Gundanium Alloy

Gundanium Alloy (ガンダニュウム合金, Gandanyūmu Gōkin) was a unique compound that could only be produced in the zero-gravity conditions of space in the After Colony timeline. The durable armor plating from which the Gundams took their name, Gundanium possessed incredible strength—several times the strength and heat resistance of titanium—whilst being electrically non-conductive and undetectable by radar. However, the material was expensive and difficult to manufacture, making it unfeasible for mass production outside specialized applications.

Principles

Composition and creation

Gundanium Alloy was created from Lunar Titanium and GND ores, both of which could only be mined from the moon. GND ores were originally meteoroids that crashed into the moon and contained many unknown substances. The complex formula was first called GND, short for “Genetic on Universal Neutrally Different alloy.” Later, the suffix “-nium” was added to distinguish the alloy from other similar alloys being developed on Earth. Gundanium remained superior to the competition because of its zero-gravity creative process.

The alloy was created in high-temperature plasma that could only form in zero gravity. The compound was adjusted in nano-units, a process so precise that it could only be performed in gravitationally stable Lagrange Points. The annealing process, which strengthened the alloy, was performed by electromagnetic waves from the Sun. It was even rumoured that the nuclei of the atoms themselves were modified within the Gundanium alloy.

Gundanium was produced through the most advanced refining, fusing, and deoxidizing techniques, which were only possible in space. The complexity of production and requirement for zero-gravity conditions, Lagrange Point stability, and solar annealing made Gundanium extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming to manufacture.

Material properties

Gundanium possessed several exceptional properties:

Strength and heat resistance: The alloy was several times stronger and more heat-resistant than titanium alloy, the standard armor material for mass-production mobile suits. This exceptional strength made Gundanium-armoured mobile suits nearly invulnerable to conventional weapons.

Electrical neutrality: The refinement process caused the alloy to become electrically neutral, making it ideal for use with beam-type weapons. As armor, the material was almost entirely resistant to electrical charge, providing protection against electromagnetic attacks.

Radar invisibility: Gundanium could not be detected by radar, giving Gundanium-armoured mobile suits stealth capabilities that conventional radar systems couldn’t counter.

Beam resistance (limited): The refinement process created an “anti-field” that repelled beam attacks to some degree, reducing delivered damage. However, Gundanium was not immune to beam weapons—particularly high-output beam weapons could still damage or penetrate Gundanium armor. Lower-output beam weapons were significantly less effective, with Gundanium showing high resistance to standard beam rifle fire.

Applications

Military applications

Gundam construction

The creation of the Gundams took decades of work behind closed doors, due in part to the slow process of manufacturing Gundanium. This demonstrated just how long Operation Meteor was in development, with the Gundams being created before their eventual pilots were even born.

The five Gundam Scientists who left the Tallgeese project took with them knowledge of Gundanium, allowing them to create the five Operation Meteor Gundams:

These Gundams and their later upgrades all utilized Gundanium as primary armor material, making them nearly invulnerable to conventional mobile suit weapons and giving them decisive advantages in combat.

OZ experimental use

Some intelligence indicated that OZ scientists experimented with using Gundanium alloy in mobile suit creation. The very existence of Gundanium was kept secret, perhaps because it was a possible secret weapon for OZ. However, production complexity and cost prevented mass adoption.

After the five scientists were captured and a handful of Gundams were taken into OZ custody, many newly developed OZ mobile suits incorporated Gundanium:

OZ-13MSX2 Mercurius - Anti-Gundam prototype
OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate - Anti-Gundam prototype
OZ-02MD Virgo - Mobile doll with planet defensors
WF-02MD Virgo II - Enhanced mobile doll
OZ-16MSX-D Scorpio - Experimental unit
OZ-00MS2 Tallgeese II - Certain sections reinforced

These applications demonstrated that OZ recognized Gundanium’s value but couldn’t overcome the production limitations preventing mass adoption.

Limitations

Despite Gundanium’s exceptional properties, it had significant limitations:

Production cost and complexity: The requirement for zero-gravity plasma formation, nano-unit precision adjustment at Lagrange Points, and solar electromagnetic annealing made Gundanium extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming to produce. This made mass production impractical—only specialized high-value units like Gundams justified the cost.

Vulnerability to high-output beam weapons: Whilst Gundanium showed high resistance to standard beam weapons, high-output beam weapons could still damage or penetrate it. Weapons like the Wing Gundam’s buster rifle, the Vayeate’s beam cannon, and the Tallgeese’s dober gun were specifically noted as effective against Gundanium armor.

Supply limitations: Gundanium required Lunar Titanium and GND ores mined from the moon. The limited availability of raw materials, particularly GND ores from meteoroids, constrained production capacity even when cost was not a factor.

Impact

Gundanium Alloy fundamentally changed mobile suit combat in the After Colony era. The five Operation Meteor Gundams’ near-invulnerability to conventional weapons forced OZ and the Alliance to develop new tactics and weapons specifically designed to counter Gundanium-armoured units.

The material’s radar invisibility enabled stealth operations previously impossible for mobile suits. The Deathscythe and Deathscythe Hell particularly exploited this property, conducting infiltration missions that conventional mobile suits couldn’t attempt.

OZ’s eventual limited adoption of Gundanium in anti-Gundam prototypes like the Mercurius and Vayeate demonstrated an arms race dynamic—each side seeking marginal advantages through superior materials. However, production limitations prevented this from escalating to widespread Gundanium use, keeping the technology confined to elite units.

Appearances

Gundanium Alloy appeared in the following works:

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (anime series)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz (OVA and movie)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers (manga)
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop (novel series)

External links

Gundanium Alloy on the Gundam Wiki