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Musai-class

Light cruiser produced by the Principality of Zeon.
Jenxi Seow Published 19 Mar 2013 Updated 9 Feb 2025
Musai-class

The Musai-class was a light cruiser produced by the Principality of Zeon as the first warship designed specifically to carry mobile suits. It served as Zeon’s primary warship during the One Year War.

History

The Principality of Zeon developed the Musai-class light cruiser alongside its mobile suit program between UC 0075 and UC 0079. This concurrent development allowed Zeon engineers to design the ship specifically to complement its mobile suit contingent.

The Musai-class quickly replaced the Chivvay-class as Zeon’s primary warship in space. During the Battle of Loum, Admiral Dozle Zabi commanded the fleet from the heavily modified command cruiser Valkyrie. Char Aznable commanded a modified Musai-class with a helmet-shaped command bridge, named the Falmer.

Towards the end of the One Year War, Zeon engineers remodeled the three-turret cruisers into two-turret models to accommodate the larger MS-09R Rick Dom. The standard Musai hangar could not fit three Rick Doms, but removing one twin mega particle gun allowed it to carry two Rick Doms, with a third stored in the Komusai. The two-turret models could alternatively hold four MS-06 Zaku II. The three-turret variant remained in service until the Battle of A Baoa Qu.

By UC 0087, Axis had upgraded most surviving Musai-class cruisers into the Musai Kai-class. Some original Musai-class cruisers remained in service with Zeon remnants until UC 0096.

Design

The Musai-class relied on four thermonuclear rocket engines mounted at the end of two nacelle columns extending below the bridge. The mobile suit deck below the bridge could carry four mobile suits. Three supply hatches on each side allowed direct transfers from Papua-class supply ships via conveyor pipes.

The bow section housed a Komusai atmospheric entry capsule capable of carrying supplies, additional personnel, or two mobile suits. The capsule could launch directly without prior separation, unlike Federation equivalents. The ships could also deploy HLV craft carried between the engines. Optional large propellant tanks behind the ship extended cruising range.

In combat, after launching its mobile suits, the Musai engaged enemy ships with powerful twin mega particle guns that could penetrate Federation warship armor. However, the original Musai-class lacked anti-aircraft/anti-MS defense weapons. While initially unproblematic due to their long-range combat role, this flaw became significant when the Federation deployed its own mobile suits.

Armaments

The Musai-class carried twin mega particle guns for ship-to-ship combat, with large and small missile launchers providing additional firepower.

Twin mega particle gun

Three twin mega particle gun turrets mounted in a staggered arrangement served as the primary weapons. Though powerful, their high energy demands meant several minutes were needed to collect enough energy for a single shot. The guns could aim forward, up and to the sides, but not downward. Later variants reduced this to two turrets.

The Hell Hawk notably carried four twin mega particle guns — two mounted normally and two mounted side by side under the ship. The Thunderbolt variant featured two additional guns mounted under the ship, one facing forward and one aft.

Large missile launcher

A large missile launcher mounted on each side of the ship, below and behind the lowest twin mega particle gun, provided anti-ship and anti-fortification capabilities.

Small missile launcher

Five small missile launchers on each side above the large missile launchers served as anti-air defense. Some ships carried eight launchers per side instead.

Special equipment

Komusai shuttle

Each Musai-class carried a Komusai shuttle in a specialized dock. These shuttles transported personnel, mobile suits, and equipment to Earth, often serving as secondary hangars to increase mobile suit capacity by two units.

External fuel tanks

The ships could mount up to two external fuel tanks below the mobile suit hangar to extend operational range.

HLV capability

The Musai-class could carry and deploy a single HLV capsule below the mobile suit hangar between the engines.

Known crew

  • Char Aznable (Captain, Falmer)
  • Dozle Zabi (Captain, Valkyrie)
  • Dren (Captain, Camel)

Variants

  • Musai-class Late Production Type
  • Musai-class Final Production Type
  • Musai Kai-class

Ships and captains

  • CC-102 Falmel captained by Char Aznable
  • DC-45 Camel captained by Dren
  • Valkyrie captained by Dozle Zabi
  • Brave
  • Baromel
  • Havoc
  • Hell Hawk
  • Hokum
  • Kelmel
  • Kempten
  • Kiel
  • Kimmel
  • Konig
  • Kuwamel
  • Lorelei
  • Medgar Evers
  • Nordhausen
  • Primus
  • Remul
  • Retvizan
  • Schleswig
  • Swamel
  • Tokmel
  • Umel
  • Vamel
  • Zatopek
  • Melmel
  • Mailmer
  • Roymel

Behind the scenes

Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer for Mobile Suit Gundam. Katoki Hajime designed the version seen in Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO.

“Musai” means “witless” in Japanese, possibly intended to complement the Zaku’s name association with “small fry/expendable troops”.

Appearances

Anime

Games

  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon DX
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles
  • Gundam the Ride: A Baoa Qu
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Pilot’s Locus
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Climax UC
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme vs
  • Mobile Suit Gundam Side Stories

Manga

  • Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Outer Gundam
  • Mobile Suit Gundam Ecole du Ciel
  • Advance of Zeta: The Traitor to Destiny
  • Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ Side Story: Mirage of Zeon
  • Char’s Deleted Affair: Portrait of a Young Comet

See also