ZGMF-600 GuAIZ

The ZGMF-600 GuAIZ (pronounced "gates" in Japanese and "gwaze" in English) is an advanced mobile suit intended to replaced both the outdated ZGMF-1017 GINN and the commander-model ZGMF-515 CGUE. It incorporated beam weapon technology from the four stolen Earth Alliance G Project units, in the form of a beam rifle and a shield mounting a pair of beam claws. It also mounted two CIWS guns in the head and a pair of extensional arrestors. These weapons, similar to the GAT-X207 Blitz's "Gleipnir" or the GAT-X105 Strike's "Panzer Eisen" rocket anchors, mounted beam blade generators that allowed them to damage mobile suits protected with Phase Shift armor. While the GuAIZ was the most advanced mass production unit of the war, ZAFT was unable to build them quickly enough to field in sufficient numbers. Those that were produced were assigned primarily to ace pilots like Rau Le Creuset and the members of the elite Joule Team. The GuAIZ was markedly superior not only to the GINN and CGUE but also to the Earth Alliance's GAT-01 Strike Dagger, and proved to be equal in performance to the Strike. The GuAIZ was drastically inferior to the ZGMF-X10A Freedom, but this should not be taken as a strike against it, since the Freedom and its companion unit, the ZGMF-X09A Justice, were designed to be superior to any mass-production suit.

A specialized variant of the GuAIZ was also built before the war's end, the YFX-600R GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type. This suit was built as a testbed for many of the advanced weapons and technology used in the ZGMF-X09A Justice and ZGMF-X10A Freedom, including Justice's Fatum-00 backpack/subflight lifter and Freedom's hip-mounted "Xiphias" railguns. However, the GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type expended its battery power very quickly. As a result, it was tethered to an external generator on Jachin Due and fought as a fix turret of sorts. In the comic Bonbon adaptation of Gundam SEED DESTINY, Heine Westenfluss actually piloted the unit and fought against Morgan Chevalier's GAT-01A1+AQM/E-X04 Gunbarrel Dagger at the battle of Jachin Due, eventually overloading his machine and crippling it. However, a GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type was destroyed by Athrun Zala in the ZGMF-X09A Justice, suggesting that perhaps multiple units were produced. In addition, the YMF-X000A Dreadnought used a modified GuAIZ body.

After the end of the war, a new variant of the GuAIZ was designed, replacing the extensional arrestors with a pair of hip-mounted folding railguns and removing the additional thrusters to allow less experienced pilots to use them; and so it became the advanced production type ZGMF-601R GuAIZ R. Though more heavily armed than the original GuAIZ, the removal of the additional thrusters on its shoulders reduced it's overall speed, but made them more efficient ground units. The GuAIZ R is generally outperformed by the follow-on ZAKU series (especially ZAKUs equipped with the high-performance Blaze or Slash packs). GuAIZ R units also fared poorly against renegade ZGMF-1017M2 GINN High Maneuver Type IIs in the Battle of Junius Seven, but it unclear whether this was a sign of inferiority on the part of the GuAIZ R, or merely on the part of the ZAFT pilots.

ZGMF-600 GuAIZ
Manufacturer(s): Maius Military Industries/Clark, Asimov, & Heinlein Design Bureaus User: Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty Unit type: mass production general purpose mobile suit First Deployment: July 12, CE 71 Head height: 20.24 meters Weight: 80.2 metric tons Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery Armament: MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS x2, MA-MV03 composite shield with dual beam claw x1, EEQ7R extensional arrestor x2, MA-M21G high-energy beam rifle x1 Pilot: Rau Le Creuset

YFX-600R GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type
Manufacturer: Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty User: Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty Unit type: experimental mobile suit First Deployment: September 26, CE 71 Head height: 20.24 meters Weight: unknown Special equipment: Fatum-00 backpack/subflight lifter, Phase Shift (PS) Armor Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery Armament: MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS x2, MA-M01 "Lacerta" beam saber x2, MA-M20 "Lupus" high-energy beam rifle x1, MMI-M15 "Xiphias" rail cannon x2, Fatum-00 backpack/subflight lifter (M9M9 "Cervus" turret machinegun x2, MA-4B "Fortis" beam cannon x2, GAU5 "Volucris" machinegun x4) Pilot: Heine Westenfluss

ZGMF-601R GuAIZ R
Manufacturer: Maius Military Industries/Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty User: Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty Unit type: mass production general purpose mobile suit First Deployment: Cosmic Era 72 Head height: 20.24 meters Weight: 77.3 metric tons Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery Armament: MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS x2, MA-MV05 composite shield with beam saber x1, MMI-M20S "Pollux IX" railgun x2, MA-M21G high-energy beam rifle x1 Pilot(s): Shou, Dale