Cowal

Cowal was a First Lieutenant in the Principality of Zeon who served as a test pilot for the experimental MAN-03 Braw Bro mobile armour. As part of Zeon’s technical evaluation team working with the Flanagan Institute, he participated in the prototype testing programme that would eventually lead to the development of Newtype-use mobile weapons.

Cowal’s service was brief but significant, as he helped evaluate the world’s first psycommu-equipped mobile weapon during its critical development phase. His death during the prototype’s first combat encounter marked both a personal tragedy and a setback for Zeon’s advanced weapons programme.

Biography

Assignment to the Flanagan Institute

First Lieutenant Cowal was assigned to the Principality of Zeon’s technical evaluation team responsible for testing experimental mobile weapons developed by the Flanagan Institute. This elite unit was tasked with evaluating prototype weapons that incorporated cutting-edge technology, particularly those designed to harness the emerging phenomenon of Newtype abilities.

The MAN-03 Braw Bro represented the pinnacle of this research effort—a massive mobile armour equipped with the revolutionary psycommu system that allowed thought-controlled operation of wire-guided weapons. Due to the mobile armour’s enormous size and complexity, it required multiple operators working in coordination.

Prototype testing operations

In early December UC 0079, Cowal participated in clandestine testing of the prototype Braw Bro near Side 6’s airspace. The neutral colony provided a relatively safe location for conducting these sensitive tests away from the main theatres of the One Year War. The testing operations were conducted in strict secrecy to prevent Earth Federation forces from discovering Zeon’s advanced weapons development.

Cowal was assigned to operate the mobile armour’s left block, working in coordination with Second Lieutenant Simus Al Bakharov, who piloted the right block. The modular design of the Braw Bro allowed it to separate into multiple independent components, ensuring that valuable test data could be preserved even if part of the mobile armour was lost in combat.

During the testing period, the prototype required ongoing repairs and adjustments as the development team worked to refine its systems and resolve technical issues. The massive mobile armour was hidden near Side 6 while these maintenance operations were conducted, taking advantage of the colony’s neutral status to avoid detection.

Fatal encounter

On what would prove to be his final mission, Cowal was conducting routine testing and repair operations when the prototype Braw Bro was accidentally discovered by a Federation G-Armor patrol. The unexpected encounter caught the test crew off guard, as they had believed their location to be secure.

In a panicked response to the G-Armor’s appearance, the Braw Bro crew fired their twin mega particle cannons at the passing Federation aircraft. This aggressive action immediately alerted the G-Armor pilots Amuro Ray and Sayla Mass to the presence of a hostile Zeon mobile weapon, leading them to summon the RX-78-2 Gundam for immediate response.

When the Gundam arrived to engage the prototype mobile armour, Cowal and Simus found themselves in their first actual combat situation. Despite the Braw Bro’s overwhelming size and firepower advantage, they were facing a highly advanced mobile suit piloted by