RGM-86R GM III

The 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
In terms of raw battlefield potential, the GM III is a tremendous upgrade over the Federation's antiquated RMS-179 GM II. The GM III was an upgraded GM II at heart, but featured a more powerful generator and improved sensors, making it a practically new mobile suit. The unit's survivability was increased by adding Gundarium Alloy to the armor and strengthening the overall frame. Along with substantial armor upgrades, the GM III featured a higher output backpack modeled after the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II's in order to take advantage of the generator's increased output. The backpack increased the GM III's thruster acceleration by 37% over the GM II's, enabling a much higher speed and much greater maneuvering capability. Along similar lines, the GM III featured vernier units on the outer calf area of either of its legs, further enhancing the unit's mobility and thrust capability.

Aside from armor and generator upgrades, the GM III was the host of a myriad of specially designed beam and conventional weapons. The GM III sports the typical head-mounted vulcan guns and a pair of beam sabers mounted on the backpack, but with its increased durability and speed, the GM III was able to mount either a 4-tube medium-missile launcher, or a 15-tube small-missile launcher on both shoulders, as well as two large 2-tube missile launchers on both side skirts. The GM III's increased reactor output allowed for the use of a new, higher-output version of the GM II's beam rifle as well. These additions gave the GM III more than a dozen missiles and a powerful beam rifle to use offensively at any given time when fully outfitted. For the defensive role, the GM III carries an identical shield to the GM II, but this shield is made out of Gundarium Alloy and treated with an anti-beam coating to increase its defensive capability.

Armaments

 * 60mm Vulcan Gun
 * A standard armament of the mobile suits that are descended from the Earth Federation Forces's RX series. These head mounted shell firing weapons have a high-rate of fire, but have little power and are generally ineffective against mobile suits; however, the vulcan gun can damage lightly armored areas such as the sensors. These weapons are ideal for shooting down small, fast moving, lightly armored targets such as missiles or small vehicles.


 * Beam Saber
 * The standard close range armament for most Federation mobile suits. The beam saber is a small cylindrical device held in the mobile suit's hands when operated and is powered by an energy capacitor that is recharged from special racks. The beam saber is capable of cutting through any metal that has not been treated with anti-beam coating. The GM III is equipped with two beam sabers stored in backpack recharge racks that are taken from the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II's design.


 * 2-tube Large Missile Pod
 * Further adding to the GM III's offensive capabilities is a pair of hip-mounted 2-tube large missile pods. The missiles themselves are on a similar scale to warship missiles, with a single missile having the potential to destroy a mobile suit. The launchers themselves are allowed a bit of mobility on the hip skirts, but are largely cumbersome with respect to the unit's arms. In the same fashion as the unit's other missile pods, this pod can be ejected at any time to increase the unit's mobility.


 * 4-tube Medium Missile Pod
 * The GM III can be outfitted with a 4-tube medium missile pod on each shoulder. Each pod has its own targeting camera, allowing for more efficient target acquisition during combat. In the same fashion as the unit's other missile pods, this pod can be ejected at any time to increase the unit's mobility.


 * 15-tube Small Missile Pod
 * Similar in design to the aforementioned 4-tube medium missile pod, the 15-tube small missile pod arranges three rows of five missiles each into a similar shoulder-mounted configuration. Although much smaller than a bazooka or grenade round, these can destroy light-to-medium armored targets with ease. In the same fashion as the unit's other missile pods, this pod can be ejected at any time to increase the unit's mobility.


 * Beam Javelin
 * The GM III's beam javelin is based on the same weapon used by RX-78-2 Gundam during the One Year War. The javelin has a higher output than the standard beam saber, and the beam's shape allows for a greater amount of armor penetration ability. These characteristic allows the javelin's user to destroy a mobile suit with a strong anti-beam coating very easily.


 * Beam Rifle
 * The standard ranged armament of the many mobile suits is the beam rifle. The particle beam fired from a beam rifle can penetrate almost any armor that has not been treated with specific counter-measures. The beam rifle used by the RGM-86R GM III is upgraded from that used by the RMS-179 GM II and has a power rating of 2.8 MW.


 * Harpoon Gun
 * Designed with amphibious combat in mind, this weapon proved to be very versatile as it can be used while underwater or on land. The disadvantages of this weapon, however are just as great as it only has four harpoons and like most solid round weapons, the harpoons may not be able to pierce deeply into the armor of enemy mobile suits to cause enough damage.


 * Shield
 * A basic optional arm-mounted defense armament for many Federation mobile suits. The shield is a thick sheet of armor designed to take severe punishment that would normally destroy a mobile suit. The GM III's shield is made from Gundarium Alloy, giving it greater defensive capabilities. Since the introduction of beam weaponry, shields have been treated with an anti-beam coating allowing it to withstand several beam shots before the coating wears off. Typically physical shields can only take so much damage before they succumb to the pressure and break. A shield can be equipped to either arm of the GM III in order to increase defense against both beam and physical attacks.


 * As production of the GM III halted with the advent of the RGM-89 Jegan, some GM III units could be found wielding the more versatile shield used on the Jegan.

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, as the RMS-179 GM II was. The GM III was a much needed improvement for the GM mobile suit line, as the GM II was largely outdated by the mid-to-late UC 0080s.

The mass-produced GM III was first introduced in the year UC 0088, during the First Neo Zeon War. The RGM-86R proved to be a major success and the GM III would see service into the U.C. 0090s as the mainstay mobile suit in the Earth Federation's military forces. However, the GM III was later replaced by the new RGM-89 Jegan series and its descendants. However, during the Second Neo Zeon War, several GM III's from the Earth Federation's 88th Fleet were sent to assist in stopping Axis from dropping onto Earth.

By the year UC 0096 the GM III was still in service despite being replaced by the Jegan series. GM III units were deployed against the Zeon remnant forces during the Zeon attack of Dakar, and later the Torrington Base. The GM III was deployed alongside the older RMS-179 GM II.

Variants

 * RGM-86R Nouvel GM III
 * MSA-008 (RGM-87) Bar-GM
 * RGM-86EW GM III Early Warning Type
 * RGM-86T GM III