Medea
Transport aircraft mass produced by the Earth Federation.
The Medea was a transport aircraft mass produced by the Earth Federation Forces for cargo and mobile suit transport operations. It played a vital role throughout the One Year War and remained in service well into the mid-UC 0080s.
History
The Earth Federation Forces deployed the Medea extensively during the One Year War to transport supplies to bases and frontline units across Earth. When the Federation began mass producing mobile suits, the Medea was modified to carry up to three mobile suits in its cargo hold.
The Medea supply corps was led by Lieutenant Matilda Ajan, who often personally piloted missions to resupply the assault carrier White Base. During Operation Odessa, Matilda sacrificed herself by ramming her Medea into one of the Black Tri-Stars’ MS-09 Dom mobile suits in an attempt to protect White Base. However, the Dom’s armor withstood the impact and its pilot retaliated by destroying the Medea’s cockpit.
The Medea remained in service with the Federation Forces through UC 0087, though it was gradually superseded by the larger Garuda-class transport aircraft for mobile suit transport operations. A variant model, the C-88 Medea, was also produced with improved aerodynamics but lacked VTOL capability.
Design
The Medea was designed as a versatile transport aircraft capable of operating without conventional runways. It featured five vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) rotors that enabled it to land and take off from unprepared surfaces. The aircraft was powered by six thermonuclear jet engines—four large engines mounted on top of the fuselage and two smaller ones on the wings.
To reduce loading and unloading times, the Medea used a large detachable cargo container mounted beneath the main fuselage. The container could accommodate up to three mobile suits or 160 metric tons of cargo. The aircraft’s robust landing gear with low-pressure tires allowed it to operate from rough airfields.
The cockpit accommodated two pilots in a conventional canopy-style arrangement, providing good visibility for landing operations.
Armaments
The Medea’s standard weapons were anti-air machine guns for self-defence.
Anti-air machine guns
Two twin-barrel anti-air machine guns were mounted on the main body. These provided minimal defence against lightly-armored aircraft but were ineffective against mobile suits. Due to this limited defensive capability, Medea transports typically operated under armed escort when delivering supplies to frontline units.
Known pilots
- Matilda Ajan
- Maureen Kitamura
- Edward Lee
Variants
- C-88 Medea — Improved variant with enhanced aerodynamics but no VTOL capability
Behind the scenes
Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer for Mobile Suit Gundam. Yamane Kimitoshi designed the version seen in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. Ohtagaki Yasuo designed the version that appeared in the Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt manga.
Appearances
Anime
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
- Gundam Evolve
- Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
Manga
- Mobile Suit Gundam MS Generation
- Gundam Legacy
- Mobile Suit Gundam: We’re Federation Hooligans!!
- Mobile Suit Gundam Katana: Bond of the Battlefield UC 0084
- Mobile Suit Gundam MSV-R: The Return of Johnny Ridden
- Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (manga)
- Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny
- Mobile Suit Gundam Ground Zero: Rise from the Ashes
- Mobile Suit Gundam Saigon 0081
- Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record 0081: The Wrath of Varuna
Games
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Ex Revue
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: Zeonic Front
- Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny
- Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon DX
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Pilot’s Locus
- Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record UC 0081
- Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation
- Mobile Suit Gundam Side Stories