RGM-86R GM III

RGM-86R GM III is a mobile suit which first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and later in the movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
This major GM overhaul featured a more powerful Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor and improved sensors. The armor was also improved upon by mixing titanium alloy with the much studier gundarium alloy. The GM III also used a new jetpack that was based on the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II's, which gave it 37% increase in thruster speed and acceleration. The GM III also used a more powerful beam rifle for combat. Lastly, the mobile suit could be outfitted with a number of large or small missile launcher pods, which increased its possible mission roles.

Fixed Armaments
A standard armament of the Earth Federation Forces' RGM series of mobile suits is a pair of head mounted 60mm vulcan guns. These shell firing weapons have a high-rate of fire but have little power. The weapons are ideal for shooting down small, fast moving, lightly armored targets such as missiles, small land vehicles, and attack helicopters.
 * 60mm Vulcan Gun

The standard armament for melee combat for Earth Federation mobile suits is the beam saber. The RGM-86R GM III carries two beam sabers stored in backpack recharge racks that had been taken from the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II's design.
 * Beam Saber

Optional Fixed Armaments
The RGM-86R GM III can be outfitted with 1 pair of shoulder-mounted missile pods, out of two possible selections. One option is a pair of 4-tube medium missile pods with three rounds per tube.
 * 4-tube Medium Missile Pod

The RGM-86R GM III can be outfitted with 1 pair of shoulder-mounted missile pods, out of two possible selections. One option is a pair of 15-tube small missile pods with one round per tube.
 * 15-tube Small Missile Pod

The RGM-86R GM III can be outfitted a pair of 2-tube large missile pods which can be mounted on the hip armor.
 * 2-tube Large Missile Pod

Shields have been used by mobile suits since the early days of the MS-06 Zaku II. With the development of beam weapons shields were redesigned and adapted by applying an anti-beam coating that allows it to temporarily resist beam weapons. The shield of the RGM-89R GM III mounts on the left arm and was designed based on shield of the original RX-78-2 Gundam.
 * Shield

Optional Armaments
The standard ranged armament of the majority of mobile suits is the beam rifle. The beam rifle makes use Minovsky Physics to generate a particle beam that can penetrate any armor that has not been treated with specific counter-measures. The beam rifle model used by the RGM-86R GM III has a power rating of 2.8 MW and is powered by a replaceable energy cap. If the beam rifle runs out of energy the current energy cap can be removed and replaced by a fresh one stored on the mobile suit.
 * Beam Rifle

History
The last upgrade of the Earth Federation's already well-established RGM-79 GM mobile suit series, the RGM-86R GM III would prove to be much more than a casual upgrade for the GM than the RMS-179/RGM-79R GM II. The GM III was a much needed improvement for the GM mobile suit line. As the Earth Federation's main mass production MS series, the GM II could no longer cut it by the late U.C. 0080s. Thus, it was redesigned and enhanced into the new GM III.

The RGM-86R proved to be a major success and the GM III would see service until U.C. 0093 as the mainstay mobile suit in the Earth Federation's military forces. However, it would later be replaced by the RGM-89 Jegan and its descendants.

Variants

 * RGM-86R Nouvel GM III