CAT1-X1/3 Hyperion Gundam Unit 1

The CAT1-X1/3 Hyperion Gundam Unit 1 is a Mobile Suit series in the manga Gundam SEED X Astray.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The Hyperion series features a wide variety of armament, which come in form of CIWS guns, beam knives, beam cannons and a beam sub-machine gun. Additionally, the suit mounts the Lightwave Barrier shield system, granting it incredible defense capabilities.

Armaments

 * Multi-barrel CIWS
 * Like most other mobile suits, the Hyperion series features two head mounted multi-barrel CIWS guns to shoot down incoming missiles or enemies at close range. These guns are the only shell-firing weapons on the suit.


 * RBW Type 7001 "Romteknica" Beam Knifes
 * For close combat, the Hyperion features five RBW Type 7001 "Romteknica" beam knives. One is stored on each limb, and one mounted as a bayonet on the sub-machine gun. These knives were powered by their own independent batteries and thus drew no power from the suits' batteries. This also made the beam knives usable as throwing weapons.


 * "Forfanterie" Beam Cannon
 * The strongest weapons of the Hyperion are two "Forfanterie" beam cannons, which are mounted on the backpack of the suit. These cannons are folded over the shoulders when in use.


 * RFW-99 "Zastava Stigmate" Beam Sub-machine Gun
 * For additional ranged combat, the suit is armed with a "Zastava Stigmate" beam sub-machine gun. The beam sub-machine gun's battery was stored in a "clip" which could be quickly and easily be replaced, and while its shots were weaker than those of standard beam rifles, its rate of fire was much greater. The machine gun also mounted one of the beam knives.


 * When Hyperion Unit 1 was upgraded by the addition of an N-Jammer and nuclear reactor the Zastava Stigmate beam sub-machine guns were modified by adding power cables that were hooked up to the nuclear reactor. This allowed the beam sub-machine guns an unlimited amount of shots due to the unlimited power source.


 * RBW Type 7001 "Romteknica" Beam Knifes
 * After modifications, a beam knife can be attached to the beam sub-machine gun and be used as a bayonet to attack enemies in close combat.


 * "Armure Lumiere" Mono-phase Lightwave Shield
 * The main feature of the Hyperion series is the "Armure Lumiere" mono-phase lightwave shield system. This system consists of 7 emitters, one on each arm and 5 on the backpack. The arm-mounted emitters can generate triangular beam shields, and the backpack-mounted units can project an energy globe similar to the "Umbrella of Artemis" that completely surrounds the mobile suit, protecting it from any attacks. However, this barrier completely drains the suit's batteries in approximately 5 minutes. Hyperion itself can attack through this barrier, including throw a beam knife. The shield system can also be used to form a massive beam spike, which is even able to stab through another lightwave barrier.


 * Neutron Jammer Canceller
 * After Canard was betrayed by the Eurasia Federation, he made his way to one of the Earth Alliance bases to steal one of the N-Jammer Cancellers that they had came into possession with. N-Jammer and nuclear engine mounted on the suit's right hip, the Hyperion was granted infinite energy, allowing him to use the "Armure Lumiere" infinitely instead of just five minutes. However, his battle with Prayer would lead to the engine being damaged and going critical, leading to the suit's destruction.

History
In mid CE 71, the Earth Alliance's Eurasian Federation created three of its own advanced prototype mobile suits based on the defense conglomerate Actaeon Industries armed prototype mobile suit Gel Finieto, separate from the Atlantic Federation's GAT-X series. These were the CAT1-X1/3 Hyperion Unit 1, CAT1-X2/3 Hyperion Unit 2, and CAT1-X3/3 Hyperion Unit 3. The three units were identical, except for their coloration. The Federation later created a limited production variant of the Hyperion Series, called the CAT1-XG Hyperion G.

Hyperion Unit 1
Hyperion Unit 1 was assigned to Canard Pars, a Coordinator born in the same "Ultimate Coordinator" project that produced Kira Yamato, but who had been rejected as a failure. Canard used his Hyperion to seek out Kira, thinking that if he killed the "successful" Ultimate Coordinator, he would prove that he wasn't a failed attempt after all. Canard operated as part of the Eurasian Federation's Special Operative X from the Artemis asteroid or the Agamemnon-class carrier Ortygia under command of General Gerard Garcia. During his sorties, Canard fought against Junk Guild member Lowe Guele and Serpent Tail leader Gai Murakumo, proving a powerful enemy for each of them.

After the Earth Alliance acquired ZAFT's Neutron Jammer Canceller technology, Canard was determined to upgrade Hyperion Unit 1 with one of them and a nuclear reactor, eliminating any time constraints on its beam barrier. He fought several battles with Prayer Reverie of the Junk Guild and his YMF-X000A Dreadnought, hoping to take its N-Jammer Canceller, and destroyed Hyperion Unit 2 when he deserted from the Eurasian Federation. Eventually Canard stole an N-Jammer Canceller and nuclear reactor from the Ptolemaeus lunar base, and called his upgraded mobile suit "Super Hyperion". Canard was nonetheless defeated in a final battle, with his suit's Neutron Jammer Canceler is about to overload and explode, but Prayer protected him from the blast of Hyperion Unit 1's overloading reactor. After the battle, Canard became a freelance mercenary with ties to the Junk Guild and Serpent Tail, abandoning his quest to kill Kira Yamato and piloting the YMF-X000A/H Dreadnought H, a rebuilt Dreadnought incorporating technology salvaged from the Hyperion Unit 1.

Variants

 * CAT1-XG Hyperion G

Notes & Trivia

 * The submachinegun "Zavasta Stigmate" quite possibly derives its name from the Serbian corporation Zavasta, which manufactures weapons among other things.