RGM-89DEW EWAC Jegan – MechaBay

The RGM-89DEW EWAC Jegan was an Early Warning And Control mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics for reconnaissance operations. It served as the reconnaissance version of the RGM-89D Jegan Type D.

The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model¹ and the “GM” indicated that it was a Gundam mass production mobile suit. The “89” in the model code denoted that it was developed from the RGM-89 Jegan, the “D” indicated it was based on the Type D variant, the “E” stood for Early Warning, and the “W” stood for Warning (EWAC - Early Warning And Control).

History

Anaheim Electronics developed the RGM-89DEW EWAC Jegan as a specialised reconnaissance variant of the RGM-89D Jegan Type D. The EWAC Jegan featured improved sensor capabilities via the mounting of sensor units in its head and left forearm, plus a camera unit on its right forearm.

Due to its mission role as a reconnaissance unit, the EWAC Jegan was not intended for front-line combat, but it carried most of the same armaments as the Type D for self-defence purposes. The mobile suit’s primary role was to serve as the “eyes” of the main force, providing early warning of enemy movements and detailed battlefield intelligence.

In UC 0096, two EWAC Jegan units, designated William 001 and William 002, were assigned to the Londo Bell ship Nahel Argama during the Laplace Incident. During the battle of Industrial 7, they were deployed to collect data on the location of the Sleeves fleet.

Prior to the attack on Palau, two EWAC Jegans were deployed to gather intelligence on the asteroid base, designated 001 Blue and 002 White. During the mission, White was discovered by an AMX-014 Döven Wolf and killed, with the remains of his EWAC Jegan recovered by an RMS-119 EWAC Zack. However, Blue was able to shake off his pursuers, disabling an MS-21C Dra-C and avoiding the Döven Wolf’s beam cannon by diving into a debris field.

During the Laplace Incident, an EWAC Jegan assigned to the Nahel Argama conducted reconnaissance on Neo Zeon fleet movements to aid the ship in the targeting of its hyper mega particle gun.

Design

The RGM-89DEW EWAC Jegan was an equipment variant of the RGM-89D Jegan Type D, extensively modified to serve as a reconnaissance unit. The most distinctive feature was the large sensor unit attached to the head, giving the mobile suit a distinctive square-headed appearance that dramatically increased its sensor capabilities.

The EWAC Jegan had enhanced sensing capabilities thanks to three main sensor systems: a large sensor unit attached to the head, a second sensor unit on its left forearm, and a large camera unit on its right forearm. When the large sensor unit was activated, some of its seams would glow yellow, indicating active scanning operations.

Despite the additional equipment, the EWAC Jegan maintained a head height of 19.5 metres, only slightly taller than the base Type D. However, its empty weight increased to 24.4 metric tons due to the sensor equipment, whilst its gross weight was reduced to 45.5 metric tons, reflecting its non-combat role and reduced armament load.

The mobile suit retained the same ultracompact Minovsky fusion reactor as the Type D, generating 1,870 kW of output. The propulsion system provided 62,000 kg of total thrust, maintaining adequate mobility for reconnaissance operations.

Armaments

Due to the nature of its mission, the EWAC Jegan had the bare minimum of armament, but the improvement in its sensor capabilities more than made up for this limitation.

EWAC equipment

The EWAC Jegan had two different sensor units: a larger unit attached to the head, and a smaller unit attached to the left forearm. The large head-mounted sensor unit was the primary reconnaissance equipment, capable of detecting enemy mobile suits and ships at extreme ranges of up to 38,400 metres - more than double the range of standard mobile suit sensors.

When the large sensor unit was activated, some of its seams would glow yellow, indicating active scanning mode. The left forearm’s sensor unit had a laser signalling system for transmitting the data the EWAC Jegan collected back to its mothership or main force, ensuring that intelligence could be relayed even under combat conditions.

Camera unit

Attached to the right forearm, the camera unit had high sensitivity and could detect light of various wavelengths. This system provided visual confirmation of targets and detailed battlefield intelligence that complemented the sensor data, allowing for comprehensive reconnaissance reports.

Beam saber

Like the Jegan Type D, the EWAC Jegan stored a beam saber in a rack on the right side of the waist for self-defence. The beam saber used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade, allowing it to cut through almost any material.

Hand grenades

Three hand grenades were carried in the grenade rack mounted on the left side of the waist. They could be thrown and timed to explode after several seconds as set by the pilot, or set to detonate when its sensors detected the metallic signal of extremely nearby enemy machines.

Beam rifle

The standard ranged armament of many mobile suits was the beam rifle. The EWAC Jegan used the same beam rifle as the RGM-86R GM III, and it was stored on the rear waist armour when not in use. The rifle was primarily intended for self-defence rather than offensive operations.

Known pilots

Rivera Amalgam
William 001 (Blue)
William 002 (White)

Behind the scenes

Katoki Hajime was the original mechanical designer for the EWAC Jegan, as part of his work on the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn series. The design was based on the RGM-96X EWAC Jesta from the Gundam Unicorn novels, adapted for the anime version.

The EWAC Jegan replaced the role of the RGM-96X EWAC Jesta in the novel. Prior to the EWAC Jegan’s first appearance in the Gundam Unicorn video game, a different version of the EWAC Jegan appeared in the manga Mobile Suit Gundam - Day after Tomorrow: Kai Shiden’s Memory. According to the artist, Tsukasa Kotobuki, he was not made aware of the existence of the UC-MSV version.

The distinctive square sensor head was inspired by real-world AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft, translated into the mobile suit context for space-based reconnaissance operations.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn video game

External links

RGM-89DEW EWAC Jegan on the Gundam Wiki
RGM-89DEW EWAC Jegan on MAHQ

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