FD-03-13 Gustav Karl Type-13 – MechaBay

The FD-03-13 Gustav Karl Type-13 was a pre-production general purpose mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation Forces as the successor to the RGM series of mass production mobile suits.

The “FD” indicated that this was a “Federation Defence” model. The “03” signified that this was the third design in this particular line. The “13” denoted that it was the Type-13 pre-production variant.

History

The FD-03-13 Gustav Karl Type-13 was developed as a new general purpose mobile suit to serve as the successor to the Earth Federation Forces’ long-running RGM series of mass production mobile suits. The Gustav Karl was developed through a different production line from the RGM-96X Jesta, which was developed and deployed around the same time as an accompanying unit for the UC Project.

The Gustav Karl’s development resulted in the creation of a mobile suit that enlarged and applied heavy armour without hindering its versatility. Large output generators were installed to counteract the mobile suit’s weight, and a large number of thrusters and posture control verniers were placed throughout their bodies to maintain their mobility and manoeuvrability.

In UC 0096, two units were deployed by the Earth Federation Ground Force for testing at North America’s Cheyenne Base. The Gustav Karl featured heavier armour compared to the RGM-89 Jegan, but multiple thrusters and large attitude control verniers allowed it to maintain good mobility despite its weight.

The suit was officially adopted in UC 0097. In one incident, a Gustav Karl was assigned escort duty for a team transporting Martha Vist Carbine through Colorado. However, the escort teams came under surprise attack from four MSK-008 Dijehs and was destroyed.

These early deployment units, known as the Type-13, were later overhauled for mass production and redesignated as the FD-03-00 Gustav Karl Type-00.

Design

The Gustav Karl Type-13 was developed as a direct descendant to the RGM series, the Earth Federation Forces’ main force mass-produced mobile suit. Its development resulted in the creation of enlarging and applying heavy armour to a mobile suit without hindering its versatility.

At 22.0 metres head height, the Gustav Karl was significantly larger than most contemporary mass production mobile suits. The mobile suit featured thick Gundarium alloy armour that provided heavy protection whilst maintaining operational effectiveness.

The head was equipped with a communication antenna on the right side. As an evolution of the Jegan, the sensor part probably consisted of a mono-eye and a cover, but the design made it look twin-eyed like a Gundam at first glance. The intakes were also similar to that of a Gundam type.

The Gustav Karl Type-13 had a standard cockpit in its torso with a panoramic monitor and linear seat. It was powered by a Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor rated at 3,245 kW output. The mobile suit had an array of rocket thrusters that generated 79,500 kg of thrust, and relatively large attitude control verniers were equipped on both shoulders as well as the skirt, ensuring sufficient mobility and manoeuvrability for such a large and heavy unit.

Armaments

The Gustav Karl Type-13’s standard weapons were 60 mm vulcan guns for ranged attacks, beam sabers for melee combat, and a 2-tube grenade launcher for area effect operations.

Vulcan guns

Mounted in the Gustav Karl’s head, the twin 60 mm vulcan guns served multiple purposes on the battlefield. The high rate of fire made them effective at intercepting incoming missiles and rockets, and they proved devastatingly effective against lightly armoured targets such as infantry or small vehicles.

In combat situations, these guns could lay down a barrage of suppressive fire, allowing the Gustav Karl to manoeuvre or support allied units. While not powerful enough to significantly damage heavily armoured mobile suits, the vulcan guns’ versatility made them an indispensable part of the Gustav Karl’s armament.

Beam sabers

The Gustav Karl Type-13 carried two beam sabers, stored in recharge racks in the thighs when not in use. These energy weapons were a staple of close-quarters combat.

The beam sabers used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade. Minovsky particles broke down matter at a molecular level, meaning that the beam saber could cut through almost any material.

Minovsky particles were channelled into the saber through an E-cap attached to its hilt. The E-cap recharged with Minovsky particles from the mobile suit’s reactor when the saber was stored in the recharge dock.

Grenade launcher

Mounted on the left forearm, a 2-tube grenade launcher added significant tactical flexibility to the Gustav Karl’s arsenal. The grenades provided an area-of-effect damage capability, useful against clustered enemies or for area denial.

Unlike beam weapons, the grenades could be used for indirect fire over obstacles or terrain features. While standard explosive grenades were common, the launcher could potentially accommodate specialised payloads for different mission requirements.

Beam rifle

The Gustav Karl Type-13 used the same type of beam rifle used by the RGM-89D Jegan Type-D. This was equipped with a composite sensor on the top and adopted a vertically attached energy pack. The beam rifle served as the Gustav Karl’s primary ranged weapon, providing considerable reach and firepower.

Machine gun

The Gustav Karl could optionally be equipped with a 90 mm short machine gun for additional firepower against lightly armoured targets. This weapon provided a middle ground between the vulcan guns and the beam rifle in terms of both firepower and ammunition capacity.

Flexible shield

The Gustav Karl Type-13 mounted a flexible shield on its left shoulder for defence. The shield was positioned over the back when not in active use and could be deployed quickly when needed to deflect incoming attacks.

Known pilots

Unknown

Behind the scenes

Katoki Hajime was the original mechanical designer for the Gundam Unicorn anime version, whilst Eiji Komatsu designed the Gundam Narrative version. The design was based on the FD-03 Gustav Karl from the Hathaway’s Flash novels.

Appearances

External links

FD-03-13 Gustav Karl Type-13 on the Gundam Wiki
FD-03-13 Gustav Karl Type-13 on MAHQ