The Big Tray-class was a line of land battleship produced by the Earth Federation. Notable ships of the line were the Bhatan and the Marketia.
History
The Big Tray-class of battleships was widely used during the One Year War by the Earth Federation Ground Forces. These were built before the war broke out and had established themselves as the mainstay of the Earth Federation forces on Earth.
They were the equivalent of the Dabude-class battleships used by the Principality of Zeon. The Big Tray-class battleships were often used as mobile command centres.
Big Tray-class battleship from MS IGLOO
Design
The Big Tray-class battleship was an armoured hovercraft that functioned as a heavy artillery platform. It was one of the few conventional weapons that was able to match the firepower of a mobile weapon. Due to their mobility and resilience, Big Tray-class battleships were often used as mobile command centres.
The hoverjets gave the battleships excellent mobility on land and water. However, their movement become hampered over uneven terrain.
Big Tray-class battleship from The 08th MS Team
Armaments
The battleships had two main cannons and three turrets with secondary cannons.
Main cannons
The battleships had two main cannons mounted on their front. The cannons for older models fired projectiles while newer units were armed with mega particle cannons.
Secondary cannon
Big Tray-class ships had three turrets that had three cannons each. Two turrets were mounted on either side of the ship while the third was mounted on the rear. These turrets had rotating angles of 180 degrees.
Notable ships
- Bhatan
- Marketia
Behind the scenes
Kunio Okawara was the original mechanical designer. Kimitoshi Yamane designed the version seen in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team.