TMF/A-802 BuCUE

The BuCUE is a Mobile Suit in the Cosmic Era timeline.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The TMF/A-802 BuCUE is a mobile suit designed for ground assaults. Unlike other ZAFT mobile suits the BuCUE is a quadruped, looking more like a dog than a human. The four-legged design distributes the weight of the BuCUE, giving the mobile suit greater balance and mobility on the ground then any other ZAFT mobile suit. Additionally each leg is equipped with a caterpillar-treads. BuCUE can enter a "tank-mode" by crouching down and moving on these treads, giving the BuCUE greater speed and a smaller profile. With its configuration the BuCUE is particularly effective in terrains that are difficult for standard mobile suits, such as sandy deserts or snowy fields.

Because BuCUE do not have manipulator hands they cannot use standard mobile suits weapons. Instead the BuCUE possess a turret mount on its back that can mount either a 2-barrel 450mm railgun or a 13-tube 400mm missile launcher on its back for ranged combat. These were originally the BuCUE's only weapons. After ZAFT's theft and study of the G Project mobile suits ZAFT upgraded the BuCUE by incorporating a double edged beam saber mounted in the units head,allowing it to charge at an enemy unit and cut it in half.

In terms of defense the BuCUE possesses an armor strong enough to withstand impacts from conventional hand weapons, such as RPGs.

Armaments
■ 2-Barrel 450mm Railgun The weapon of choice for support fire, from a BuCUE. These Railguns, sporting two cannons, mounted on the back, use electrcity, rather than gunpowder, giving the ballistic weaponry a stronger impact and longer range than other weaponry. Its power is enough to even damage Phase Shift units, able to knock them back with a direct hit. Due to the BuCUE's quadruped design, it is able to fire steadily, without worry of recoil or kickback.

■ 13-Tube 400mm Missile Launcher

The more standard weaponry for the BuCUE, designed more for mid-range assaults and barrages. Due to having a seperate silo for the missiles, mounted on the back, the BuCUES missiles are larger and stronger than the missiles used by other mobile suits, such as the Buster Gundam, in which are smaller in size to be integrated into the unit. They are strong enough to even deal damage to Phase Shift units, Andrew Waltfield calculating it would take exactly 76 BuCUE missiles to drain the Strike Gundam's Phase Shift.

■ Double Edged Beam Saber The melee weapon, and only beam weapon, later on heavily implemented on the BuCUEs. Mounted in the mouths of the BuCUE, it is primarily used for hit and run tatics of charging by an opponent, and hitting them as it charges forward. Due to the BuCUE's size, it makes it very easy to hit an enemy mobile suit's cockpit with this tatic.

System Features
The BuCUE has superior balance, running speed, and maneuverability, which gives it a distinct advantage over conventional bipedal mobile suits, particularly in rough terrain such as deserts. In addition to running and leaping, BuCUEs can also crouch down and drive using tank treads mounted on their legs.

History
While invading Earth during the Bloody Valentine War, ZAFT created the BuCUE, a quadrupedal mobile suit used for ground combat. This suit became one of the key factors in planetary battle operations and were especially well-liked by ZAFT commander Andrew Waltfeld, who used them in his African campain. After the Archangel decended down to Earth and landed in Africa, several BuCUEs attacked the ship and managed to bring it and its only mobile suit, the GAT-X105 Strike in trouble, until Strike pilot Kira Yamato was able to adjust to the new terrain. BuCUEs were also deployed in large numbers during Operation Spit Break, the attack on the EA headquarter JOSH-A.

In CE 73, the BuCUE is still used in large numbers during the Second Bloody Valentine War, for example in battle against the massive EA mobile armor GFAS-X1 Destroy. During this time, a new and more advanced version of the BuCUE is introduced, the TMF/A-802W2 Kerberos BuCUE Hound, which proves to be a formidable opponent even for ace pilots.

During the first war, ZAFT also created the TMF/A-802 P-Mod.W BuCUE Waltfeld Custom Type, which served as a testbed for the commander version TMF/A-803 LaGOWE. Another variant produced was the TMF/TR-2 BuCUE Tactical Reconnaissance Type, which was used for recon missions.

Variants

 * TMF/A-802 P-Mod.W BuCUE Waltfeld Custom Type
 * TMF/A-802W2 Kerberos BuCUE Hound
 * TMF/TR-2 BuCUE Tactical Reconnaissance Type
 * TMF/A-803 LaGOWE