MS-07B Gouf

The MS-07B Gouf is a mass production ground close-quarters combat mobile suit and is the successor to the MS-06F Zaku II for ground combat. It was first featured in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Shortly after its initial introduction, the MS-07A Gouf was replaced by the completed MS-07B Gouf model. This full model had the 75mm machine gun left hand and "heat rod", which could be used as a superheated slicing weapon or as a grappling weapon with a powerful electric shock effect. It also had a powerful heat sword, an improved heat-based weapon from the Zaku's heat hawk. The Gouf could also use the standard Zaku II weapons, such as the 120mm machine gun or the 280mm bazooka.

The Gouf easily outstripped the MS-06F Zaku II in terms of speed, power output, and melee combat ability. But the mobile suit's overall improvement was not great enough to be justified by its increased cost. The Gouf's production was cut short by the development of a more cost efficient unit, the more powerful and nimble MS-09B Dom. Despite its very short production run, it was still deployed across the world alongside Zakus and Doms. One customized unit was piloted by Visch Donahue, which was painted in a lighter blue color scheme and had the original 5-fingered machine gun left hand replaced by a normal manipulator hand, in its place a 3-barrel 35mm machine gun was mounted on the left forearm.

Armaments

 * 5-barrel 75mm Machine Gun
 * The MS-07B Gouf's left hand is replaced by a 75mm machine gun. The gun has five barrels which are shaped to look like fingers. It fires physical rounds at a rapid rate and possesses enough firepower to destroy lightly armored mobile suits with ease. However its effectiveness against heavy armor is very limited.


 * Heat Rod
 * A close-range weapon installed in the right arm of the MS-07B Gouf. This retractable cable delivers a high-voltage electrical shock when it comes into contact with an enemy mobile suit, damaging its internal systems and stunning its pilot. The heat rod could also be superheated to give it cutting properties.


 * Heat Wire
 * An original equipment featured on MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom, the heat wire is a magnetic grappler mounted on a thin cable, allowing the right forearm to store a much greater length of heat wire and giving the weapon a much greater reach. The customized Gouf piloted by Visch Donahue had the original heat rod on its right forearm being replaced with a heat wire.


 * 3-barrel 35mm Machine Gun
 * The customized Gouf piloted by Visch Donahue had the original 5-fingered machine gun left hand replaced by a normal manipulator hand, and instead a 3-barrel 35mm machine gun was mounted on the left forearm. This new machine gun had greater effect on more heavily armored machines.


 * Shield
 * An optionally fixed armament of the Gouf was a defensive shield attached to the left arm, which stored it's melee weapon the heat sword.


 * ZMP-50D/120mm Machine Gun
 * The 120mm machine gun is another standard weapon for Zaku type mobile suits. It is a shell firing gun that does not require energy to be used, however its effectiveness against heavy armor is very limited. This model used a 100-round drum magazine.


 * H&L-GB03K/360mm Giant Bazooka
 * The Giant bazooka is the same model used by the MS-09B Dom. The bazooka is magazine-fed and holds 10 rounds per magazine. A single round can blow the torso off of an enemy mobile suit. During Zeon's invasion to EFF's Jaburo headquarter in December U.C. 0079, some Gouf units were equipped with Giant Bazooka for ground attack.


 * Shotgun
 * The Gouf unit piloted by Renchef is equipped with a pump-action shotgun that is similar to the model used by the MS-18E Kämpfer.


 * Heat Sword Type-βIV
 * A melee weapon originally developed for the Gouf line of mobile suits. Like the Zaku's heat tomahawk the heat sword is a blade that is heated to high temperatures in order to increase it's cutting capacity. The Heat Sword was designed after a broadsword so its blade is longer than the tomahawk allowing for a greater range of attack.


 * H&L-SB25K/280mmA-P Zaku Bazooka
 * The 280mm Zaku Bazooka was another standard weapon that could be equipped to a Zaku type mobile suit. The bazooka fired explosive rounds that were quite effective against the armor of Earth Federation mobile suits and battleships.


 * Heat Hawk Type5
 * An axe-like melee weapon, whose name is short for "tomahawk". Thermal energy is used to superheat the heat hawk's blade, allowing it to slice through the armor of enemy warships or mobile suits.

History
The Zeon pilot, Lieutenant Ramba Ral, played havoc with the crew of the Pegasus-Class Assault Carrier White Base and the young pilot of the RX-78-2 Gundam with his YMS-07B Gouf, a prototype of the standard B-Type Gouf.

Shortly after the Gouf's introduction its production was halted in favor of the MS-09B Dom. However, research into the Gouf's basic design would continue which would lead to the development of several improved models that would see limited production. Despite the research, none of the Gouf's models would see development in the United Maintenance Plan that the Principality of Zeon initiated to improve existing mobile suit designs, likely due to Zeon putting more focus into the One Year War's space front at the time of the plan's initiation.

Variants

 * MS-07B Gouf M'quve Custom
 * MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom

Notes & Trivia

 * For unknown reason, Gouf's heat sword was animated like a beam sword in Mobile Suit Gundam.