ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam

The ZGMF-X13A Providence is a mobile suit in the series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. It is piloted by Rau Le Creuset.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Like the other Gundams created by ZAFT in CE 71, the Providence features armaments reverse engineered from the stolen mobile suits of the Earth Alliance. In addition to its basic armaments of two chest-mounted MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS guns, and a shield mounting two small beam guns and a powerful beam saber, the Providence is equipped with the powerful DRAGOON system, which is its primary weapon. However since the DRAGOON system is mounted on a large backpack, the Providence is incompatible with the METEOR weapon system. Optionally the suit can be equipped with a large MA-M221 "Judicium" beam rifle.

The DRAGOON system was first tested in the YMF-X000A Dreadnought. It allows the pilot to remotely control mutiple weapon pods for a devastating attack from multiple directions. The Providence DRAGOON system is mounted on the large backpack and the hips of the mobile suit and includes 11 units, which mount a total of 43 beam gun nozzles. The only drawback of the system is the fact, that it can only be used by people with high spatial awareness. Later a more advanced version of the DRAGOON system is developed which removes this drawback.

Armaments

 * DRAGOON system
 * Large DRAGOON Pods
 * A remote weapon pod sporting nine GDU-X7 assault beam machineguns. One is mounted at the top of the backpack, the other two are mounted at right angles from it with a smaller DRAGOON Pod in between each.


 * Small DRAGOON Pod
 * A smaller remote weapon with two GDU-X5 assault beam machineguns, two are mounted on the backpack, one pair on either side of the skirt and a pair on the back of the skirt.


 * MA-M221 "Judicium" beam rifle
 * An optional beam rifle for the Providence, the "Judicium" beam rifle is substancially larger than conventional beam rifles and is capable of dealing serious damage.


 * MA-MV05A composite armed shield system
 * The composite armed shield system is mounted on the left arm and has both defence- and offensive properties. The system is armed with a beam saber and two small beam guns.


 * MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS
 * Two chest-mounted CIWS guns, not powerful enough to seriously damage other mobile suits but suitable for shooting down missiles and suppressive fire.

System Features

 * Neutron Jammer Canceller
 * As with the other four Gundam units produced by ZAFT at its time, the Providence 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.


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


 * Phase Shift Armor
 * Like the Justice, the Freedom and the Dreadnought, the Providence 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 Strike.

History
In mid CE 71, ZAFT creates 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. However, an additional technology is incorporated as well: the 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.

One of these suits is the ZGMF-X13A Providence, which is the last of the series. The suit doesn't enter service until the final day of the war, September 26, CE 71, but it is used to great effect by Rau Le Creuset, who finally reveals his plot to destroy humanity. Rau proves the Providence's power by overwhelming and severely damaging Mu's GAT-X105 Strike and former subordinate Dearka Elsman's GAT-X103 Buster with its power. He then heavily damages Kira Yamato's ZGMF-X10A Freedom, destroying its METEOR unit in the process. However, Kira ultimately prevails, as Le Creuset is mortally wounded when Kira's beam saber pierced his cockpit, then vaporized by a misfire of the sabotaged GENESIS laser.

In CE 74, ZAFT creates a more advanced version of the Providence, the ZGMF-X666S Legend, which ironically is piloted by Rey Za Burrel, who, like Rau, is a failed clone of Mu's father Al Da Flaga.

Variants

 * LN-ZGMF-X13A Nix Providence

Trivia

 * Curiously, whereas the head crests of the Justice and Freedom display the machine's model number ("nove" (9) and "dieci" (10) respectively), this is not the case for the Providence: Despite its model number being "13", Providence's head crest displays the text "UNDICI", which means "Eleven" in Italian. This is a reference to the Providence being the eleventh Gundam to appear in the series (with the five original Gundams, the three Earth Alliance second-stage Gundams, the Justice and the Freedom, Providence is number 11).
 * The number 13 is deemed as an unlucky number by certain countries and is also deemed as a number of misfortune.
 * Providence Gundam's name strongly reflects the nature of its pilot, Rau Le Crueset. The word Providence means 'Divine Guidance', just as Rau believed he was a higher power that was guiding the world into a new era.

IN video games
In gundam vs gundam next plus Providence also unlockable & PSP exclusive unit.