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FF-X7 Core Fighter

Limited production transformable fighter developed by the Hervic Company.
Jenxi Seow Published 19 Mar 2013 Updated 11 Feb 2025
FF-X7 Core Fighter

The FF-X7 Core Fighter was a limited production transformable fighter developed by the Hervic Company for the Earth Federation Forces. It was designed as an integral part of Project V, serving as the core component of the Core Block System used by the RX-78-2 Gundam, RX-77-2 Guncannon, and RX-75-4 Guntank.

History

The Earth Federation Forces began Project V to develop mobile weapons four years before the One Year War, after receiving intelligence reports about Principality of Zeon’s mobile suit development.

The Hervic Company developed the FF-X7 Core Fighter as an interchangeable module for Project V mobile suits. The company had previously developed other fighters like the FF-6 TIN Cod and FF-S3 Saberfish.

The concept of an interchangeable module allowed pilots to switch between mobile weapons easily while also functioning as an armed escape module. The success of this design led to many iterations in later mobile suit designs, with similar units seen even up to UC 0153.

Design

The Core Fighter transformed into a Core Block that served as the cockpit and central component of Project V mobile suits. In mobile suit mode, the Core Block joined the upper torso and legs modules together while being housed inside the torso for protection.

The fighter used a hybrid propulsion system combining thermonuclear rocket thrusters and jets, allowing effective operation in both atmosphere and space. While not primarily designed for combat, it carried defensive armaments.

A key feature was its role in protecting the RX-78-2 Gundam’s learning computer system. This system collected combat data and adapted to the pilot’s abilities, making data retrieval crucial even if the mobile suit was disabled.

The cockpit featured a drum design with dual control systems — one for fighter mode and another for mobile suit operation. This allowed seamless transition between modes while ensuring pilot survivability and data preservation during emergencies.

Armaments

The Core Fighter’s standard weapons were 25 mm vulcan guns for close-range defence and missile launchers for engaging larger targets.

25 mm vulcan guns

Two pairs of 25 mm vulcan guns were mounted in the Core Fighter’s nose. While ineffective against mobile suit armor, they proved useful against aircraft and light vehicles. The rapid-fire capability made them effective for missile defence and targeting enemy sensors.

Missile launchers

Two missile launchers were mounted on the Core Fighter’s main body, each carrying four rounds. These launchers contained air-to-air missiles for engaging heavily armored targets that the vulcan guns couldn’t damage effectively.

The Core Fighter could also mount optional AIM-77D air-to-air missiles on wing pylons for improved air-to-air combat capabilities.

Known pilots

  • Amuro Ray
  • Ryu Jose
  • Hayato Kobayashi
  • Sayla Mass
  • Kai Shiden
  • Led Wayline

Variants

Behind the scenes

Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer.

Appearances

  • Mobile Suit Gundam
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
  • Mobile Suit Gundam Ex Revue
  • Gundam Evolve
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Pilot’s Locus
  • MS IGLOO 2: The Gravity Front