The HT-01B Magella Attack was a tank mass produced by the Principality of Zeon.
History
The Principality of Zeon developed the HT-01B Magella Attack to combat the Earth Federation Type 61 MBT. It was not as effective as the Zeon brass hoped. When the Federation started deploying RGM-79 GM units during the One Year War, the Magella Attack proved to be ineffective when pitted against mobile suits, despite its powerful main cannon being capable of taking out mobile suits with a single shot.
HT-01B Magella Attack from The 08th MS Team
Zeon engineers made use of this fire power advantage by converting Magella Attack main cannons into hand-held weapons for the MS-05B Zaku I and MS-06F Zaku II in place of the standard H&L-SB21K/280 mm Zaku bazooka.
The Magella Attack was developed into the MS-06 V Zaku Tank, a Zaku torso mounted on a Magella Attack base.
The Magella Eins was an airborne variant produced by Zeon.
Design
The HT-01B Magella Attack was a ground tank produced by the Principality of Zeon. It was designed with a detachable top. This top was mounted with the tank’s main cannon and had limited flight capability. Due to its limited fuel, the top could only fly for a short period of time, making it more useful as an armed escape pod than a proper aircraft.
HT-01B Magellan Attack top
The detachable top had the advantage of allowing the pilots escape. However, it sacrificed the firing range of the main cannon compared to a turret used by conventional tanks. The Magellan Attack relied on manoeuvring its base to target its main cannon.
The cockpit provided the crew with a greater field of view compared to conventional tanks.
HT-01B Magellan Attack from MS IGLOO
Armaments
The tank used a cannon as its primary weapon, and relied on a machine gun for close-in anti-aircraft and anti-personnel defence.
175 mm cannon
The HT-01B Magella Attack had a powerful 150 mmm cannon mounted on its top. The cannon was fixed to the hull and relied on the manoeuvring of the tank’s base for targeting. The cannon was capable of taking out a mobile suit with a single shot. It breach lunar titanium alloy armour with a direct hit.
35 mm machine gun
A three-barrel 35 mmm machine gun was mounted on the base of the tank, facing the front. This was used against enemy aircraft and personnel for close-range defence. However, the machine gun was ineffective against the armour of mobile suits.
Behind the scenes
Kunio Okawara was the original mechanical designer. Kimitoshi Yamane designed the version seen in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team.