RGM-79G GM Command

The RGM-79G GM Command is a mass-produced general purpose mobile suit and variant of the RGM-79 GM, built by the Earth Federation Forces. The unit is featured in the anime mini-series Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Built along the same frame of the RGM-79SP GM Sniper II, the GM Command was intended to be a high performance mobile suit for commanders of MS squadrons. It featured more thrusters to make it more agile to the standard GM. There was also a space version made of the GM Command, the RGM-79GS GM Command Space Type, which was essentially the same as the ground type, but removed the equipment needed to work on Earth and in space colonies. Both versions of the GM Command were too expensive to mass-produce in great numbers so limited numbers were fielded during the final weeks of the One Year War.

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 standard close range armament for most Federation mobile suits. The beam saber is a small cylindrical device held in the mobile suit's hands when operated and is powered by an energy capacitor that is recharged from special racks. The beam saber is capable of cutting through any metal that has not been treated with anti-beam coating. Unlike the standard GM, which has only 1 beam saber stored on its backpack, the GM Command has 2 beam sabers stored on the back of its skirt armor.


 * NFHI RGM-M-Sh-AGD Shield
 * Shields are simple in their design, being essentially thick slabs of metal that the equipped mobile suit can use to absorb the impact from attacks that, for whatever reason, cannot be dodged. However shields can only withstand so much pressure before becoming damaged themselves. As technology progressed it became necessary for shields to be treated with an anti-beam coating as a measure of defense against beam weapons which can normally penetrate any physical barrier, however the coating gets gradually burned away each time a beam strikes it until it is rendered useless.


 * Typically shields used by GM series mobile suits are almost the length of the mobile suit's height and are carried in the left hand.


 * HWF GMG·MG79-90mm Bullpup Machine Gun
 * The bullpup machine gun is an open-bolt, gas-operated, magazine-fed, mobile suit handheld sub-machine gun. It does not require energy to be used, however it is ineffective against heavy armor. When the magazine is empty, it can be discarded and replaced with a new one.


 * NF·GMG-Type.37/100mm Machine Gun
 * The standard armament for Federation mobile suit ground forces, the Type 37 is an open-bolt, gas-operated, magazine-fed, mobile suit handheld machine gun. It fires a 100x450 millimeter round at a rate of 500 rounds per minute and is loaded with a 20-round box magazine. Features include a folding stock and swivel forward hand grip. Accuracy is limited due to the aiming from regular iron sights and not a targeting sensor. Maximum effective range of 1.5 kilometers.


 * BOWA BG-M-79F-3A Beam Gun
 * A standard hand carried ranged beam weapon for the RGM-79G is a beam gun, which is powered by a rechargeable energy cap. Capable of firing concentrated mega particles, attacks from the beam gun can damage any ordinary armor that has not been specially treated to resist it.


 * BLASH HB-L-03/N-STD Hyper Bazooka
 * Similar to the Zaku's bazooka, the Hyper Bazooka was a heavy weapon used by the GM. Technically a large rocket launcher it could fire several 380mm missiles to attack targets at long range. No mass-production MS's armor is able to stop this weapon. While very powerful, it has a slow rate of fire and a fairly little amount of ammunition. Most oftenly used to take out slow, heavily armored targets.


 * NFHI·GMCa-type.09/180mm Cannon
 * The Type 09 artillery cannon fires a 180x800 millimeter HE round and is loaded with an eight (8) round box magazine. Maximum effective range 3.0 kilometers. Features include a swivel-out forward hand grip and top carrying handle.


 * NFHI*EPHB-type.Doc-04/380mm Hyper Bazooka
 * The ground-type hyper bazooka fires a 380x1900 millimeter HEDP rocket at ranges up to 2.5 kilometers. It is loaded with a 5-round box magazine with one round pre-loaded into the chamber.

Special Equipment & Features

 * Parachute Pack
 * An optional backpack equipment created by the Federation for use by their Mobile Suits for paradrop missions from the Medea Transport Plane. The backpack contains three parachutes and four thrusters to help in making a safe descent to the ground, once touchdown had been accomplished the backpack would be ejected as to not hinder the Mobile Suits performance in ground combat.

History
The GM Command was built in the last weeks of the One Year War, however they were never produced in the numbers to make a difference to the Federation's war effort. Those that were built typically did not see front-line action, instead being regulated to colony and base defense. A number of these machines were assigned to the Federation forces stationed at the Neutral Side 6 Libot Colony, at least three of which were assigned to Gray Phantom's Scarlet Team. There these mobile suits would battle with the Zeon forces' mobile suits that had infiltrated the colony in search of Federation activity. Initially while the Federation was hesitant to aid the colony in their defense they had no choice when the Zeon's MS-18E Kämpfer appeared to be too much for the Colony defense forces. However despite being superior to the standard GM and had already defeated several MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai several days earlier, the Kämpfer was too much and wiped out all of Scarlet team's mobile suits, as well as anything else that stood in its way until it reached the Gundam. During U.C. 0081 some GM Command units were assigned to the Phantom Sweep Corps for their battles against Zeon Remnants, these units featured the team emblem on their shields.

Variants

 * RGM-79G GM Command Early Type
 * The initial production version of the GM Command. Some units would be used by the Guinea Pig Team, one of the Federation's experimental corps.


 * RGM-79GS GM Command Space Type
 * RGM-79GB High Boost GM