ZGMF-1017 GINN

The ZGMF-1017 GINN is a mass-produced general purpose mobile suit, it is the mainstay mobile suit of the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty (ZAFT) up until the introduction of the ZGMF-600 GuAIZ near the end of the Bloody Valentine War. The unit is featured in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The GINN is a durable, basic mobile suit and the first to be used in combat. It is designated as a Zero Gravity Maneuver Fighter by ZAFT, thus the designation "ZGMF". It has two large, thruster-filled "wings" on its back, a fin-shaped sensor array on its head and no built-in weapons. The GINN's thrusters can only keep it airborne for a short time under gravity, so it uses the Guul subflight lifter to fly in the atmosphere. The suit is usually equipped with a 76mm machine gun and a 10-meter-long sword, and they can be replaced or supported by handheld and leg-mounted missile launchers, heavy ion cannon, recoilless rifle and sniper rifle. The missile launchers and heavy ion cannon are classified as "D-Type" assault weapons and are more often used in attacking a base or fortress. The Earth Alliance estimates GINN's power to be equivalent of 3 Moebius, although in reality, it is closer to 5 Moebius. The suit also has no problem taking down an Alliance escort ship singlehandedly.

The versatile GINN has several variants (the desert, marine, tactical air reconnaissance and long-range recon variants are seen in the anime) and it was manufactured in such high quantities from CE 69~71, that it is even used by non-aligned factions, especially mercenaries and pirates, and remains in use for many years to come. Late in the Bloody Valentine War, GINN pilots found their heavier, older suits to be outperformed by the newer, lighter GAT-01 Strike Daggers of the Earth Alliance as well as the Orb's MBF-M1 M1 Astray. Fortunately for ZAFT, by this time, the stronger, beam weaponry-equipped ZGMF-600 GuAIZ was in production. However, due to the suit's excellent operability, it and its variants continued to be used widely even after the GuAIZ's introduction.

Armaments

 * MA-M3 Heavy Sword
 * The MA-M3 heavy sword is the standard close range armament of the GINN series of mobile suits. It is manufactured using molecular processing technology and has an appearance similar to an European broadsword, featuring a double-edged blade. The design of the sword relies on both its weight and the force of the attack to crush armor as much as it relies on its keenness to cut, and so far the design has proven highly effective against the armor of the TS-MA2 Moebius and GAT-01 Strike Dagger, the latter seen in Phase 48. When not in use, the sword is typically mounted on the left side of the waist.


 * MMI-M8A3 76mm Heavy Assault Machine Gun
 * The MMI-M8A3 76mm heavy assault machine gun is the standard ranged armament of the GINN series of mobile suits and has two firing modes, semi-auto and full-auto. The machine gun is magazine-fed and the GINN is capable of carrying extra magazines in case the first one runs out of ammunition. Because of its versatility and power, the MMI-M8A3 is the pilot's weapon of choice on almost any mission with the exception of anti-fortress combat. When not in use, the MMI-M8A3 is stored on a weapons mount on the back of the waist.


 * M66 "Canus" Short-range Guided Missile Launcher
 * The M66 "Canus" short-range guided missile launcher is a D-Type weapon and is armed with 4 missiles, 2 externally mounted large missiles and 2 small missiles within the launcher. It is a handheld weapon and is often carried in pairs, one in each hand. The large missiles are slow and therefore unsuitable for combat against nimble targets that can easily avoid them.


 * M68 "Pardus" Short-range Guided 3-barrel Missile Launcher
 * M68 "Pardus" short-range guided missile launcher is a D-Type weapon mounted on the GINN's legs. Compared to the missiles carried by the M66 "Canus", the ones here can be considered to be medium size missiles. It is often used together with the M66 "Canus" but can also be used independently.


 * M69 "Barrus Kai" Heavy Ion Cannon
 * The M69 "Barrus Kai" heavy ion cannon is an early model mobile suit beam weapon and a D-Type weapon. The "Barrus Kai" cannon is powered by its own independent power pack and because of its large size, it is somewhat unwieldy and is a horrible choice for combat against nimble opponents. Although its power is not to be underestimated, the firepower is only comparable to that of a beam rifle.


 * M68 "Cattus" 500mm Recoilless Rifle
 * The M68 "Cattus" 500mm recoilless rifle is a standard GINN armament that is similar in design to a bazooka, and can fire various types of rounds depending on the magazine used. The M68 "Cattus" 500mm recoilless rifle has greater range and firepower than the MMI-M8A3 76mm heavy assault machine gun but has less ammunition and a slower rate of fire. Like the machine gun, it is a frequently used weapon.


 * Sniper Rifle
 * The GINN is able to use the sniper rifle normally equipped to the ZGMF-LRR704B GINN Long Range Reconnaissance Type. During Operation Spit-Break, one GINN so equipped attacked the LCAM-01XA Archangel during the ship's attempted escape from JOSH-A

Special Equipment & Features

 * Self-Destruct System

History
Developed from the YMF-01B Proto GINN, the ZGMF-1017 GINN is the first mass production military use mobile suit developed by ZAFT and roll off the production lines on November 3, 69 CE. It would continue to be ZAFT's primary and most heavily mass-produced mobile suit up into the year 71 CE. Many specialized variants of the suit are produced during the early months of the Bloody Valentine War, as ZAFT realized that standard GINN would not be able to adequately perform all missions in different environment. The GINN would also serve as the basis for some of ZAFT's future mobile suits, with some of them being replacement for the suit itself as the war progressed. The GINN is eventually replaced by the ZGMF-600 GuAIZ as ZAFT's main mass production type mobile suit, but it and its variant still remain in common use late into CE 73.

Variants

 * TMF/S-3 GINN OCHER Type
 * UWMF/S-1 GINN WASP Type
 * YF-3A GINN FEMWS
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Ceremonial Decoration Type
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Gai Murakumo Custom
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Elijah Kiel Custom
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Miguel Aiman Custom
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Rau Le Creuset Custom
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Gud Vair Custom
 * ZGMF-1017 Works GINN
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Un No Custom
 * ZGMF-1017M GINN High Maneuver Type
 * ZGMF-1017AS GINN Assault Type
 * ZGMF-LRR704B GINN Long Range Reconnaissance Type
 * ZGMF/TAR-X1 GINN Tactical Air Reconnaissance Type
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Insurgent Type
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN High Mobility Custom "Tempest"
 * ZGMF-1017 GINN Heavy Artillery Custom "Fuego"