ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam

The ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam is a mobile suit featured in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, piloted by Athrun Zala.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
One of ZAFT's five ZGMF-X Gundam units produced in CE 71 using technology derived from the four captured Alliance's Gundam, the Justice Gundam has Phase Shift Armor and its armament consists of beam sabers, a beam rifle, a shield, beam boomerangs and head-mounted CIWS guns. In addition, the Justice carries a Fatum-00 unit on its back that can flip forward when used, or be deployed as a separate support unit/subflight unit. The Fatum-00 is well-armed with a pair of beam cannons and multiple machine guns, and when attached to the Justice, it improves the suit's mobility and grants it full flight capabilities in the atmosphere.

Justice also has a tall sensor spine on the top of its head, similar to that of the GAT-X303 Aegis, and this enhances its ability to collect information in the battlefield. It can dock with a support unit, the METEOR unit, for heavier firepower and greater speed, and has an advanced targeting system, the Multi Lock-On System, which allows it to fire at multiple enemy units simultaneously. The Justice Gundam is designed to be operated alongside the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam and for this purpose, the warship Eternal is designed specifically to maintain both suits. Like the four other ZGMF-X Gundam units, Justice is equipped with Neutron Jammer Canceller and powered by a nuclear reactor, giving it virtually unlimited combat endurance.

Armaments

 * MA-M01 "Lacerta" Beam Sabers
 * Like its sister unit, the ZGMF-X10A Freedom, the Justice's main close combat weapons are two MA-M01 "Lacerta" beam sabers, and they are stored on the side skirt armor. As the beam sabers are powered by the suit's nuclear reactor, they have higher output than the ones used by the original GAT-X series. The two beam sabers can be combined into a twin-edged beam saber, and this form is known as 'Ambidextrous Halberd'. Athrun is usually seen using the beam sabers in this form.


 * MA-M20 "Lupus" Beam Rifle
 * Like the Freedom, the Justice uses a MA-M20 "Lupus" beam rifle, which is one of two ranged beam weapons used by the suit. This beam rifle is stronger than the ones used by the original GAT-X series or the ZGMF-600 GuAIZ as it is powered by the suit's nuclear reactor. Can be stored on the rear skirt armor when not in use.


 * MMI-GAU1 "Sagittus" 20mm CIWS
 * The Justice features four head-mounted CIWS guns of type MMI-GAU1 "Sagittus" 20mm, which are used to shoot down incoming missiles or close enemy units. These guns, foreshadowing what would later become standard practice, are much smaller in caliber than those of contemporary mobile suits.


 * RQM51 "Bassel" Beam Boomerangs
 * Two RQM51 "Bassel" beam boomerangs are stored on the shoulders, they are throwing weapons that emit a short beam blade, and can return to the owner after throwing, often catching enemy units by surprise. Unlike the other beam boomerangs which have a 'V' shape when the beam blade is activated, Justice's beam boomerang takes on a 'Y'-like shape when the beam blade is activated as the solid part splits into two when the weapon is used.


 * Laminated Anti-beam Shield
 * Handheld and/or mounted on the left forearm, Justice's shield has a laminated armor surface instead of an anti-beam coating like on the shields used by most mobile suits. The same type of shield is also used by the Freedom Gundam.


 * MA-4B "Fortis" Beam Cannon
 * A pair of rapid-fire "Fortis" beam cannons are mounted at the front of the Fatum-00 and serve as its main weapon. The pair of beam cannons are also the other ranged beam weapon used by Justice besides the beam rifle and have an excellent rate of fire.


 * M9M9 "Cervus" Turret Machine Gun
 * Mounted on the Fatum-00, next to each wing. The "Cervus" turret machine guns can rotate to fire at enemy units at various angles. They are mainly used to shoot down incoming missiles or close enemy units, especially when the Fatum-00 is used as a separate support unit.


 * GAU5 "Volucris" Machine Gun
 * Four "Volucris" machine guns are mounted on the Fatum-00. They are mainly used to shoot down incoming missiles or close enemy units, especially when the Fatum-00 is used as a separate support unit.


 * METEOR unit
 * Like the Freedom, the Justice can dock with the powerful METEOR unit, a large mobile weapons platform with powerful thrusters and an even more powerful armament of battleship-caliber beam cannons, large beam swords, and dozens of heavy missile launchers.

Special Equipment & Features

 * Fatum-00
 * The most unique feature of the Justice is the Fatum-00 unit on its back. Besides improving the suit's mobility and serving as a flight pack in the atmosphere, the Fatum-00 is also detachable and can function independently due to its AI system or be remoted controlled. In this form, it can either serve as a separate support unit or as a subflight unit, like the Guul. The Fatum-00 mounts two MA-4B "Fortis" beam cannons, two M9M9 "Cervus" turret machine guns and four GAU5 "Volucris" machine guns. All of these weapons can be used regardless of whether the Fatum-00 is attached or detached from Justice.


 * Neutron Jammer Canceller
 * As with the other four ZGMF-X series of Gundam units produced then, the Justice is equipped with a Neutron Jammer Canceller, which counters the effects of the ubiquitous Neutron Jammers and allows these suits to be powered by nuclear reactors. This gives them almost limitless combat endurance, even with Phase Shift armor activated.


 * Phase Shift Armor
 * Like the other four units, the Justice is equipped with Phase Shift armor. Thanks to its N-Jammer Canceller and nuclear reactor the PS armor is capable of being active for a lot longer than on non-nuclear powered suits such as the Aegis.


 * Multi Lock-On System
 * As its name suggest, this system allows Justice to lock on to multiple targets and carry out en masse firing. Athrun uses this system only when Justice is docked with the METEOR unit.


 * Operating System
 * The Justice uses the operating system Generation Unsubdued Nuclear Drive Assault Module complex.

History
In mid CE 71, ZAFT created a series of advanced mobile suits based on technology reverse-engineered from the captured Earth Alliance G Project suits. Like their EA predecessors, the ZAFT Gundams are armed with advanced beam weaponry and protected by Phase Shift armor. One of these suits is the Justice, which can be considered the sister unit of the Freedom. Most of the Justice' and Freedom's weapon systems were tested on the YFX-600R GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type.

Late in CE 71, Athrun Zala, former pilot of the Aegis, is assigned the Justice with the mission to either recapture or destroy its stolen sister unit, the Freedom. Instead, however, Athrun joins forces with his old friend Kira Yamato, in defending neutral Orb from an Earth Alliance attack. Later he met up with the support vessel Eternal which carried both METEOR units. Athrun and Kira used the METEORs' firepower to thwart an Earth Alliance nuclear missile attack on the PLANTs on the final day of the war, and Athrun also destroys the GAT-X131 Calamity with his METEOR's beam sword. Afterward, Athrun flies the Justice inside the gamma ray laser GENESIS and self-destructs it, preventing his father's doomsday weapon from firing on the Earth.

Two years later, an advanced version of the Justice with enhanced close combat abilities is built by Terminal based on a design created by ZAFT, called the ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice, which is again piloted by Athrun.

Notes & Trivia

 * Justice's head crest displays the text "X-09A NOVE", which means "Nine" in Italian and is a reference to its model number.
 * Its lower torso is similar to the ZGMF-515 CGUE and AMF-101 DINN, making it visibly more like a ZAFT produced machine.
 * The combined Lacerta beam sabers are reminiscent of the twin beam sword used by the MS-14A Gelgoog.
 * The Justice is often confused with the ZGMF-X19A ∞ Justice Gundam, largely because Athrun Zala refers to the latter as simply "Justice".
 * Justice is considered as a Mobile Armor Mode when it mounts the Fatum-00 in Gundam Battle Assault 3: Featuring Gundam SEED.
 * When the Justice destroys the GAT-X370 Raider Gundam's hammer, it was accidentally colored with yellow eyes rather than green upon its close up. The error was fixed in the HD Remaster however.
 * It was said that if something happened to Athrun during the first war, Dearka would have been his choice to pilot the Justice.