ZGMF-1001 ZAKU Phantom

The ZAKU Phantom is a Mobile Suit in the series Gundam SEED Destiny.

Combat and Technological Informations
The armament of the ZAKU Phantom is similar to the ZGMF-1000 ZAKU Warrior, although the number of some weapons is doubled. Like the ZAKU Warrior, the Phantom features four hip mounted grenades of different types, as well as the optional MMI-M633 beam assault rifle and the M68 "Cattus" 500mm recoilless rifle. The greatest difference in armament is however the fact, that the ZAKU Phantom features two shoulder shields, one mounted on each shoulder, while the ZAKU Warrior only has one. Each shield also carries a single MA-M8 beam tomahawk and mounts two energy caps for the beam assault rifle.

Another more decorative difference between the Phantom and Warrior is the decorative spike on the center of its head. It is unclear what if any internal improvements have been made, though at the very least thruster output is probably increased to counteract the added mass of the second shield. This however is so far only speculation.

History
After the first Bloody Valentine War, ZAFT creates a new series of advanced mobile suits to replace the aging ZGMF-1017 GINN and ZGMF-601R GuAIZ R. The result is the "New Millennium" series which consists of the ZAFT Armed Keeper of Unity mobile suits. One series of suits produced as a part of the ZAKU series is the ZAKU Phantom, which is fielded in limited numbers. While the ZAKU Warrior is a standard general-purpose mobile suit, the enhanced ZAKU Phantom is a limited-production unit for squad leaders and other prominent aces. As a result, most ZAKU Phantoms feature a custom color paintjob, although some Phantoms are painted in the same green color scheme as the basic ZAKU Warrior.

Prominent ZAFT aces using the ZAKU Phantom are first war veterans Yzak Joule, Dearka Elsman and Heine Westenfluss, while other pilots include Rey Za Burrel and Riika Sheder, with nearly each of them piloting a custom colored version. Since the ZAKU Phantom was designed for use with the Wizard Packs, each pilot fields his unit with one such pack, with the EX-M Blaze Wizard being the most prominent being used. During the war, most of these pilots however switch from the ZAKU Phantom to more advanced suits.

In CE 74, the ZAKU Phantom series is slowly replaced by the more advanced ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited series, although some pilots like Dearka Elsman still use the ZAKU Phantom.

Trivia

 * Rey Za Burrel used his ZAKU Phantom to defend the ZGMF-X56S Force Impulse from a blast fired from Neo Roanoke's TS-MA4F Exus' gun barrel and used the same maneuver ZGMF-X10A Freedom to destroy one of ZGMF-X13AProvidence's DRAGOONs to destroy a gunbarrel.

Variants

 * ZGMF-1001/K Slash ZAKU Phantom
 * ZGMF-1001/M Blaze ZAKU Phantom