Cosmic Era technology
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- For Nuclear Technologies like the Neutron Jammer and GENESIS please see Cosmic Era Superweapons for more information.
This article is about fictional technology from the Cosmic Era timeline of the anime Gundam metaseries.
Contents |
[edit] Mobile Suit Technology
[edit] G Project
The G Project was the Earth Alliance's crash program to develop mobile suits that could be piloted by Naturals. First-generation mobile suits were too complex for Naturals to control, and could only be piloted by Coordinators. The G project began in Cosmic Era year 69 under the aegis of Admiral Lewis Halberton to produce "G Weapons" and reached fruition in 71. The G mobile suit prototypes eventually became known collectively as "Gundams", after the acronym for their mobile operating system - General Unilateral Neuro - Link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver.
The five prototype mobile suits developed under the G Project were:
- GAT-X102 Duel
- GAT-X103 Buster
- GAT-X105 Strike
- GAT-X207 Blitz
- GAT-X303 Aegis
Several later mobile suits were derived from the G Project, all designated GAT-01 with a suffix to indicate which suit they were developed from. "A" or no suffix designates mobile suits derived from the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, "D" designates mobile suits derived from the GAT-X102 Duel Gundam, and "E" designates mobile suits derived from the GAT-X103 Buster Gundam.
See Cosmic Era Mobile Units for detailed information about all the produced units.
[edit] DRAGOON System
The DRAGOON (Disconnected Rapid Armament Group Overlook Operation Network) system is a control system developed by ZAFT to guide remote weapons. The DRAGOON uses Quantum Communication to send signals to weapon pods to move them around without the awkward wire-guidance used in mobile armors such as the TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero, or the Striker Pack AQM/E-X04 Gunbarrel Striker. The original system was first tested in the YMF-X000A Dreadnought, tested by ZAFT pilot Courtney Hieronimus and then later civilian Prayer Reverie. The most prominent unit using the DRAGOON system is the prototype unit ZGMF-X13A Providence, piloted by ZAFT ace Rau Le Creuset during the Second Battle of Jachin Due.
An alternate version of the DRAGOON system was developed by Earth Alliance's Azrael Financial Group and utilized in their prototype TSX-MA717/ZD Pergrande mobile armor. This version required three pilots, and didn't require a pilot with spatial awareness; instead, the computer maneuvered the pods using the X, Y, and Z coordinates from the pilots. These pods mounted a beam cannon and a beam gun, which made it much more powerful than the regular DRAGOON system mobile suits. The Pergrande was destroyed during testing by ace pilot Gai Murakumo of the Serpent Tail mercenary group.
In CE 73 a new version of the DRAGOON system is developed by ZAFT. This system doesn't require a pilot with highly spatial awareness and thus even a normal pilot can control this weapons (Even though spatial awareness do improve the use of this system) through the pilot's brain waves. The new ZAFT Gundam-type mobile suit ZGMF-X666S Legend is equipped with this new DRAGOON version, as is the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom. Also the ZGMF-X24S Chaos uses a simplified version of this system in the form of two Gunbarrel-like weapon pods. It is likely that the Earth Alliance copied this technology for the GFAS-X1 Destroy's detachable arms.
The ORB-01 Akatsuki can be equipped with the "Shiranui" backpack, which is equipped with 7 mobile weapon pods that function in a manner similar to DRAGOONs and have the capability to create a beam shield large enough to surround a battleship. The Dreadnought Gundam also had the capability to create a tetrahedral beam shield from its DRAGOON units.
ZAFT also tested but never fielded a "DRAGOON Flyer" system for ZGMF-X56S Impulse. The intention was to replace Impulse simple Silhouette Flyers with combat-capable DRAGOON versions, which would accomany it battle. These DRAGOONs would be armed with four small beam guns each, but their primary purpose would be to allow Impulse to switch Silhouette packs without waiting for them to be launched from Minerva. As the DRAGOON Flyer could only be used by the four Impulse units, it was likely considered unwise to expend scarce wartime resources on completing the system.
The DRAGOON system is so powerful that a Gundam equipped with this system and piloted by a skilled pilot can match the firepower of a team of conventional mobile suits, but with more coordination than a group of individual pilots. This is shown in the final battle between Rau and Kira in SEED, where Providence, with the help of the system, severely damages Freedom. This is also shown in Phase 39 of Destiny as Kira disables 25 mobile suits in just under 2 minutes.
However, as a powerful weapon DRAGOON system has its weaknesses. The first one being its extraordinary power consumption--all suits with full-fledged DRAGOON systems are nuclear powered. This is because all pods of the system use beam technology--it consumes an immense amount of energy to move and fire. The second one being its extraordinary difficulty to operate--a person with great spatial awareness and mental and physical prowess is required to use the system to its full potential. However, the newer versions of the system have been able to overcome this shortcoming but is still difficult to coordinate the pods properly nonetheless. The third drawback of the system is that it cannot be used on Earth since none of the pods can achieve atmospheric flight. Also, even if the pods can fly in the atmosphere, they will unlikely be as effective as they are in space because they will be less maneouvreable in the atmosphere due to air resistance and the thrust needed to overcome gravity. The fourth drawback is that once a pod is destroyed, the system's power diminishes. As more pods are destroyed, the system becomes less and less useful. For example, ZGMF-X13A Providence is very powerful when its DRAGOON system remains intact. However, when stripped of all its pods, it is nothing more than a nuclear-powered version of the GuAIZ.
[edit] Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System
The Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System is a technology developed by ZAFT to remotely recharge the batteries of mobile suits. It was developed as a result of the ban of all military applications of the N-Jammer Canceller and nuclear power. With this system, a properly outfitted ship can project a "deuterion beam" into the receiver of a mobile suit, rapidly recharging its battery in mid-battle. The first vessel to be outfitted with this system is the battleship Minerva. The "G.U.N.D.A.M" acronym for mobile suits equipped with a Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System is Generation Unrestricted Network Drive Assault Module.
[edit] Colloid Particles
[edit] Mirage Colloid
Mirage Colloid is a synthetic particle first discovered by the Earth Alliance's Atlantic Federation, which can be used for a variety of military purposes.
At the end of the Bloody Valentine War, the Treaty of Junius was signed by representatives of the Earth Alliance and ZAFT. One of its provision banned the use of Mirage Colloid technology, seemingly putting an end to further development of this highly versatile particle, although it is likely development has continued in the form of illegal top secret research programs conducted by both Earth and ZAFT.
The Mirage Colloid technology has many similarities to the Minovsky Technology of the Universal Century.
[edit] Mirage Colloid stealth system
The first use discovered was as a stealth device, and this technology was incorporated into the GAT-X207 Blitz. With the Mirage Colloid stealth system activated, the mobile suit was covered by the particles, which bent electromagnetic waves around it, rendering the Blitz invisible to both visual and electronic detection. This application of Mirage Colloid was later incorporated into the MBF-P01-Re<AMATU> Astray Gold Frame Amatu, which used the severed arm of the Blitz, and was eventually repeated on a much larger scale to conceal ZAFT's huge superweapon GENESIS.
Although Mirage Colloid was banned, in CE 73, the top secret Earth Alliance battleship Girty Lue used its illegal Mirage Colloid stealth system to launch a sneak attack on ZAFT's Armory One base and steal three prototype Gundam mobile suits.
[edit] Geschmeidig Panzer
The next development of Mirage Colloid was the Geschmeidig Panzer energy deflection armor, employed by the GAT-X252 Forbidden and its descendants, the GAT-X255 Forbidden Blue and GAT-706S Deep Forbidden. This system utilized different Colloid particles to bend energy beams away from the mobile suit, providing excellent defensive capabilities. The "Geschmeidig Panzer" pods can also deflect water for use as a propulsion system.
The Earth Alliance later loaded extra-large Geschmeidig Panzers in abandoned O'Neill type space colonies for use with the Requiem beam cannon. While the beam cannon is located at the Daedalus lunar base, it is possible for the Requiem to freely aim at any target by changing the positions of the colonies and bending the beam between each point.
[edit] Mirage Colloid Virus Spreader
While the initial advances in Mirage Colloid technology were made by the Atlantic Federation, a more novel development came from another source: the Mirage Colloid virus spreader, created by the defense conglomerate Actaeon Industries and utilized in their prototype NMS-X07PO Gel Finieto. This system used Mirage Colloid particles to access the operating systems of nearby mobile suits and infect them with a computer virus, unimpeded by Neutron Jammer interference. However, the Gel Finieto was otherwise lightly armed and generally unremarkable, and there was little military interest in the mobile suit.
Despite the poor reputation of the Gel Finito, the Mirage Colloid Virus Spreader was later installed into two other mobile suits: the first was the ZGMF-X12A Testament and the second the ZGMF-YX21R Proto-Saviour. Both were ZAFT-produced mobile suits which fell into the hands of the Earth Alliance.
[edit] Wings of Light
The Wings of Light (Hikari no Tsubasa), used by ZAFT's ZGMF-X42S Destiny, are the most recent technology to incorporate Mirage Colloid. While their primary function is as a propulsion system, which gives the suit acceleration superior to any contemporary mobile suit, they also incorporate a Mirage Colloid holographic system. This system spreads Colloid particles, leaving a trail of visible after-images that can confuse enemy sensors.
[edit] Voiture Lumière
While the exact detail of this technology is unknown, Voiture Lumière is a new form of propulsion system that is primary used for interplanetery travel. In the case of GSX-401FW Stargazer, it is composed of a ring shaped nano-particle generator, which is movable and transformable via a variable arms mechanism. When activated, it can generate thrust with high amounts of g's for long periods of time, accompanied by a vivid luminescent phenomenon. However, it is intended to be used as a solar sail in conjunction with a high-powered laser. However, the "Voiture Lumière" on the Delta Astray resembles and functions closer to Destiny's Wings of Light. It is unknown if these two propulsion systems work the same, though it is possible that both use Mirage Colloid, which is actually nano-particles, for propulsion.
It is possible that Destiny's "Wings of Light" is an evolved form of Voiture Lumière, as the Delta Astray once visited Armory One and met with Chairman Durandal shortly before its attack. Its purcursor is an electromagnetic propulsion system, which is currently used in UT-1D Civilian Astray DSSD Custom.
"Voiture Lumière" translates roughly from French to "radiant carriage" in English, denoting its use of electromagnetic waves for propulsion.
[edit] Offensive Technology
[edit] Phonon Maser
The Phonon Maser was created by ZAFT for use in amphibious mobile suits, to counteract the ineffectiveness of standard beam weapons in underwater environments. Phonon masers concentrate sound waves into highly destructive laser-like beams. The Earth Alliance was later able to duplicate phonon maser technology for use in its own series of amphibious mobile suits.
[edit] Positron Blaster Cannon
Positron Blaster Cannons are highly powerful weapons used as the main guns of some large warships. They fire beams of positrons, the antimatter equivalent of electrons. When such a beam comes into contact with an object, the positrons and electrons annihilate each other, which in turn causes the target to break apart on a molecular level. A side effect of this process is a burst of highly lethal gamma radiation. Positron blaster cannons include the "Lohengrin" cannons used by the Earth Alliance's Archangel-class assault ships and Orb's Izumo-class battleships and the "Tannhäuser" cannon of the ZAFT battleship Minerva. In addition, at least one Earth Alliance fortification on the Arabian Peninsula has been equipped with a "Lohengrin", and the MBF-P03-2 Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second L can be equipped with a miniaturized "Lohengrin", which is the size of a large mobile suit bazooka.
[edit] Positronic Interference
Positronic Interference is a side effect of firing a positron blaster cannon within Earth's atmosphere that can be used to launch a vessel into space without use of a mass driver. If positron blasters are fired while a ship is in flight, they can produce a cone of positrons that literally disintegrate the atmosphere in front of the ship, eliminating air resistance and allowing it to achieve greater velocity without the risk of burning up in the earth's atmosphere. However, this procedure is only used in the event of an emergency exit into space.
[edit] Gungnir System
The Gungnir System, named for the legendary spear of the Norse god Odin, is a powerful electromagnetic pulse system produced by ZAFT to disable electronic systems (including the controls of mobile suits) without harming living creatures. ZAFT's own mobile suits have heavy EMP shielding and are unaffected by the Gungnir System, but the Earth Alliance's early mass-production model GAT-01 Strike Daggers' shielding proved insufficient to protect against it. Later Earth Alliance mobile suits include improved EMP shielding, rendering the Gungnir useless. Besides disabling mobile suits, it can also disable any electronic items such as a mobile armour as well as a Mass Driver. The output of the EMP creates a current inside the Mass Driver so great that it destroys the metal part of it.
[edit] Defensive Technology
[edit] Anti-Beam Coating
Anti-Beam Coating is a material that can be applied to the surface of objects to make them resistant to beam weaponry. Nearly all mobile suit shields have anti-beam coating applied to the outer face, allowing them to withstand numerous hits by beam rifles and blades, and even provide some protection against a warship's large beam cannons, but anti-beam coating wears down over time because of constant attacks of beam and physical attacks, so mobile suit shields have to re-apply new layers of anti-beam coatings after every battle. ZAFT warships also have a thin anti-beam coating, and a few rare bladed weapons are also anti-beam coated.
[edit] Mirror Coating
Mirror Coating is a highly improved version of anti-beam coating developed by Morgenroete for use on the ORB-01 Akatsuki. While ordinary anti-beam coating merely disperses energy beams, mirror coating actually reflects them. As a result, if the Akatsuki is hit at the proper angle, it can cause an attacking mobile suit to be destroyed by its own beam. Mirror coating also gives any surface it is applied to a highly reflective gold sheen.
[edit] Anti-Beam Depth Charge
Anti-Beam Depth Charges are cylindrical pods that can be released by some warships, which detonate and release clouds of beam-absorbing particles. These particles disperse relatively quickly, but temporarily reduce the power of beam shots. As the particles have the same effect on beams fired by the ship that deployed them, anti-beam depth charges are typically used to cover a retreat.
[edit] Laminated Armor
Laminated Armor is an outer armor layer consisting of a single piece, rather than connected plates. It provides protection against beam weaponry by dispersing them across the entire surface of the armor. This provides superior protection against beam weapons, but eventually laminated armor begin to melt from the accumulated heat. Laminated armor is used on the Archangel-class assault ships and the GAT-01A1 105 Dagger and GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger mobile suits and almost all Earth Alliance's later mobile suits.
[edit] Phase Shift Armor
Phase Shift Armor is a technology designed to protect mobile suits from physical attack.
Phase Shift, or "PS" armor, is an armor system that uses electricity to reduce the damage from all forms of physical attacks although in most practicalities, PS armor makes a mobile suit virtually immune to solid body impact attacks. When PS armor powers up, a hissing sound can be heard and the grey surface of the mobile suit's armor is overlaid in color, which appears to be alterable by entering different values in the Armor Voltage section of the OS. Once powered up, the PS armor requires a steady flow of energy to maintain although power consumption spikes momentarily whenever the mobile suit is hit. ZAFT commander Andrew Waltfeld, after watching the Strike fight, estimated that the GAT-X105 Strike in standard use can take approximately 76 hits from the missiles of a TMF/A-802 BuCUE, before the energy usage drains the battery. This example illustrates that even solid ballistic weapons can eventually overpower Phase Shift Armor. Most beam weapons are able to overpower PS Armor faster than ballistic weapons. However, should a power failure occur, caused by either prolonged use or the use of high energy beam weapons, which will further drain the mobile suit's battery, the PS Armour will power down, leaving the mobile suit vulnerable to even the simplest physical attack.
Phase shift armour is also able to protect the unit from great heat and thus making the unit possible for atmospheric re-entry.
Phase Shift armor (PS) was developed by the Earth Alliance, and first rolled out in Cosmic Era 71. It remains in use as of CE 73. The first mobile suits to be equipped with PS Armor are the so-called "Gundams", GAT-X102 Duel, GAT-X103 Buster, GAT-X105 Strike, GAT-X207 Blitz and GAT-X303 Aegis. Later, both ZAFT and the Orb Union's Morgenroete, Inc. were able to study and duplicate the armor design.
The inverse of the Phase Shift armor concept is the Universal Century's I-field generator, which defends against beam weaponry but has no effect against physical attack.
Trivia: The PS armour was once claimed by the mechanical designer to be referenced from British army research program of ERA (Electric reactive armour).
[edit] Limitations
Because PS armor draws energy off of a mobile suit, the suits so equipped must have a means of replenishing that energy, or risk power depletion. During the war, the existence of N-Jammers limited mobile suits and mobile armors to operation on an energy battery (some mobile suits were equipped with various turbine engines to extend their operating time, but almost none had truly unlimited operational ability). Due to the the limted amount of energy within each battery only a certain amount of power is ever allocated to the PS armor system. This limitation prevents the armor from being able to nullify higher forms of energy such as beam weapons.
PS armor grants near-invulnerability to ballistic attacks such as projectiles, but it has virtually no effect on beam weapons, so most PS armored mobile suits carry a shield with an ablative anti-beam coating for defense against beams.
Nuclear power could give a PS armored mobile suit theoretically unlimited operating time, however during the Bloody Valentine War the widespread use of N-Jammers made this impossible with the exception of the use of an N-Jammer Canceller and afterward, the Treaty of Junius Seven outlawed nuclear-powered mobile suits. Only a few nuclear-powered mobile suits were made in any event, including the YMF-X000A Dreadnought, ZGMF-X09A Justice, ZGMF-X10A Freedom, ZGMF-X11A Regenerate,ZGMF-X12A Testament, ZGMF-X13A Providence, and the ZGMF-X999A ZAKU Trial Type. Each of these units incorporated an N-Jammer Canceller in their design, negating the effects of the N-Jammers in the field. With the tremendious amount of energy made available through the use of nuclear power even greater amounts of energy could now be allocated to PS armor. GENESIS allocated so much power to its PS armor that it was able to nullify direct energy beam attacks from the Eternal and Kusanagi, including the Kusanagi's "Lohengrin" positron blaster cannons.
[edit] Trans Phase Armor
During the first Bloody Valentine War, OMNI Enforcer experimented with ways to extend the usefulness of PS Armor, leading to the development of Trans Phase Armor (TP), which improved on PS Armor by only activating at the point of impact. Because the PS armor consumed large quantities of energy non-stop until it is turned off, it rendered most mobile suits at the time with a very limited operation time. This also left little energy for the power-hungry beam weapons. TP armor was developed to solve this problem as it only activates upon contact , enabling the mobile suit to conserves energy while not in use. However, this left TP armored mobile suits vulnerable to heavy attack from multiple vectors (a sufficiently powerful weapon could also overpower the TP armor). Orb's Morgenroete, Inc. produced a similar Phase Shift system to armor the cockpit of the refitted MBF-P03 Astray Blue Frame Second L. While this armor was not referred to as Trans Phase, it was functionally identical.
[edit] Variable Phase Shift Armor
While the Earth Alliance developed the TP armor to save energy, ZAFT went in a different direction, with a combination of improved batteries and Variable Phase Shift Armor (VPS).
Variable Phase Shift allows the MS to automatically alter the strength, and by extension the power consumption of a Mobile Suit's PS Armor automatically, depending on what combat configuration that MS is in. As a result, the MS's color changes.
The first MS with VPS technology was the ZGMF-X12A Testament originally built by ZAFT, but acquired and fielded by Blue Cosmos under the designation RGX-00. It is highly likely that this is how the Earth Alliance acquired VPS technology, which they incorporated into the GAT-X105E Strike Noir, although it is also possible that they acquired that technology as a result of their brief alliance with Orb in CE 73. A third, less likely theory is that the Earth Alliance was able to obtain VPS technology through analysis of the three mobile suits stolen during the Armory One incident. VPS was later incorporated into all of ZAFT's Second Stage Gundams, including ZGMF-X56S Impulse. The Impulse had at least eight VPS settings, three of which were used in combat by the first Impulse, piloted by Shinn Asuka.
Orb Union has improved the PS armour with their own technology also, which is similar to VPS, and installed it on MBF-02 Strike Rouge.
[edit] Lightwave Barrier
A Lightwave Barrier is an energy field which blocks both physical and energy weapons. This technology was developed by the Eurasian Federation to protect its asteroid fortress Artemis. This barrier became known as the "Umbrella of Artemis". Later, a mobile suit-scale version, known as "Armure Lumiere", was developed for Eurasia's CAT1-X Hyperion series mobile suits. This system could be used to form a triangular arm-mounted beam shield or a complete 360-degree barrier, although the latter could be maintained for only 5 minutes - an issue remedied by Canard Pars, pilot of Hyperion Unit One, when he equipped his Hyperion with a nuclear reactor and an N-Jammer Canceller. The "Armure Lumiere" also allowed the Hyperion Gundams' specialized "Zavasta Stigmate" beam submachine gun or "Forfanterie" beam cannons to fire through its barrier. Lightwave barriers can, however, be pierced by physical blades with anti-beam coating, or by another lightwave shield.
In CE 73, ZAFT began deploying beam shields, which seem to function in the same manner as lightwave shields. ZAFT's ZGMF-X42S Destiny, and ZGMF-X666S Legend utilized this technology, as do the Clyne Faction's ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice, ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom, and ZGMF-XX09T DOM Trooper. However, it is not known if these beam shields share the weakness of the lightwave barriers.
[edit] Positron Deflector
A Positron Deflector is an energy barrier that uses a field of positrons to defend against physical projectiles as well as against beam weaponry. However, it has been shown that a positron deflector has no effect on items with mirror coating applied on it, such as the ORB-01 Akatsuki. Also, with enough force, an opposing beam shield or a beam blade can penetrate a positron deflector. In CE 73, the Earth Alliance creates several mobile armors which use this system to create a shield to protect themselves or fixed installations. The first mobile armor with this system is the YMAF-X6BD Zamza-Zah which fights against the Minerva when it flees from Orb. With its deflector it can even withstand the Tannhäuser positron cannon. The second unit, the YMAG-X7F Gells-Ghe, is used to protect the Alliance's Lohengrin positron cannon in the Gulnahan Ravine. Later, the mass produced mobile armor TS-MB1B Euclid is equipped with a positron deflector. Finally, the massive GFAS-X1 Destroy mounts three positron deflectors, rendering it virtually impervious to the weapons of the ZAFT mobile suits and land battleships occupying central Eurasia. The Alliance refits a few of their Drake class ships with bow-mounted positron deflectors in CE 74 to protect one of the superweapon Requiem's relay stations. The ZGFMF-X12 Astray Out Frame uses a pair of "beam signs", capable of reflecting even a positron blast, suggesting that it might incorporate positron deflector technology.
[edit] Scale System
A Scale System is method of propulsion developed by ZAFT for use in land battleships. Scale systems use the vibrations of thousands of tiny mechanical scales to move over loose soil or sand, and can also function on water. For smaller vehicles such as mobile suits, a scale system can also be used for underwater propulsion, though the relatively fragile scales cannot withstand the high pressures of the ocean depths, requiring the mobile suit to remain close to the surface. As the scale system can propel a vehicle sideways or backwards (or vertically, in underwater use) with equal speed to forward motion, vehicles with a scale system tend to be more agile than those of comparable size that are reliant on conventional thrusters or screw propellers.
[edit] Quantum Computer
Quantum Computers are advanced computer systems that use quantum mechanical principles to achieve vastly superior processing capability compared to conventional computers. Quantum computers in the Cosmic Era capable of supporting highly sophisticated artificial intelligence programs. The most notable of these quantum computers is 8, a briefcase-sized unit that was discovered by Lowe Guele aboard a small derelict spacecraft. 8 assisted Lowe in piloting the MBF-P02 Astray Red Frame, and later performed a similar task for Jess Rabble in the ZGMF-X12 Astray Out Frame. Several similar quantum computers were utilized by Morgenroete, Inc. to assist in the design of Orb's MBF-M1 Astray mobile suits. In the rush to evacuate Orb during the Earth Alliance invasion, the quantum computers were left behind with Morgenroete engineer Yoon Sefan. Sefan took the computers with her when she joined the Junk Guild, and they helped her design the civilian-use Astray variant MWF-JG71 Raysta.
