MechaBay
MechaBay
Discord Mastodon Bluesky Twitter/X
Discord About us Support us

Garuda-class

Stratospheric mobile suit transport aircraft operated by the Earth Federation Forces.
Jenxi Seow Published 20 Jun 2025 Updated 20 Jun 2025
*Garuda*-class

The Garuda-class was a stratospheric mobile suit transport aircraft operated by the Earth Federation Forces as part of the Garuda Initiative. The class was the largest aircraft ever constructed by humanity and was designed to provide semi-permanent airborne mobile suit deployment capability across Earth’s atmosphere.

History

The Earth Federation Forces developed the Garuda-class as part of their comprehensive Garuda Initiative following the One Year War. Drawing inspiration from the Principality of Zeon’s Gaw-class atmospheric attack carriers, Federation engineers designed the Garuda-class to be a vastly larger and more capable stratospheric transport platform.

The Federation’s strategic vision called for six Garuda-class aircraft to be assigned to Earth’s air defence zones, creating a global response network that would allow mobile suits to be rapidly deployed anywhere on Earth. Each aircraft was designed to remain aloft semi-permanently, being resupplied by smaller transport aircraft as needed.

By UC 0087, several Garuda-class aircraft were stationed at Jaburo as part of the Titans’ operations. During the AEUG and Karaba attack on Jaburo in May UC 0087, the Titans planned to use the Garuda-class aircraft as evacuation vessels whilst they detonated a nuclear device beneath the base to eliminate their enemies.

However, the AEUG forces managed to capture two Garuda-class aircraft—the Audhumla and Sudori—during their escape from the doomed base. The Audhumla was subsequently transferred to Karaba control under Hayato Kobayashi, whilst the Titans later recaptured the Sudori and used it to deploy advanced mobile suits against the AEUG and their Earth-based allies.

During the First Neo Zeon War in UC 0088, the Earth Federation continued to deploy Garuda-class aircraft in combat operations against Neo Zeon. The aircraft were used to transport the new RGM-86R GM III mobile suits and provided critical support during the conflict.

The class remained in service into UC 0096, when the original Garuda was deployed in a joint operation between the Earth Federation Forces and the Vist Foundation to transport Mineva Lao Zabi and the captured RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. The aircraft came under attack from the Neo Zeon ship Garencieres but survived the engagement.

In UC 0122, the class was still operational during the Second Oldsmobile War, with the Garwish serving as the mobile headquarters for Earth Federation Forces commanded by Layla Bierce. The Garwish served as the mothership for the F90 Gundam F90 Unit 1 and saw combat across various environments.

Design

The Garuda-class represented the pinnacle of atmospheric transport technology, being the largest aircraft ever constructed. At 317 metres in length with a wingspan of 524 metres, these massive aircraft dwarfed any previous flying vehicle and were larger than many naval vessels of their era.

The aircraft’s design philosophy centred on providing semi-permanent airborne presence whilst carrying a substantial mobile suit complement. The massive airframe could accommodate 10 to 20 mobile suits along with numerous subflight systems such as Base Jabbers and Dodai Kai. When necessary, the aircraft could carry hundreds of personnel, making them effective as both military transports and evacuation vessels.

The Garuda-class was powered by 20 thermonuclear ramjet engines that provided the immense thrust required to keep such a massive aircraft aloft. The fusion-powered engines allowed for virtually unlimited endurance, requiring only occasional resupply of helium isotopes for the fusion process. Additional hover nozzles provided low-speed manoeuvrability and stability during operations.

Despite their impressive size and capability, the aircraft lacked dedicated vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities. Instead, they required extensive runway facilities—either on land or utilizing the ocean surface—for take-off operations. Only a limited number of airfields possessed runways both large enough and structurally robust enough to accommodate Garuda-class operations.

The aircraft featured multiple launch and recovery systems for their mobile suit complement. A launch catapult was positioned at the front of the aircraft beneath the bridge, whilst large doors under each wing base provided additional deployment points. A massive door at the rear of the aircraft served as both a mobile suit exit and the primary cargo loading bay.

Armaments

The Garuda-class was only lightly armed, reflecting its role as a transport rather than a combat aircraft. Primary defensive armament consisted of 10 twin-barrel laser gun turrets distributed across the main body. These turrets provided point defence against fighters and missiles but were insufficient for engaging heavily armed opponents.

The aircraft also mounted numerous missile launchers across its airframe. These included at least eight launchers on each wing, six at the rear of the aircraft, three on each side of the fuselage, and three on each side of the bridge structure. However, the primary defence of any Garuda-class aircraft was the mobile suits it carried, which could be deployed to engage threats at considerable distances from the carrier.

Launch and recovery systems

The Garuda-class featured sophisticated systems for deploying and recovering mobile weapons. The forward catapult could launch mobile suits directly ahead of the aircraft, whilst the wing-mounted doors provided lateral deployment options. The massive rear door allowed for the simultaneous launch of multiple units and served as the primary loading point for new mobile suits and equipment.

The aircraft could also mount external booster units on its wings, originally developed for the Temptation-class shuttle. These boosters could be jettisoned when no longer required and additional units could be stored in the hangar for future use.

Ships and captains

Behind the scenes

Fujita Kazumi was the original mechanical designer for the Garuda-class.

The name Garuda derives from Hindu mythology, where Garuda is a divine creature and the mount of Vishnu, often depicted as a giant eagle or a man with wings and bird-like features. This reflects the aircraft’s role as a massive flying carrier.

The design was directly inspired by the Principality of Zeon’s Gaw-class atmospheric attack carriers from the One Year War, representing the Earth Federation’s attempt to develop their own atmospheric mobile suit carrier capability.

Appearances

See also