MS-06F Zaku II

The MS-06F Zaku II is one of many variants of the MS-06 Zaku II series of Mobile Suits. The MS-06F was the most produced mobile suit during the One Year War, with 3,246 units built during the war. The MS-06F was piloted by top-scoring Zeon MS aces, as well as by the highest-scoring Zeon ace in the war. It first appears in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The MS-06C Zaku II Early Production Type was heavily armored, which made it heavy and difficult to maneuver. However, further research and development would lead to the creation of a lighter, improved model designated the F-Type Zaku II. The F-Type would quickly become the definitive version of the Zaku II, and all future variants would begin from the F-type as a baseline. Because of the Antarctic Treaty, the F-type lacks the radiation shielding of its predecessor.

The Principality of Zeon saw great potential within the unit for having it perform in various mission roles. The Zeon Military forces produced successful designs, decent designs, and utter failures from the basic Zaku II design. Vice Admiral Dozle Zabi had his own custom Zaku II, which he took out into the Battle of Loum. His MS-06F Zaku II had ornate engravings and markings, double shoulder spiked armor, and lastly, a gigantic Heat Hawk. Even the youngest Zabi son, Garma Zabi had his own Zaku II, the MS-06FS Zaku II. This slight variation of the Zaku II design featured twin 30mm vulcan guns.

Armaments

 * Shoulder Shield
 * The shield is a simple defense used to block most incoming ballistic and explosive projectiles. Also used to great effect in close quarters battle with enemy mobile suits. The Zaku II mounts a shield on its right shoulder. The Zeon Remnants' Zaku II units shown in "U.C. 0096: Last Sun" had Shoulder Shields treated with anti-beam coating for better protection.


 * ZMP-50D 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 limited. It holds 100 rounds per drum with spare drums that can be stored on waist armor racks.


 * MMP-80 90mm Machine Gun
 * The upgraded version of the MMP-78 120mm Machine Gun. It used 90mm bullets instead of 120mm type, allowing for a greater speed of firing and a higher rate of penetration. The machine gun is magazine-fed with 32 rounds per mag. The MMP-80 was also integrated with a grenade launcher under its barrel for more firepower.


 * Grenade Launcher
 * The MMP-80 is fitted with an underslung grenade launcher. The grenade wasn't very effective against large ships, but was an ideal mid-range anti-mobile suit weapon.


 * Arm Machine Gun
 * The Zeon Remnants' F-type Zaku II units shown in "U.C. 0096: Last Sun" were equipped with a magazine-feed, 105mm-calibre machine gun on right forearms. These projectile firing weapons are highly effective against most mobile suit armor at close range.


 * H&L-SB25K/280mmA-P Zaku Bazooka
 * The 280mm Zaku Bazooka was another standard weapon for Zaku type mobile suits. The bazooka fired explosive rounds that were quite effective against the armor of Earth Federation mobile suits and battleships. Can be stored on the rear waist armor when not in use.


 * Gatling Shield
 * A weapon from the MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom, it is a shield with a powerful, drum-and-belt fed, 75mm Gatling Gun attached to it. The Gatling Gun can detach from the shield itself when it runs out of ammunition.


 * Heat Hawk Type5
 * 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.


 * Folding Hawk
 * The Zeon Remnants' F-type Zaku II units shown in "U.C. 0096: Last Sun" could be equipped with optional Folding Hawk, a compact, collapsible polearm weapon with its blade can be superheated to high temperatures in order to increase its cutting capacity. The long reach of the weapon gives the Zakus a considerable advantage in close quarters combat.


 * MIP-B6 Cracker Grenade
 * Identical to those used by infantry, the cracker grenade is an explosive weapons designed to be thrown or launched by the MS and detonate after a set amount of time. The "cracker" breaks into several smaller munitions over a wide area. The Zaku II can optionally equip up to four cracker grenades, that are stored on the left and right waist armor racks, with two on each side.


 * 3-tube Missile Pod
 * Mounted on the legs are two 3-tube missile pods. These missiles are quite effective against armored enemies. However, they were also slow and unsuited for combat against nimbler targets.


 * Sturm Faust
 * An explosive weapon with a rocket propelled warhead, it was designed before the beginning of the One Year War as an anti-ship weapon. Useful both in space and under gravity, it was mainly deployed for anti-ship attacks during the early days of the war. The Sturm Faust likely made a good anti-mobile suit weapon during the latter days of the war, as Zeon mobile suits could be equipped with both a Sturm Faust and a more typical ranged weapon for greater versatility. As a non-guided weapon, it is difficult to hit targets with high mobility.

History
The Zaku II was eventually replaced by the MS-07B Gouf for ground combat. With the debut of the MS-09B Dom and the MS-09R Rick Dom, the Zaku II was largely regarded as obsolete and the MS-09B became the new frontline mobile suit. Lastly, the MS-14A Gelgoog had all but sealed the Zaku II's fate due to its high-performance and ability to use beam weaponry. However, despite the fact that Zeon had developed more powerful mobile suits, they also produced several variations of the Zaku II as the war continued. This is sometimes justified by describing the Zaku as being easier to pilot than other, more powerful mobile suits.

After One Year War, the F-type Zaku IIs would be kept and used by Axis Zeon and Zeon Remnants in decades to come. As depicted in U.C. 0096: Last Sun, the F-type Zaku IIs underwent numerous modifications, including anti-beam coating on Shoulder Shield, and inclusion of new fixed firearms and optional melee weapons.

Variants

 * MS-06F Zaku Minelayer
 * MS-06FS Zaku II
 * MS-06F Zaku II Dozle Zabi Custom
 * MS-06F Zaku II [Stutzer]
 * MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai
 * MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Type
 * MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type
 * MS-06M Zaku Marine Type
 * MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type

Notes and Trivia

 * The Hajime Katoki-redesigned MS-06F Zaku II featured in Model Graphix's "Sentinel 0079" mecha design series would later be re-branded as MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Type featured in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory OVA.
 * A MS-06F Zaku II was used as the basis of the monster "EI-14" in the anime King of Braves GaoGaiGar. Like the Zaku, it was lightly armed and was more of a bother to the series' titular mech. Unsurprisingly, this was allowed due to Sunrise making the series.