OZ-06MS Leo

OZ-06MS Leo is a mass produced general purpose mobile suit in the After Colony timeline. The unit is featured in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
When the OZ-00MS Tallgeese mobile suit prototype proved too expensive and unfeasible for most pilots to handle, the Tallgeese's design was downgraded into a simpler, less-powerful unit. Naming their mobile suits after signs of the Zodiac, OZ's first mass-produced unit was called the OZ-06MS Leo. The Leo would serve as the mainstay of the mobile suit forces for the Earth Alliance military, the Specials force, and later OZ and its Romefeller Foundation masters.

The Leo gains its adaptability through the hardpoints on its shoulder armor pieces to mount various types of weaponry, and also the hardpoints in the back that allow it to mount different backpacks. It uses a similar leg unit to the Tallgeese.

First introduced into service in AC 175, the Leo was slowly upgraded over the years leading up to the outbreak of total war in AC 195. By that time, the Leo had actually changed very little from earlier models. The primary reason for the Leo's long service record was its simple adaptability: in addition to a wide variety of hand weapons, the Leo could be outfitted with a winged thruster pack for limited atmospheric flight capability. The Leo variants include:

Leo Cannon Type: An upgraded version of the OZ-06MS, the Leo Cannon Type was identical to the standard model used in AC 195 except for the addition of a pair of beam cannons on the shoulders. The Leo Cannon Type was mostly used by officers and team commanders.

Leo Early Type: An older version of the OZ-06MS, the Leo Early Type was the original version prior being upgraded over the years up until AC 195. It features a simpler head design, less armor on the knees and ankles and has differently designed shoulders without the extra armor plates. Despite its age, this version of the Leo was still in use in more remote areas of Earth, including Colonel Bunto's breakaway nation in former China.

Leo Space Type: Requiring a mobile suit force to help police (read "blockade") travel and commerce between the space colonies, OZ and the Earth Alliance adapted the standard Leo for space use with the addition of a cylindrical booster backpack equipped with rocket and vernier thrusters. This Leo variant also carried a beam rifle similar to that of the standard Leo, except that it was fitted with a radar disc for targeting in place of the usual optical sensor. The colour scheme for this version is mostly purple, but there were also a few that were painted blue as well. There were also several ground combat Leo's hastily refitted for space use as seen in the openning and later scenes of the OVA Gundam Wing Endless Waltz.

Leo EWAC Type: A mobile suit introduced in the Last Outpost manga. The OZ-06MS EWAC Leo is a variant of the standard Leo Space Type. It is used for reconnaissance and information-gathering (EWAC stands for Early Warning and Caution). The most notable change to the basic Leo design is the modification of the head unit into a high-power dish radome.

Leo Flight Pack: A winged thruster pack for limited atmospheric flight capability that mounts on its back, and it can also mount additional thrusters on the sides of the thighs.

Leo Parachute Pack: A small parachute backpack that's used to slow it's descent after being droped from the transport planes and is jettisoned upon landing.

Leo Type II (Chimera): Introduced in New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop, it was a prototype version of the Leo used in early military campaigns such as that led by Treize against rebel factions in Mogadishu. At Treize's insistence, these Leos were painted white.

Leo Type IV (Grief/Gryph): Featured in the Gundam Wing novelization, New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop, and New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Glory of the Defeated. Resembles the Tallgeese even more, and features the high speed flight capabilities of the Aries. The cannon is developed from the Tragos, the backpack verniers from the Aries, and the head crown from the Tallgeese. Rebels at the Marius Plant of the Lunar Factory used black-painted Gryphs in their rebellion in AC 186.

Armaments

 * Beam Saber
 * Two of these close combat weapons are stored within the Leo's shield. One can be used as a reserve weapon, or both can be used simultaneously in a twin sword fashion.


 * 105mm Rifle
 * A shell firing rifle for ground combat use. Designed for close to medium range shooting, it has an extremely fast firing rate, but low power round for round. A precision radar is mounted on top of the muzzle. A stock can be unfolded to dock with the shoulder armor.


 * Beam Rifle (Space Type)
 * Developed for the Leo Space Type. It can also be effectively used in atmospheric conditions. Features a replaceable E-pac.


 * Beam Rifle (Shorty Type)
 * A short barrel space type beam rifle. Is designed for a higher firing rate.


 * Bazooka
 * An optional heavy weapon. Held with both arms and sits over the right shoulder when in use. Has a long body to minimize recoil. Features a similar sensor system to the head sensors of the Leo.


 * Dober Gun
 * The same model as that mounted on the Tallgeese, the only weapon in the Leo's arsenal that can actually inflict damage on Gundanium alloy. Is used for long range shooting.

History
The OZ-06MS Leo was the first Mass production mobile suit used by OZ, designed as a scaled-down version of the Tallgeese, which was deemed too expensive for mass production. The lead developer of the original prototype Leo was Seis Clark. Although lightly armed and is obviously rather difficult to pilot effectively, the Leo proved superior to anything produced by the Space Colonies. The base Leo was equipped with a Beam rifle and a shield which contained a pair of beam sabers, thus the Leo was equipped for almost anything, and it could also be loaded with a standard machine gun or heavier dobergun. Later, almost all Leos were equipped with vernier backpacks for space fighting. The aging Leo was eventually phased out for newer Taurus and Virgo I mobile suits, the Leo's legacy finally ending with the Serpent, one of the toughest non-gundam Suits around.

Variants

 * OZ-06MS-SN3 Leo-N
 * OZ-06MS-SR2 Leo-R
 * OZ-06MS-SS1 Leo-S