RX-78GP02A Gundam "Physalis"

Technical Data and General Information

Model number: RX-78GP02A Code name: Gundam "Physalis" Unit type: prototype general purpose tactical mobile suit Manufacturer: Anaheim Electronics Corporation Operator: Earth Federal Forces, Delaz Fleet Rollout: 18 UC September 0083 First deployment: 13 UC October 0083 Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso Dimensions: overall height 19.5 meters; head height 18.5 meters Weight: empty 54.5 metric tons; max gross 83.0 metric tons Construction: gundarium alloy on semi-monocoque frame Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1860 kW Propulsion: rocket thrusters: 4 x 32000 kg, 4 x 6800 kg Performance: maximum thruster acceleration 1.87 G; 180-degree turn time 1.1 seconds Fixed armaments: 2 x 60 mm vulcan gun, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in hip armor, hand-carried in use; atomic bazooka, uses Mark-82 nuclear warhead, 1 round in chamber, breech and firing chamber mounted on right shoulder, barrel/trigger mechanism stored in shield when not in use Optional hand armaments: shield, stores barrel/trigger mechanism for atomic bazooka

Technical and Historical Notes

During its military reconstruction following the devastating One Year War, the Earth Federation contracted a private company, Anaheim Electronics, to develop a series of new Gundam-model mobile suits to serve as conceptual testbeds for new and improved mobile suit technology. One of the first prototypes to come out of Anaheim's Von Braun City lunar factory was the RX-78GP02A Gundam, code-named "Physalis." The GP02A and another prototype, the RX-78GP01 Gundam "Zephyranthes", along with Anaheim systems engineer Nina Purpleton and her team of technicians, were brought aboard the assault carrier Albion to be delivered to Earth for testing under full gravity. Arriving at Torrington Base in Australia for the field trials, the GP02A was loaded with a nuclear warhead, but was immediately hijacked by remnant Zeon military forces led by Anavel Gato. In the weeks to follow, Gato would escape into space with his stolen Gundam, joining up with Admiral Aiguille Delaz's fleet for a critical roll in their "Operation Stardust." To diffuse the Delaz threat, the Earth Federal Forces carried out their Naval Review ceremony, assembling most of the entire Federation fleet at the Konpei Island asteroid base in a show of force. However, this was a primary target of Operation Stardust, and Gato used the GP02A's nuclear warhead to singlehandedly destroy or disable two-thirds of the fleet stationed there. Built expressly for tactical nuclear warfare, the GP02A's primary armament was a large atomic bazooka, capable of launching a strategic-use Mark-82 nuclear warhead. The Gundam was also heavily armored enough to withstand the nuclear blast unleashed by its bazooka, and even carried a shield large enough to provide extra protection for most of the unit's body and contained cooling systems to help dissipate the heat it would absorb. The shield also carried the trigger and barrel for the atomic bazooka when it was not deployed for use. The GP02A was also designed to survive in close combat, being armed with standard head vulcan guns and a pair of beam sabers. With enough thrusters and verniers to keep it fast and agile despite its mass, the Gundam GP02A was truly "tactical" in a sense, though its use would have "strategic" consequences for the Earth Sphere.