RGM-89 Jegan

The RGM-89 Jegan (Birnam Type) was a variant of the RGM-89 Jegan belonging to the mysterious armed group “Birnam” which attacked Earth Federation’s special forces unit “Mastema” near the former asteroid base Axis in late UC 0096.

The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model¹, “G” indicated it was a GM-type mobile suit, and “M” denoted it was designed for multiple roles. The “89” indicated its position in the RGM development sequence.

Differences between Birnam’s Jegan and the original Jegan lie in the primarily purple colour scheme, new left sensor eye added to its main camera, and the use of a new lance-like beam rifle. How Birnam acquired the machine and the reasons for its unique modifications are unknown. However, Mehmet Merca stated that several Jegan units were stolen in the chaos of the aftermath of the Second Neo Zeon War.

Development

The RGM-89 Jegan was originally developed by Anaheim Electronics as a successor to the long-running RGM line of mass production mobile suits for the Earth Federation Forces. The Birnam Type represents a customised variant that fell into the hands of the private military organisation Birnam through unknown means.

The modifications made to create the Birnam Type suggest sophisticated technical knowledge and access to advanced sensor systems. The addition of the targeting scope and unique sensor configuration indicates that Birnam had skilled engineers capable of upgrading existing mobile suit systems.

Design

A Jegan variant belonging to the mysterious armed group “Birnam” which attacked Earth Federation’s special corp “Mastema” in the shattered asteroid base Axis in late UC 0096. The Birnam Type retained the basic RGM-89 Jegan frame and specifications but featured several distinctive modifications.

The most obvious difference was the predominantly purple colour scheme, departing from the standard Earth Federation Forces colours. This gave the mobile suit a distinctive appearance that clearly identified it as belonging to the private military force.

A new left sensor eye was added to its main camera system, enhancing its targeting capabilities. This modification was accompanied by targeting scope equipment that could be mounted on the head as needed for precision engagements.

The mobile suit retained the standard Jegan specifications of 19.0 metres head height and 20.4 metres total height. It maintained the original’s weight characteristics of 21.3 metric tons empty and 47.3 metric tons at maximum gross weight.

Armaments

Like the original Jegan, the Birnam Type stores a beam saber in a rack on the right side of the waist, and its output can be adjusted as it has two beam emitters. The mobile suit also carried the standard complement of hand grenades and could mount additional equipment as needed.

Beam saber

Like the original Jegan, the Birnam’s Jegan stores a beam saber in a rack on the right side of the waist, and its output can be adjusted as it has two beam emitters. Via selecting the output and emitter, this close combat weapon can emit a flat beam blade for slashing, or a slim beam blade with high penetration ability.

The beam saber rack contains an accelerator equipped capacitor system for rapid recharge of the weapon. The beam saber used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade, allowing it to cut through most materials.

Lance-like beam rifle

The most distinctive weapon modification was the use of a new lance-like beam rifle. This weapon featured an extended barrel design and appeared to be a prototype of the shot lancer beam rifles that would later be used by the Crossbone Vanguard.

The lance-like beam rifle provided enhanced range and accuracy compared to the standard Jegan beam rifle, making it particularly suitable for precision engagements in the confined spaces around Axis.

Hand grenades

Inherited from the original Jegan, three hand grenades are stored in the grenade rack mounted on the left side of the waist. They can be thrown and timed to explode after several seconds as set by the pilot, or set to detonate when its sensors detect the metallic signal of extremely nearby enemy machines.

Vulcan pod system

As with the original Jegan, the Birnam’s Jegan can mount a vulcan pod system on its head as a close-range defensive armament. The vulcan pod system features 60 mm rounds stored in a removable magazine and serves as an effective point defence weapon against missiles and light aircraft.

Shield

The Birnam Type could be equipped with the standard Jegan shield, which featured twin missile launchers. The shield provided protection against both beam and physical attacks whilst offering additional offensive capability through its integrated missile systems.

Service history

The RGM-89 Jegan (Birnam Type) was deployed during the Twilight Axis conflict in UC 0096. These mobile suits were used by Birnam forces to attack the Earth Federation Forces special unit Mastema, which had been sent to investigate the shattered Axis asteroid for psychoframe research data.

The Birnam Type Jegans demonstrated their effectiveness in the debris-filled environment around Axis, where their enhanced sensor systems and lance-like beam rifles proved advantageous for precision combat in confined spaces.

The purple-coloured mobile suits served as the backbone of Birnam’s mobile suit forces, providing fire support for the more advanced RX-78AN-01 Gundam AN-01 Tristan and RX-160G Byarlant Isolde during their operations against the Federation investigation team.

Known pilots

• Birnam pilots (names unknown)

Variants

The Birnam Type represents the only known major variant of the standard RGM-89 Jegan operated by non-Federation forces during this period. The modifications were relatively minor but significant enough to improve the mobile suit’s combat effectiveness in the hands of skilled pilots.

Behind the scenes

The RGM-89 Jegan (Birnam Type) was designed as part of the Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis project. The lance-like beam rifle serves as a precursor to the shot lancer weapons that would become prominent with the Crossbone Vanguard, creating a technological bridge between different UC era mobile suit designs.

Appearances

Anime

• Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis

Movie

• Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis: Red Trace

See also

• RGM-89 Jegan
• RGM-89D Jegan D Type
• RX-78AN-01 Gundam AN-01 Tristan
• RX-160G Byarlant Isolde

External links

• RGM-89 Jegan (Birnam Type) on the Gundam Wiki
• RGM-89 Jegan on MAHQ

Footnotes

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