ZGMF-1001 ZAKU Phantom

Template:Infobox/Mobile Weapon Ver.2The ZGMF-1001 ZAKU Phantom is a ZAFT Armed Keeper of Unity series Mobile Suit used by ZAFT in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.

Technology & Combat Characteristics

The ZAKU Phantom is a commander/ace pilot use version of the ZGMF-1000 ZAKU Warrior and features higher performance. Appearance wise, the ZAKU Phantom is almost identical to the ZAKU Warrior except for an additional shield on the right shoulder and a blade antenna on its head for C4ISR purpose (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance). The armament of the suit is similar to the ZAKU Warrior, and it also has the ability to use Wizard Packs to adapt to different combat roles.

Armament

• Shoulder Shield

Both shoulders of the ZAKU Phantom are equipped with shields, leaving its hands free to hold weapons. Large enough to protect the torso, each shield has an anti-beam coating and three spikes for use in melee combat. The shield's back has hardpoints for mounting two spare magazines for the beam assault rifle. It also stores the beam tomahawk, which slides out of a slot near the top of the shield when deployed, grip first.

• MA-M8 Beam Tomahawk

An axe-shaped weapon that emits a curved beam blade, it is the ZAKU Phantom's primary close combat weapon and can also be thrown. The ZAKU Phantom has two beam tomahawks, one stored in each shoulder shields.

• Hand Grenade

Stored on the waist of the suit, four hand grenades are among the standard armament of the ZAKU. Several different types can be carried, including fragmentation, high-explosive, and smoke grenades.

• MMI-M633 Beam Assault Rifle

The primary ranged weaponry of the ZAKU series, this beam firearm's design emphasizes destructive power and rapid-fire capabilities. Its accuracy is lowered somewhat as a result, but the scattering of its beam shots allows for simultaneous attack of multiple targets. Unlike most beam rifles, it does not draw power from the mobile suit's battery. Instead, the rifle is powered by the energy stored in a replaceable drum-type magazine. When not in use, this weapon could be stored on the back waist armor.

• M68 "Cattus" 500mm Recoilless Rifle

First used by the GINN, the M68 "Cattus" 500mm recoilless rifle is similar in design to a bazooka and can fire various types of rounds depending on the magazine used. Typically, the "Cattus" is reserved for larger more heavily armored targets such as battleships. Due to similarity between the GINN and ZAKU, the "Cattus" can easily be used by the latter. This weapon would be used by pilots in aquatic combat, since beam weaponry is ineffective underwater.

Special Equipment & Features

• Wizard Pack Hardpoint

History

After the end of the first war and the signing of the Junius Treaty, a new generation of mobile suits was needed by ZAFT to cope with the technological and numerical restrictions placed on the superpowers as part of the treaty. The ZAKU series's ZAKU Phantom was one such machine. An enhanced version of the standard ZAKU Warrior produced as part of the "New Millennium Series" of mobile suits, it is used by commanders and ace pilots. As a result, most ZAKU Phantoms feature a custom color paint job, although some Phantoms are painted in the same green color scheme as the basic ZAKU Warrior.

Prominent ZAFT aces using the ZAKU Phantom are first war veterans Yzak Joule, Dearka Elsman and Heine Westenfluss, while other pilots include Rey Za Burrel and Riika Sheder, with nearly each of them piloting a custom colored version. Since the ZAKU Phantom was designed for use with the Wizard Packs, each pilot fields his unit with one such pack, with the EX-M Blaze Wizard being the most prominent being used. However as the war progress, some of them switched to more advanced suits that become available later.

Variants

• ZGMF-1001/K Slash ZAKU Phantom
• ZGMF-1001/M Blaze ZAKU Phantom
• ZGMF-1001/A1 Gunner ZAKU Phantom
• ZGMF-1001 Elijah's ZAKU Phantom
• ZGMF-1001 Madigan's ZAKU Phantom

Gallery

Zaku Phantom (Blaze).png

Aiming beam assault rifle

with beam tomahawk in left hand

With recoilless rifle

Gunner ZAKU Phantom

Notes & Trivia

• There are conflicting information on ZAKU Phantom's total height, figures given include 19.05m, 19.37m and 19.5m.
• The ZAKU Phantom can be considered the Cosmic Era counterpart to the MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type (higher performance commander-use Zaku).

External links

• ZGMF-1001 ZAKU Phantom on MAHQ.net