in the unsuccessful Zeon offensive in their attempt to take the Earth Federation's General Headquarters in Jaburo, in which they dropped off their payloads of mobile suits to take the attack to the ground and to try to force their way inside.