GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger

The Buster Dagger is a Mobile Suit Variation from the series Gundam SEED.

Combat Abilities
Based upon the GAT-X103 Buster, the Buster Dagger features identical weaponry as the original suit, including the 350mm gun launcher and the 94mm high-energy rifle. The shoulder-mounted missile pods are retained but they were scalled down to only three barrels in comparison to the original Buster's six barrels. An addition to the armament comes in form of two ES01 beam sabers, granting the suit some form of close combat fighting abilities, something which the original Buster competly lacked.

Like the original GAT-01A1 105 Dagger, the Buster Dagger is equipped with a laminated armor, granting it superior resistance against beam weaponry. It however lacks the Phase Shift armor of the Buster.

History
After the theft of the GAT-X103 Buster by ZAFT forces, the Earth Alliance plans to create a Striker Pack based upon the Buster's weaponry for use of its GAT-01A1 Dagger mass production series. Due to unknown reasons the Striker Pack plan is ultimately abandoned and a simplified version of the Buster is built, the so-called Buster Dagger. Built on a Dagger frame, the new suit includes the laminated armor of the Dagger series as well as the weaponry of the Buster. Eventually an unknown amount of Buster Daggers are built and rolled out late in the First Bloody Valentine War.

One unit is notably piloted by ace Rena "Sakura Burst" Imelia, who used in in Operation 8.8, a large scale attack of the EA on ZAFT's Carpentaria Base. Rena's unit, with a few others, eventually took part in the Second Battle of Jachin Due, in which she fought against Shiho Hahnenfuss in her YFX-200 CGUE DEEP Arms. Her unit is however disabled in combat against Kira Yamato's ZGMF-X10A Freedom, with Rena later upgrading to the GAT-X133 Sword Calamity Unit 1.