RGM-79［E］ GM Early Type

The RGM-79[E] GM Precession Type is an early version of the RGM-79C GM Kai. It first appeared as a part of the Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team series.

Technology and Combat Characteristics
The RGM-79[E] GM Precession Type is an early model GM mobile suit used as a test machine to gather data for the Earth Federation's first true future mass production mobile suit. The RGM-79[E] GM Precession Type's equipment was optimized for use in space.

Armaments

 * Beam Saber
 * The GM is equipped with a single beam saber stored in a backpack recharge storage rack.


 * 60mm Vulcan Gun
 * A standard armament of the mobile suits that are descended from the Earth Federation Forces's RX series is a pair of head mounted 60mm vulcan guns. These shell firing weapons have a high-rate of fire but have little power and can't damage the thick armor of a mobile suit, though it can damage lightly armored areas such as the sensors. The weapons are ideal for shooting down small, fast moving, lightly armored targets such as missiles, small land vehicles, and attack helicopters.


 * 90mm Machine Gun
 * The 90mm machine gun is one of several optional ranged armaments that the Earth Federation regularly equipped their GM mobile suits with. Though not as powerful as the beam spray gun the 90mm machine gun has greater range. And unlike the beam spray gun which has a very limited number of shots and must be recharged using special facilities, the fact that the machine gun can be reloaded in the field and has a greater ammo capacity allows a pilot to be less conservative with ammunition. Also the 90mm machine gun is cheaper to produce, making it a cost effective weapon. The downside to using the 90mm machine gun goes back to the power issue. Mobile suits are heavily armored and at great range can even stop the armor piercing rounds of mobile suit machine guns. Often bullets from a mobile suit machine gun has been seen penetrating the torso armor of an enemy mobile suit, only to stop short of damaging the reactor or killing the pilot and the enemy can still fight.


 * The 90mm machine gun is comparable to the 100mm machine gun. The 90mm machine gun holds less ammunition per clip but has more punch.

History
During the chaotic One Year War, the Federation attempted to mass produce a mobile suit to combat the Principality of Zeon's fearsome MS-06 Zaku II. With the RGM-79[G] GM Ground Type already deployed on Earth, the RGM-79[E] GM Precession Type would be deployed in space. Combined with the learning system from the RX-78-2 Gundam, the GM Precession Type would later be mass produced as the GM Kai. Since it was only deployed for testing purposes, the GM Precession Type was armed with only a machine gun and a beam saber.

The only known record of a GM Precession Type being used was during October UC 0079. Ace pilot Sergeant Terry Sanders, Jr. was leading a team of GM's when the entire team was wiped out singlehandedly by a MS-06RD-4 Zaku II Prototype. Sanders' GM was the only unit that survived the incident, but the GM itself was badly damaged and eventually rescued by Shiro Amada piloting a RB-79K Ball Type K.