M9E Gernsback
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M9E Gernsback is an Arm Slave, a fictional mecha from the light novel, manga, and anime series Full Metal Panic!.
| Gernsback | |
| Designation | M9 |
| Design | Geotron Electronics |
| Height | 8.4m |
| Weight | 9.5t |
| Powerplant | Ross and Humbleton APR2500a Palladium Reactor (2500kW) |
| Maximum Operation Time | 150 hours |
| Top Speed | 280km/h |
| Jump Height | 45m |
| Armaments | AM-11 12.7mm (.50cal)chain gun XM18 wire gun Air taser |
| Compatible Weapons | Oerlikon Contraves GEC-B 40mm Assault Rifle Bofors ASG96-b 57mm Smoothbore Gun Oto Melara Boxer Smoothbore Shotcannon Geotron Electronics GRAW-2 Monomolecular Cutter Royal Ordnance M10 Anti-Tank Dagger Versile II Rocket Launcher |
| Notable Pilots | Sosuke Sagara Melissa Mao Kurz Weber |
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The first 3rd generation Arm Slave to be fielded in combat. It is currently operated only by the paramilitary counter terroritst organization Mithril. It was developed under the supervision of several Whispered including Bani Morauta and Teletha Testarossa. Mellissa Mao served as one of the test pilots and contributed to the development of the Vectronics, Electronic Warfare, and AI system design and development.
Outside of Mithril, the M9 is undergoing OPEVAL by the United States Army, completing the EMD phase in December 1998. A procurement order of 26 units has been placed by the United States. Official deployment by the United States is said to be in several years. The unit cost is said to be at least 100 million dollars. It is an extremely touchy combat unit, requiring the highest of skills and specialist training to operate. Only a select few pilots are capable of using the unit to its fullest potential.
Visually, the M9 is notable for having a very human like silouette, and its head assembly resembling a fighter pilot helmet. Its notable performance differences from the second generation Arm Slave is the advanced AI, the fully electric drive system, the Palladium Reactor, and an array of onboard electronic warfare packages, including the ECS with invisible mode. All known variants of the M9 are equipped with the baseline packages. Some specialized unit have customized electronics packages.
The combat capability and survivability of the M9 is enhanced by its advanced construction, collecting the advances of Black Technology in material engineering and electrical engineering. Its internal skeleton uses lessons learned from animal and insect anatomy, fully utilizing the immense output of its power generator. This allows it giant leaps of several hundred metres, far beyond a porportional human anatomy. The M9 and its internal structure also offers unprecedented flexibility, better tracing the natural motions of the pilot within. Combined with its complex sensor suite and advanced AI systems, members of the development team have attempted complex unmanned interactions such as 2 M9 units dancing the tango.
Advances in its multilayered composite armor withstands RPGs, shape charged warheads and calibres up to 20mm without heavy damage. The M9 has exhibited the ability to protect its occupant from damage, even under extreme duress.
The M9 has shown flexibility in deployment, currently unmatched by any Arm Slave. The M9 and variants have been shown deployed by the following; helicopter airlift, HALO/HAHO parachute, submerged amphibious assault, XL-2 rocket booster assisted direct flight, and SLBM trans-stratospheric launch.
Its secondary onboard equipment also includes a loudspeaker and a rope ladder to the cockpit.
[edit] Weapon Systems
The M9 is designed to hold very little in mounted weaponry. Like combat aircraft, the M9's speed and maneuverability is its chief asset. Its only mounted weapon system is its two AM-11 12.7(.50cal) machine guns mounted in the head of the unit. Its use in combat has been limited to suppression fire and directed fire at small unarmored targets, as it cannot penetrate armor thickness beyond 10mm RHA with any significance.
The internal stores of the unit can also carry a number of handheld weapons such as the Honeywell M1067 Fragmentation Grenade and M1108 Anti-Tank Dagger.
The M9's capabilities lie in its flexibility in weapons carried by the unit. It is a multirole craft that can instantly change its abilities with whatever it is holding. While any Arm Slave can pick up a different weapon, they cannot use the weapon effectively. The lack of a targeting and fire control system package reduces the effectiveness of a weapon to nearly zero. All previous Arm Slaves required a new operator and weapons profile to be loaded into the system, which requires hundreds of hours of validation and testing to create.
The M9 is powered by a significantly more powerful computer and robust AI suite that allows it several advantages. Its storage capacity can accommodate more targeting and fire control system profiles. It can adapt operator customizations to the unfamiliar weapons, reducing the learning curve. Finally, the AI can decrypt and crack the weapon's electronics safeguards that prevent unauthorised use.
While outclassed by specialized vehicles, such as dedicated SAM launchers, the M9 more than makes up for these deficiencies with is adaptability and mobility.
[edit] Oerlikon Contraves GEC-B 40mm Assault Rifle
A rifled long barrel repeating cannon, the GEC is a hand held rifle of medium caliber. It uses caseless ammunition with liquid propellant charges. One of the first Arm Slave specific weapon systems, it has shown high reliability in the field. Its small calibre, high speed shells are generally designed to counter the less armored Arm Slave. When pit against heavily armored MBTs, the rifle is used at distances less than 500m in order to penetrate. The advantages of the new design are the light weight of the weapon, and increased ammunition capacity from use of caseless charges.
[edit] Bofors ASG96-b 57mm Smoothbore Gun
The Bofors gun is a repeating cannon based on the 57mm L/60 adapted to be a hand held unit. Its 57mm shells are newly developed for use by Arm Slaves, but is produced using orthodox technologies in comparison to the GEC and its caseless ammunition. The Bofors can still make use of standard artillery 57mm shells, but will suffer reduced capabilities. Its origins and long history as naval and emplacement artillery has produced a reliable weapon with plentiful selection of ammunition. Availability of different types of ammunition further increase the adaptability of the weapon.
The Bofors is significantly heavier than the GEC-B, has a slower refire rate and carries less ammunition. The limitations of the 57mm shell also makes it a slightly less capable weapon than the newer GEC-B. Ammunition is heavier, and is limited by a slower refire rate. Its use among seasoned Arm Slave operators point to is proven reliability, its field serviceable nature, and abundant spare parts and ammunition.
[edit] Oto Melara Boxer Smoothbore Shotcannon
The Boxer is another 57mm smoothbore gun for use by Arm Slaves. Unlike the Bofors, the Boxer is a pump action shot cannon. While the weapon is designed to resemble a shotgun, it is rarely used to fire pellets. The Boxer uses identical ammunition as the Bofors, but can use a wider selection due to its pump action. The pump action renders the weapon immune to underpowered/overpowered cartridges failing to properly cycle the action of the Bofors. This allows the boxer far higher reliability when using 57mm shells not specifically designed for Arm Slave usage.
It is also lighter than the Bofors, allowing for faster actions wielding the weapon. These advantages are very small in comparison to the higher refire rate and larger ammunition store of the Bofors and GEC-B. This explains its extremely limited use on the field.
Sosuke Sagara of Mithril makes continues use of the Boxer for its unparalleled reliability. It is also assumed his experience as a Guerrilla and difficulty securing supplies led him to choose a weapon that operates on captured or substandard ammunition. Its pump action makes it nearly impervious to jamming, and his style of point blank fire benefits from the low mass of the weapon, as well as reducing the handicap of having a small store of ammunition.
[edit] Non Weapon Systems
The M9's immense power output allows the unit to carry a number of systems that are not found on many other Arm Slaves.
[edit] AI Systems
The sophisticated Vectronics of the M9 are controlled under an AI system. The AI system manages the damage control, fire control, motion control, electronic warfare and countermeasures, threat assessment, and many other subsystems of the Arm Slave. Its adaptability and automation frees the operator to concentrate on combat, increasing the combat effectiveness of the pair. Each M9 unit AI is named a nickname by the operator, with many of the soldiers growing a very close relationship with the AI.
The computer of the M9 takes up the majority of the output of the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit)
[edit] Air Taser
Mounted into the right forearm, the air taser creates a path of ionized air. A non lethal electric shock travels down this conductive path, disabling an enemy combatant. It is assumed this system is limited in range and only useful against unarmored targets.
[edit] Periscope
A small camera mounted onto a telescoping arm allows the M9 operator to look around corners while reducing its own visibility. The periscope is capable of optical zoom and infrared vision modes. This system is usable even with ECS engaged.
[edit] Tactile Sonar
The M9 is armed with sensitive tactile sensors on the palm of its manipulators. This allows the M9 operator to track enemy unit movement by the vibrations transmitted along the floor. This echolocation is useful through walls, and can track movements with a very good level of accuracy. This system is especially useful in urban or enclosed environments with complex surroundings and many blind corners.
[edit] Variants
- M9D Falke
Produced at the Dortmund factory in West Germany, The M9-D has some minor differences from the E, such as the paired stereoscopic cameras, and slightly different armor configuration. Intended to be the first production Arm Slave equipped with the Lambda Driver, these plans were cancelled as Mithril lost its ability to source additional Lambda Driver units. This places the M9D as the production model of the ARX-7 test head.
- ARX-7 Arbalest
A custom made variant of the M9E, the ARX-7 is the pre-production prototype of the M9D. The unit is the sole example of a lambda driver capable unit operated by Mithril. It is equipped with a sophisticated AI and data logging system, reducing combat load and fuel capacities in comparison to the M9E, but is otherwise identical in performance.
- M9E - 006
Melissa Mao operates unit number 006, which replaced her previous unit lost in combat at Ariake with the Behemoth. 006 is equipped with additional electronics warfare packages, visually apparent in the communications antenna blade mounted on the head of the unit. The ammunition store for the 12.7mm machine guns is reduced as a result. It is assumed that Mao had a hand herself in the additional systems's construction. The additional communications and control systems enable this unit to operate as an effective battlefield commander.
[edit] In Full Metal Panic!
By 2001, this was the main Arm Slave unit used by Mithril, replacing the M6 Arm Slaves formerly used by the organization. It has been operated around the world by the Tuatha De Danaan Battlegroup. Its deployment includes North Korea, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, Russia, and Sicily in the novels. In the animated adaptation, several location names have been altered. Notable are Khanka replacing North Korea, and Helmajistan replacing Afghanistan.
Most of the pilots refer to their M9 by their AI call names, having a close personal relationship. While mechanically identical, the extensive software customization makes each unit unique in its operational profile.
The M9 has been defeated by several opposing units. It has fallen to the Codarl "Venom", Behemoth, and Belial units all operated by Amalgam. One isolated and exceptional example is Sosuke Sagara disabling a M9-E using a Rk-91 Savage in one to one combat.
For being a classified and exclusive unit, the M9 is well known by certain members of the public. Tamiya Models has produced a scale plastic model of the M9 with detail impressing Sosuke. While its appearance and name is well known, its specifications and capabilities remain classified much like modern Jet Fighters such as the F-22.
[edit] Trivia
The Gernsback is named after pioneering Science Fiction writer, Hugo Gernsback. The significance of the name is lost upon the characters, dramatically pointing at the science fiction in the narrative universe. Ironic in contrast with its pseudorealistic portrayal as a weapon system, the name breaks the narrative's fourth wall. It is unknown if the name is entirely a joke played by the author, or evidence of a realization by a developer of the M9 regarding the unnatural progression of Black Technology.
