FX-550 Skygrasper

The Skygrasper is a support fighter in the Cosmic Era timeline.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Although designed as a support craft, the Skygrasper is nevertheless well armed for combat situations. It is armed with a turret-mounted beam cannon, two heavy machineguns, four light machineguns, and two missile bays, making it a very capable air superiority fighter in its own right.

Like its predecessor, Skygrasper is capable of VTOL.

System Features
The main role of the Skygrasper is to deliver new Striker Packs to the GAT-X105 Strike in battle, removing the need to return to the hanger for re-equipping. In addition, the Skygrasper can itself use many of the weapons and equipment of the Striker Packs, such as the Aile Striker's thrusters for additional speed and agility, the Sword Striker's "Schwert Gewehr" anti-ship sword for swing sword close range attack and the Launcher Striker's "Agni" beam cannon for enhanced firepower.

History
In CE 71, the Earth Alliance successfully created five mobile suits of their own as part of the G Project. One such unit was the GAT-X105 Strike, which had the ability to mount Striker Packs to adapt to different combat situations. Additionally, the Skygrasper was developed, which is an atmospheric support fighter designed for using the same Striker Packs.

After fleeing the destruction of Heliopolis, the assault ship Archangel was assigned two Skygraspers when it rendezvoused with the 8th Fleet. After the Archangel descended to Earth, mobile armor ace Mu La Flaga began piloting Skygrasper Unit 1, as his TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero was incapable of atmospheric flight. Mu favored mounting the Launcher Striker on his Skygrasper, for its superior firepower. Skygrasper Unit 2 was initially piloted by Cagalli Yula Athha, and later by Tolle Koenig. As the Launcher Striker was usually taken by Skygrasper Unit 1 and the Aile Striker by the Strike, Unit 2 was typically equipped with the Sword Striker by default. Perhaps because of this, Unit 2 earned a reputation as an unlucky craft; it was shot down or forced into an emergency landing every time it was deployed but once. While Cagalli came out of these crashes unharmed, Tolle was killed when GAT-X303 Aegis pilot Athrun Zala threw his shield into Unit 2's cockpit.

It is unknown how many other Skygrasper units were built, but at least one is owned and operated by professional MS pilot, Kaite Madigan. The Archangel acquired at least a single Skygrasper unit, which Neo Roanoke used to defend the Archangel at the Second Battle of Orb in CE 74. Additionally, the EA also developed the FXet-565 Cosmograsper, which is a space-use variant of the Skygrasper.

Variants
FXet-565 Cosmograsper

Trivia
It is unknown how the Archangel have acquired a Skygrasper for Neo Roanoke to use since the Earth Alliance have considered Murrue Ramius and her crew traitors even they are now Terminal members and Orb soldiers. It is speculated that the Archangel kept Skygrasper Unit 1 throughout the First Bloody Valentine War and decomissioned it after Mu La Flaga took the Strike Kira formerly piloted.