MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type

The MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type is one of several variants of the MS-06 Zaku II line of Mobile Suits.

Technology and Combat Characteristics
The J-Type Zaku II was built specifically for operations on Earth and lacked the proper equipment to operate in space, unlike the F-Type which could do both. The J-Type model had all its vernier thrusters apart from the two main thrusters on its backpack removed. It also featured a slightly more powerful reactor to assist in its mobility under the full-gravity conditions of Earth. Lastly, it was also better insulated against its environment, and could be used in brief underwater operations. However, the J-Type Zaku II was eventually replaced by the better designed MS-07B Gouf and MS-09 Dom mobile suits.

Armaments

 * 3-tube Missile Pod
 * Mounted on the legs are two 3-tube missile pods. A quite good weapon agianst armored enemies.


 * 120mm machine Gun
 * The 120mm machine gun is a 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 little. The ZMP-50D used a 100-round drum magazine.


 * 280mm 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 battleships. However the bazooka could only be loaded with a single round at a time, thus it had to be used carefully. The bazooka was front loaded which is difficult to do while a mobile suit is changing vectors. The bazooka could be stored on the rear waist armor while spare ammunition could be stored on the side hip armor.


 * Heat Hawk
 * An axe-shaped close combat weapon, it uses a super-heated blade to cut through the armor of enemy MS or vehicles. The thermal energy is generated by the power output of the Zaku II's thermonuclear reactor and relayed through the MS' hands


 * 175mm Magella Attack Cannon

History
After the Antarctic Treaty banned the use of nuclear weapons, the Principality of Zeon designed several new models of Zaku II mobile suits to efficiently continue the war. The two designs that proved the most useful and were produced in the greatest number were the MS-06F Zaku II, a model that excelled when performing in space, and the MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type which was designed to excel when performing on the Earth's surface. Production of the J-type Zaku would continue until the latter part of the One Year War when Zeon rolled out the better designed MS-07B Gouf, MS-09 Dom, and MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Type mobile suits.

Variants

 * MS-06JC Zaku II
 * MS-06D Zaku Desert Type
 * MS-06G Zaku II High Mobility Ground Type
 * MS-06K Zaku Cannon