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The M353A4 Bloodhound, or simply the Hover Truck, was a support vehicle that first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team.

Technology & Combat Characteristics[]

Developed by the Earth Federation Forces to support its mobile suit teams, the Hover Truck's primary function was locating enemies using its underground sonar, which could reveal information such as the enemy's number, unit types, and direction of advance by detecting subtle ground vibrations. In addition, it could also relay communications between the unit and the headquarters, as well as transport various supplies.[1]

Since mobile suits were able to traverse terrains that were difficult for conventional vehicles, such as mountainous areas, rivers, and lakes, the Hover Truck adopted hover engines instead of traditional tires or treads.[2] Normally, a Hover Truck had a crew of four: a driver, a navigator, a gunner, and a sonar operator. However, due to personnel shortages on the frontline, there were cases where one person filled multiple roles.[1]

The interior of the Hover Truck had three seats. The driver's seat featured controls for the truck and direction controls for the hover engines, as well as a manual and an automatic throttle. The side seat featured navigation and communication equipment. The sonar operator seat, located in the rear left of the Hover Truck, featured various consoles used to control the sonar.[3] Though its armor was durable enough to endure frontline combat, its only weapon was a 20mm Vulcan Cannon, which was ineffective against mobile suits.[1][3] A search light was mounted on the side of the Vulcan Cannon turret. In addition, the Hover Truck featured a extendable revolving periscope, as well as smoke dischargers on the front and a retractable antenna mounted on the back.[3]

Armaments[]

  • 20mm Vulcan Cannon
Mounted on the upper turret of the main body, the 20mm Vulcan Cannon was the Hover Truck's only weapon. It was manually operated by the gunner.[3] It was ineffective against mobile suits,[1] but could destroy lighter targets, such as the Dopp fighter.[4]

Special Equipment & Features[]

  • Underground Sonar
Mounted on the side of the Hover Truck on an extendable crane. When used, the crane would dirve the sonar into the ground like a pile driver. By sensing nearby vibrations, the underground sonar could reveal information such as enemy number, composition, and direction of movement.[1][3]

History[]

08 Hover Truck 1

The 08th MS Team's Hover Truck

Based on research into mobile suit combat tactics, the Federation Forces decided that a specialized vehicle for intelligence collection and communications was needed. The development of a new vehicle classified as a "mobile suit combat support vehicle" began at a rapid pace, the greatest chracteristic of which was its use of an underground sonar sensor, which could detect and identify enemies without being affected by Minovsky Particle interference.[5]

IM Black Hounds

The Black Hound Team

In order to operate in numerous different terrains and follow the speed of mobile suits, it was decided that the vehicle would be based on the Hover Truck. The result of the rapid development was the XM353, a variant of the M340 Hover Truck, which was itself a variant of the existing Hover Cargo Truck. After the XM353 was equipped with a 20mm Vulcan Cannon for a minimum level of self-defense and had its short-range communications ability enhanced, it became standardized as the M353A4 Bloodhound Mobile Suit Combat Support Vehicle. Together with the RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type, the Bloodhound was given priority assignment to the Kojima Batallion, with one assigned to each of its eight Mobile Suit Teams.[5]

The Hover Truck was later assigned to many other mobile suit units. One unit was used by Major Michael Colmatta of the 44th Independent Composite Brigade during Operation Odessa.[6] Another unit, callsign "Oasis", was assigned to the White Dingo Team in Australia.[7] In addition, on March 10, one day before the Second Landing Operation, the Midnight Fenrir Corps took over a Federation air base in North America and captured a Hover Truck, using it as their mobile base ever since.[8]

In September, U.C. 0079, in the Far East, Zeon's 6th Indpendent Combat Regiment, which included a Dobday-class, deployed to counter a Federation offensive led by a Heavy Fork-class land battleship. Taking advantage of its higher speed due to its use of hover engines, the Heavy Fork lured the Dobday into a trap. As the Heavy Fork was about to enter an impassable hilly area, the Black Hound Team, a team of Hover Trucks each carrying a heavy mine (the same type used by the RTX-440 Ground Assault Type Guntank), surrounded the Dobday. Though several of the Hover Trucks were destroyed, the rest dropped their payload around the Dobday, immobilizing it and allowing the Heavy Fork to destroy it with artillery fire.[9]

In U.C. 0081, following the end of the One Year War, one Hover Truck was used by Liang Mao as the mobile command center of the Phantom Sweep Corps.[10]

Gallery[]

Lineart[]

Anime[]

Manga[]

Games[]

Gunpla[]

Action Figures[]

Behind the Scenes[]

The name "Bloodhound" was first used in the novelization of The 08th MS Team. It was later made official in the instruction manual of the Universal Century Hard Graph "E.F.G.F. MS[G] Platoon Briefing Set", released in 2007, which also provided its model number and a brief development history.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Dengeki Data Collection 9 - Mobile Suit Gundam - One Year War Side Stories 2 (1999), p.78-79
  2. Mobile Suit Gundam MS Encyclopedia Part. 11 - One Year War Side Stories
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team - Official Archive (2014), p.42, p.102-103
  4. Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team Episode 6, Battle Line in the Burning Sand
  5. 5.0 5.1 UC Hardgraph: Earth Federation Mobile Suits
  6. Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: The Gravity Front Episode 3,
  7. Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise From The Ashes
  8. Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front 0079
  9. Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. Hardgraph: IRON MUSTANG Chapter 9: Black Hound
  10. Mobile Suit Gundam: Battlefield Record U.C. 0081

External links[]


The 08th MS Team Mechanics
edit
Earth Federation Forces
Mobile Weapon
Mobile Suit
RGM-79[E] GM Early Type | RGM-79[G] GM Ground Type | RGM-79[G] GM Sniper | RX-75 Berge Guntank | RX-75 Guntank Mass Production Type | RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type | RX-79[G]Ez-8 Gundam Ez8
Mobile Pod
RB-79K Ball Type K

Land Vehicle
Hover Cargo Truck | M61A5 MBT | Hover Truck
Land Battleship
Big Tray-class
Ship
Jungle Boat
Aircraft / Spacecraft
Dish | Fanfan | FF-6 TIN Cod | Jet Core Booster
Transporter / Supply Ship
Gunperry | Medea | Cargo Ship
Cruiser / Mother Ship
Magellan-class | Salamis-class
Principality of Zeon
Mobile Weapon
Mobile Suit
MS-05B Zaku I | MS-06F Zaku II | MS-06JC Zaku II | MS-06K Zaku Cannon | MS-06RD-4 Zaku High Mobility Test Type | MS-06V Zaku Tank | MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom | MS-07H-8 Gouf Flight Type | MS-09B Dom | MS-14A Gelgoog | MSM-03 Gogg | MSM-04 Acguy
Mobile Armor
Apsaras I | Apsaras II | Apsaras III

Land Vehicle
Armored Vehicle | Magella Attack
Ship / Submarine
Jukon-class | Mad Angler-class | Sealance
Aircraft / Spacecraft
Cui | Dodai II | Dopp | Gunship Heli | Luggun
Transporter / Supply Ship
Dora | Komusai
Cruiser / Mother Ship
Gaw | Musai-class | Zanzibar-class


MS IGLOO 2 Mechanics
edit
Earth Federation
Mobile Weapon
Mobile Suit
RGM-79[G] GM Ground Type | RTX-440 Ground Assault Type Guntank

Support Weapon
M-101A3 Regina
Land Vehicle
6×6 Cargo Truck | M353A4 Bloodhound | M72 Lakota | M61A5 MBT
Land Battleship
Big Tray-class | Heavy Fork-class
Aircraft / Spacecraft
Dragonfly | FF-X7 Core Fighter
Cruiser
Salamis-class
Principality of Zeon
Mobile Weapon
Mobile Suit
MS-05B Zaku I | MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type | MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom | MS-09B Dom

Land Vehicle
B.M.C. Z78/2 | Magella Attack | Magella Eins | PVN.3/2 Sauropelta | PVN.44/1 Weasel | Russel 1/12 Zebu
Land Battleship
Dobday-class
Aircraft
Dopp | PVN.4/3 Wappa
Transporter / Supply Ship
H.L.V. | Komusai | Papua-class
Cruiser / Mother Ship
Gaw | Musai-class
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