GAT-X102 Duel Gundam

The Duel is a Mobile Suit in the series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The armament of the Duel is rather simple and consists of two head-mounted "Igelstellung" 75mm multi-barrel CIWS guns, which would later become standard weaponry on most suits to shoot down incoming missiles and close enemy units. For close combat, the suit features two beam sabers, which are usually mounted behind the shoulders of the suit. For ranged combat the Duel also uses a 57mm high-energy beam rifle with an attached 175mm grenade launcher. For defense the suit mounts a single physical shield.

Duel also has a bazooka as optional weapon, loaded with high-explosive rounds. The bazooka was taken and used by MBF-P01 Gundam Astray Gold Frame to escape from Heliopolis.

After being stolen by ZAFT and damaged in battle, the suit is upgraded with the so-called Assault Shroud armor, which fits several armor plates over the body that can be ejected if necessary. The armor also adds an additional "Shiva" 115mm railgun on the right shoulder and a 220 mm 5-barrel missile pod on the left shoulder for additional firepower.

As with the other suits developed under the G Project, the Duel was equipped with the new Phase Shift armor, granting it near imperviousity to shell firing weapons.

History
The Duel was the first mobile suit developed under the Earth Alliance's "G Project" during the opening months of the Bloody Valentine War. The suit served as a testbed for the GAT-X103 Buster, GAT-X105 Strike, GAT-X207 Blitz, & GAT-X303 Aegis and was the first mobile suit ever to be equipped with Phase Shift armor. On January 25, CE 71, the Duel was stolen from Morgenroete, Inc.'s Heliopolis facility by ZAFT mobile suit pilot Yzak Joule.

Yzak then used his suit together with his comrades piloting the other stolen suits to pursue the Archangel on its way to Earth. During the pursuit Yzak fought the Strike piloted by Kira Yamato several times and also took part in severly damaging the Eurasian Federation space fortress Artemis. Eventually, the Duel was outmaneuvered by the Strike and suffered a severely damaged arm in one instance and suffered a penetrating hit to the cockpit in another, which caused that injury to Yzak's face. After these battles, the Duel was equipped with a 34.37 ton armor system called the Assault Shroud, which it continued to use until the end of the war.

When the Archangel decended down to Earth, Yzak and his suit continued to fight against the ship, first as part of Andrew Waltfeld's team and later together with his comrades from a Vosgulov-class submarine. Despite several battles, the team was never able to destroy the Archangel and instead lost their friend Nicol Amalfi, pilot of the Blitz, in battle against the Strike.

The Duel also took part in the disastrous Operation Spit Break, the attack on the EA's JOSH-A base, as well as the successful attack on the Panama Spaceport. When the Alliance introduced their first mass-produced mobile suit GAT-01 Strike Dagger, the Duel proved highly effective in combat against them and frequently racked up admirable kill counts of the suits. When his ZAFT comrades began to slaughter Alliance soldiers as revenge for the losses in Operation Spit Break, Yzak was disgusted by their actions.

The Duel eventually returned to space and took part among other in the battle around the Mendel colony and the later battles around the PLANT homeland. He also fought in the Second Battle of Jachin Due, the last battle of the war, during which he defended the PLANTs against the Earth Alliance nuclear attack. It was also during this battle that he destroyed the GAT-X252 Forbidden, by sacrificing the Assault Shroud as a decoy. After the loss of the Duel's Assault Shroud armor, Yzak helped his friend Dearka Elsman in battle against the GAT-X370 Raider, which it also destroyed by using the Buster's rifle. After the war ended, the Duel is apparently decomissioned, along with its 'brother' unit, the Buster.

The Earth Alliance eventually created several variants of the Duel. The first unit was the GAT-01D Long Dagger, which served as a testbed for the Natural OS and its limited mass production follower, the GAT-01D1 Duel Dagger. Each of these suits could optionally use a so-called Fortresta mode, which is similar to the Duel's Assault Shroud armor. Also at least one other Duel was built, which was upgraded by Actaeon Industries in the GAT-X1022 Blu Duel, piloted by Phantom Pain member Mudie Holcroft.

Variants

 * GAT-01D Long Dagger
 * GAT-01D1 Duel Dagger
 * GAT-X1022 Blu Duel
 * LR-GAT-X102 Regen Duel Gundam

Trivia

 * Duel's head crest displays the text "UNO X-102", which means "One" in Italian (and in Spanish) and a reference to the GAT-X102 Duel being the first mobile suit developed under the Earth Alliance's "G Project".
 * The Duel is the only G Project weapon that was not severely damaged or destroyed.