RGM-79D GM Cold Districts Type
Cold climate combat mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation.
The RGM-79D GM Cold Districts Type was a mass production cold climate combat mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation Forces as a variant of the RGM-79 GM late production type.
The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model1 and the “GM” indicated that it was a mass production Gundam mobile suit. The “79” in the model code denoted it was developed in UC 0079, and the “D” suffix designated it as a specific variant optimised for cold climate operations.
History
While the RGM-79 GM proved itself to be a highly capable mobile suit, the introduction of Zeon’s MS-09 Dom on Earth saw the need for a more manoeuvrable and better-performing mobile suit to counter the agile and well-armed Dom. The RGM-79D GM Cold Districts Type was developed as a variant of the GM with increased thruster power and manoeuvrability.
As its name suggested, the GM Cold Districts Type was designed for cold environments north and south of the subarctic zone. Existing anti-icing and anti-freezing treatments for military vehicles were adapted for this mobile suit. These included dust-proofing on each joint and a non-drain mechanism for important parts to melt and sublime adhered ice and snow.
The RGM-79D was introduced late in the war, with at least three units assigned to Yuu Kajima’s combat testing squad. Kajima’s unit quickly proved the value of the new model GM in combat, destroying several Zeon mobile suits in defence of an EFF base, including several MSM-03C Hy-Gogg and three MS-09 Dom.
Other units were deployed to guard important Federation Forces bases, such as the Arctic base. On December 9, UC 0079, when the shuttle carrying the RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 was being prepared for launch, the Arctic base was attacked by the Cyclops Team, a Zeon special forces team. The Cyclops Team easily destroyed most of the GM Cold Districts Type defending the base, but one of them was able to shoot the MSM-03 Hy-Gogg piloted by Cyclops Team member Andy Strauss in the cockpit whilst he was attempting to destroy the shuttle, killing him and allowing the shuttle to launch safely.
Design
The RGM-79D GM Cold Districts Type was specifically designed for operations in harsh cold climate conditions. The mobile suit incorporated several environmental adaptations to ensure reliable operation in extreme cold.
The RGM-79D featured a redesigned version of the RGM-79[E] GM Early Type’s backpack. Though its thruster output was only average, the backpack’s overall design left room for improvements, and its ambient energy consumption rate was also reduced. This design would later be inherited by the RGM-79C GM Type C.
The mobile suit used titanium ceramic composite armour, which provided good protection whilst remaining relatively lightweight. The GM Cold Districts Type featured enhanced thruster systems with a total output of 60,000 kg, significantly improving its manoeuvrability compared to the standard GM.
One of the most notable features was the mobile suit’s exceptional communication capabilities among ground-use mobile suits during the One Year War. Its head-mounted antenna was the terminal of a high performance transmitter-receiver system, which covered a wide range of frequencies from low to ultra high, had high output and sensitivity, and was capable of communicating in the harsh electromagnetic environment of the polar regions. This was vital for pilot survivability, as extreme weather conditions in cold environments could last several days.
Armaments
The GM Cold Districts Type’s standard weapons were two 60 mm vulcan guns for anti-aircraft defence and a beam saber for close combat. Unlike later GM variants, it relied primarily on ballistic weapons.
60 mm vulcan guns
A pair of fire-linked 60 mm vulcan guns were mounted in the GM Cold Districts Type’s head. These rapid-fire weapons were primarily used against light-armoured targets and as a defence against incoming missiles and aircraft.
Each vulcan gun had a high rate of fire but relatively low individual round power, making them effective for area suppression and anti-aircraft roles rather than anti-mobile suit combat.
Beam saber
The mobile suit carried a single beam saber stored in a recharge rack on the backpack. The beam saber served as the primary close-combat weapon when ballistic weapons were insufficient.
The beam saber used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade. Minovsky particles broke down matter at a molecular level, meaning the beam saber could cut through almost any material.
90 mm machine gun with grenade launcher
The GM Cold Districts Type could be equipped with a 90 mm machine gun fitted with an under-barrel grenade launcher. This weapon provided both direct fire capability against mobile suits and indirect fire support through the grenade launcher.
The combination weapon gave the mobile suit flexibility in engagement types, allowing it to engage both hard and soft targets effectively.
NFHI GMG-TYPE2 90 mm bullpup machine gun
The primary ballistic weapon used by the GM Cold Districts Type was the NFHI GMG-TYPE2 90 mm bullpup machine gun. This weapon was specifically chosen for cold weather operations due to ballistic weapons’ higher reliability under low temperatures compared to beam weapons.
The decision to rely on ballistic weapons was also influenced by the deterioration of beams in the atmosphere and reduced energy consumption requirements for better cold resistance. The bullpup configuration made the weapon more compact and easier to handle in the cramped confines of arctic combat environments.
Shield
The GM Cold Districts Type could be equipped with an optional shield for additional protection. The shield provided defence against enemy fire whilst not significantly impacting the mobile suit’s manoeuvrability.
Known pilots
- Yuu Kajima
Behind the scenes
Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer. The GM Cold Districts Type was designed for Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket.
Appearances
See also
External links
- RGM-79D GM Cold Districts Type on the Gundam Wiki
- RGM-79D GM Cold Districts Type on MAHQ
Footnotes
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Federation in Japanese is renpou, hence the use of “R”. ↩