RGC-80 GM Cannon

The RGC-80 GM Cannon was a mass production artillery mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation Forces as a simplified mass production model of the RX-77-2 Guncannon.

The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model¹ and the “GC” indicated that it was a Guncannon mass-produced mobile suit. The “80” in the model code denoted that it was the eightieth design in the series.

History

Originally, the Earth Federation Forces planned to mass-produce the RX-77-2 Guncannon with minor modifications to its design. However, in consideration of the wartime situation and the need to expedite production, the design was changed to make use of the existing production line of the RGM-79 GM. Following a series of trial and error, the GM Cannon was created as a simplified mass production model of the Guncannon.

As the Earth Federation Forces began mass production of its RGM-79 GM mobile suits in the last months of the One Year War, it became obvious that they needed a mid-range fire support unit to complement their close combat GMs. Rather than strain their resources by designing a new mobile suit and setting up new assembly lines, the EFF decided instead to develop a GM variant to fill the roll.

Following the testing of the RGC-80 Prototype GM Cannon, the Earth Federation Forces quickly followed up with the final RGC-80 GM Cannon, correcting the balance and recoil problems discovered in the prototype. Put into production in late UC 0079, the production model GM Cannon mounted only one rocket launching 240mm cannon, complemented by heavier armor on the legs to offset the recoil.

Six units were originally produced, taking part in the EFF’s offensive to take back North America. After the recapture of California Base, more units were produced, scattered to all parts of the Earth Sphere as the EFF offensive drove Zeon off of Earth and into its home territory in space. GM Cannon units saw action in North America and North Africa, as well as with the White Dingo Team in Australia.

As the battlefield shifted to space, the EFF created a space use variant, the RGC-80S GM Cannon Space Assault Type. After the One Year War, the EFF created an upgraded successor, the RGC-83 GM Cannon II. However, the original GM Cannon remained in service as late as UC 0087.

Design

A medium-range support mobile suit, the GM Cannon shares 60% of its parts with the GM, and has a high initial velocity cannon of the same caliber as the Guncannon’s attached to its notched right shoulder. The mobile suit featured thick armour and a powerful reactor to support its artillery role.

The GM Cannon had an ultracompact Minovsky power plant that generated an output of 976 kW. It had rocket thrusters that generated 63,500 kg of thrust. Its maximum ground running speed was 83 km/h, significantly slower than the standard GM due to its heavier construction.

The mobile suit had a standard cockpit in its torso and standard sensors with a detection range of up to 6,000 metres. Its legs are fitted with removable left and right split type increased armor to maintain the mobile suit’s balance when firing the cannon during ground combat.

Armaments

The GM Cannon’s standard weapons were a 240 mm cannon for artillery support and twin vulcan guns for close defence.

240 mm cannon

Mounted over the right shoulder, this artillery cannon is for mid-range fire support. Two spare magazines can be mounted on the rear waist armor. The cannon fired high-velocity projectiles and was the same calibre as the RX-77-2 Guncannon’s shoulder cannons, providing the GM Cannon with significant firepower for long-range engagements.

60 mm vulcan guns

A pair of shell-firing armament built into the head. Low offensive power, only used to restrict enemy movement, and lay down a wall of suppressive fire due to their rapid-fire capability. The vulcan guns served as point defence weapons against light armoured targets and incoming missiles.

Beam spray gun

A handheld mega-particle gun with a lower focusing rate than a beam rifle and short-range. The beam spray gun features three different firing modes: a basic single-shot mode, a burst shot mode for area suppression, and a range shot mode that scatters the beam to cause damage over a wide area. Output 1.4 MW.

Shield

Mounted on the forearm, this small, light shield is commonly used by the Gundam Ground Type and GM Ground Type. Constructed of Luna Titanium alloy, it is designed to primarily protect the cockpit and other critical areas, and as such has a different form than the RGM-M-Sh-003 model. Additionally, it can be used as a close range striking weapon in mobile suit combat. Furthermore, through lodging the spikes at the tip into the ground, the shield can serve as a free standing frontal defense. This also allows the mobile suit to use both hands to hold large caliber weaponry and maintain a stable firing position.

Known pilots

• Lydo Wolf;
• Master Pierce Rayer
• Leung Lee-Fai
• Maximilian Berger
• Young
• Chap Adel

Variants

RGC-80S GM Cannon Space Assault Type

The RGC-80S GM Cannon Space Assault Type was a reconfiguration of the original ground use RGC-80 GM Cannon. To improve mobility and speed, the Space Assault Type featured extra thrusters and had some of its leg armor removed. The Space Assault Type’s main armament was a shoulder-mounted 360mm rocket launcher.

Behind the scenes

Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer for the MSV version.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Variation
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise From the Ashes

External links

• RGC-80 GM Cannon on the Gundam Wiki
• RGC-80 GM Cannon on MAHQ

Footnotes

1. Federation in Japanese is renpou, hence the use of “R”. ↩