SVMS-01 Union Flag

SVMS-01 Union Flag (aka Flag), is the mainstay mass-produced MS of the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations in season 1-2 of Mobile Suit Gundam 00. In season 1, the unit was used by the Union. By season 2, the unit was used by Katharon. In the movie, a customized variant of the Union Flag was used by Celestial Being and piloted by it's Gundam Meister, Setsuna F. Seiei.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The Flag is a high performance mobile suit that can also act as a high speed jet fighter. Both modes are capable of aerial flight with the mobile suit mode providing greater mobility and the jet fighter mode providing greater speed. For flight, four hydrogen plasma jets mounted on its back. The linear rifle is usable in both the mobile suit and jet fighter mode. For the latter, it also has the function of generating a "sharp shaped" electromagnetic field on the front of the jet and it is for this reason that the Flag can travel at high velocities despite it's shape not being aerodynamic. For melee combat, the unit is equipped with a vibration based sonic blade which possesses the ability to focus plasma into a sword shape. While it possesses two operation modes, the Flag cannot freely transform between these modes in mid-air due to immense stress the frame suffers that can potentially spin it out of control, although it is an improvement in the sense that it does not require the part swapping of its predecessor. Despite the limitations some ace pilots such as Graham Aker have shown that it is possible for a skilled enough pilot to transform the Flag between mobile suit mode and jet fighter mode in mid-flight using a technique famously known as the Graham Special.

One interesting feature about the Flag is it's fuel system. The hydrogen that it uses as fuel is infused into the molecular bonds of the carbon that makes up the machine's frame, removing the risk of explosions and eliminating the need for extra space for fuel tanks.

It features several improvements upon the Realdo's design including better armaments and a lighter frame structure giving the Flag a higher performance standard and a less bulky appearance. Similar to the AEU Enact, it possess the ability to receive energy from it's bloc's Orbital Elevator, however this ability is rarely used because the Union's energy linkage system is relatively inferior to the AEU's as well as the fact that the Union's international policy of external intervention means that the Flags are mostly deployed outside of the Union's territory. Additionally, the Flag is capable of transforming into a high speed fighter jet mode, in which the arms lie flat against the sides of the suit, and the wings are transformed into an X-shape.

There are several variants of the SVMS-01 Union Flag created for many specific purposes. These variants can include specialized units for specific environments such as space, sky, ground as well as customized upgrades like the Graham Aker Custom, Over Flag and GN Flag.

To intimidate enemies, all Flags possess an AI that programs the visor to make an eye pattern.

Armaments

 * Linear Rifle
 * A rifle that fires electromagnetically-accelerated live rounds and was one of the most advanced weapons available before the introduction of beam weaponry.


 * Sonic Blade
 * The standard melee weapon of the Union's mobile suits. A sonic blade is a folding dagger-like weapon that incorporates a high-frequency oscillating blade. The vibrations of the oscillating blade greatly increase the weapon's cutting capabilities. Can focus plasma in a sword shape to form the Plasma Sword.


 * Defense Rod
 * A standard defensive feature of Union mobile suits. The defense rod is a rotating rod usually connected to the elbow joint of the mobile suits left arm. Using rotary motion, the rod is capable of deflecting certain physical rounds such as bullets from a machine gun and in some cases a shot from a beam rifle. Compared to conventional shield, the defense rod is lighter as the Flag has to maintain its speed advantage and maneuverability during combat. The defense rod is also capable of generating a small plasma field around it to more effectively block attacks.


 * 20mm Machine Gun
 * Mounted next to the cockpit drum. Used to shoot down incoming missiles. Is not very effective in MS combat.

Variants

 * SVMS-01AP Union Flag Orbit Package Colony Guard Type
 * SVMS-01AS Union Flag Aero Sky Package Type
 * SVMS-01AW Union Flag Orbit Package Astro Work Type
 * SVMS-01E Union Flag Graham Aker Custom
 * SVMS-01O Over Flag
 * SVMS-01OA Over Flag Astro Package Type
 * SVMS-01OP Union Flag Orbit Package
 * SVMS-01SG Union Flag Ground Package Shell Type
 * SVMS-01X Union Flag Custom II
 * CBNGN-003 (SVMS-01AP) Union Flag Celestial Being Use

History
Developed in the year 2307 the Union's Flag is the first mobile suit to run on solar power energy. It is a state of the art mobile suit and at the time of its introduction was the height of military technology available to the world prior to the introduction of the Gundams.

In the year 2307 the majority of the Union's military is still composed of Realdos, such as the military of Taribia. However they are being steadily phased out in favor of the more advanced Flag which the Union's best pilots pilot.

Graham Aker would use a Union Flag, modified to be left handed, to confront Setsuna/Exia after the first Ceylon intervention. Despite being in an inferior mobile suit Graham proved to be a difficult foe, using his mobile suit's speed to dodge Exia's GN Sword. Graham than attempted to tear off Exia's shoulder armor, however that angered Setsuna who pulled out one of Exia's beam sabers and promptly destroyed the Flag's rifle.

Shortly afterward Graham Aker would receive an upgraded custom Flag while at the same time and was transferred to the Anti-Gundam Investigation Task Force which would be composed of elite Flag pilots and their machines. The pilots of this unit would come to refer to themselves as Flag Fighters and took pride in their skill, machines, and the fact that they were chosen to be the front line unit against Celestial Being.

This unit would be assigned to defend the UN workers building the solar energy receiver in Azadistan because it was believed that the civil unrest would attract the attention of Celestial Being and the Gundams. This prediction proved to be accurate.

Despite the skill of the pilots the Flags of the Anti-Gundam Investigation Squad would still prove inadequate for battling the Gundams aside from Graham's custom unit. That's why eventually every pilot's Flag would be replaced by the SVMS-01O Over Flag based on Graham's custom machine.

Post 2308
After GN technology became the new standard for mobile suits, the Flag's usefulness was drastically diminished. Despite this however, their ability to use solar energy as an energy source for weapons gives them virtually a very long operation cycle as a result compared to GN mobile suits which require a special recharging facility. Due to this, the Flag was one of models that had seen continued usage by the Earth Sphere Federation Army. This is also because of the relative number of the GN mobile suits are still little compared to more conventional mobile suits as of 2312. By 2314, the Flag has found use by Celestial Being, integrating a specific unit with GN technology. The Flag's transformation capabilities also inspire the development of the Brave series of Mobile Suits.

Trivia
In Episode 2 of Season 1, the first meeting of Graham and Setsuna after the intervention at Ceylon Island showed Graham's Flag drawing out his Plasma Sword and attacking Exia right-handed, despite Graham being popularly known as left-handed.