MSW-004 Gundam ［Kestrel］

The MSW-004 Gundam [Kestrel] is a mobile suit that appears in the Advance of Zeta: The Traitor to Destiny series of light novels.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The MSW-004 Gundam [Kestrel] is a prototype mobile suit developed and built at the Oakland Newtype Lab operated by the Titans. It was originally designed specifically to be piloted by Titans Cyber-Newtype Rossweisse. The Kestrel was created to be a fast and highly maneuverable machine, and ran a total of three generators which were housed in the main body and legs. It uses a direct connected thruster which could produce tremendous thrust. Because of its high-thrust and high levels of acceleration, normal pilots could not safely exploit the capabilities of the Kestrel. The Kestrel utilized a Core Block System, which was unusual for its time, whereas the Gryps Conflict-era mobile weapons saw accelerated development in variable mobile suit technology. The core block fighter is capable of docking and separation, and primarily functions as the cockpit of the machine. When docked, the engine nacelles of the core fighter act as the Kestrel's main thrusters/backpack. The core fighter is equipped with two beam sabers stored in the binders, which also function as beam saber racks. The core block featured an improved main computer to allow high speed transferring of combat data.

Armament

 * Beam Saber


 * Beam Rifle
 * A specialized high-power beam rifle designed for the MSW-004 Gundam, it is the most powerful beam-type weapon of the suit. Four E-pack cartridges are stored on either side of the Kestrel's waist.


 * Shield
 * A conventional solid shield integrated into the forearm of the Kestrel. It is equipped with three detachable beam sabers.

History
By the time the MSW-004 was successfully completed, the Titans had already moved their forces to space, leaving behind the unit. The Kestrel was captured intact by the AEUG and continued with testing the prototype on board the Anaheim Electronics (AE) La Vie en Rose-class dock ship, Rosa Gigantia. A high-performance machine, The Kestrel's incredible speed and maneuverability made it suitable only to "strengthened" humans and Cyber-Newtypes with high-G tolerance. As a result, problems arose with finding capable test pilots after a spate of accidents which occurred during testing. These accidents caused the head and other parts of the Kestrel to be damaged, these being replaced with new parts manufactured by AE. Van Asiliaino was selected as the primary pilot for the Kestrel due to his combat performance rating with the MSK-003 Wagtail II and his exceptional high-G tolerance.