RH-35E Draken E – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Gundam 0080

The RH-35E Draken E was a civil defence mobile suit used by the Riah Republic Forces at Side 6 colonies during the One Year War. It was designed specifically for use against humans and human-sized objects rather than full-scale military mobile suits.

The “RH” in the model code indicated it was produced by the Riah Republic, “35” denoted its production as part of the 35th batch from Riah’s Ribo colony, and “E” likely stood for “Emergency” or “Enforcement”, reflecting its civil defence role.

History

The RH-35E Draken E was a middle-class mobile suit built and used by civil defence forces at the Riah Republic’s Side 6 colonies during the One Year War. The mobile suit was designed for use against humans and human-sized objects/targets rather than full-scale military operations.

The limitations of the Draken E became apparent when the Libot Colony defence forces encountered the Principality of Zeon’s MS-18E Kämpfer, which came calling on a secret Earth Federation Forces research base via the local city streets. The Draken E units proved quite ineffective against the full-scale military mobile suit, learning this lesson the hard way.

Originally designed as a civilian machine, the Draken E featured dual manipulator arms for precise tasks, with some variants having power loader arms for additional functionality. Similar versions were used by both the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon for construction and dock-loading tasks.

Design

The RH-35E Draken E was a compact mobile suit, measuring only 4.921 metres in total height—approximately one-third the size of a standard mobile suit. This smaller stature made it well-suited for operations in urban environments and civilian areas where larger mobile suits would be impractical.

The mobile suit’s design prioritised functionality over combat effectiveness. Its crude manipulator hands were not capable of wielding weapons bigger or more complicated than small beam sabers, which severely limited its combat potential against military-grade mobile suits.

The Draken E was originally a civilian machine that featured dual manipulator arms for precise tasks. Some variants incorporated power loader arms for additional functionality, making them useful for construction and dock-loading operations.

Lacking built-in weaponry, the Draken E was mainly used for riot control and maintaining public order rather than military combat. The mobile suit’s small size and limited armament reflected its role as a civil defence unit rather than a front-line combat machine.

Armaments

The Draken E’s armaments were minimal and designed primarily for civil defence operations rather than military combat.

Beam saber

The Draken E was equipped with a single beam saber for close combat. Due to the mobile suit’s crude manipulator hands, this was the most complex weapon the unit could effectively wield. The beam saber was primarily intended for self-defence rather than offensive operations.

Short-range missiles

Mounted on the backpack, the Draken E carried two short-range missiles. These weapons provided the mobile suit with its only ranged attack capability, though their effectiveness was limited against heavily armored targets.

Variants

Worker Type

A variant of the Draken E was developed for construction and industrial operations. This version featured enhanced manipulator arms and additional safety equipment, making it suitable for various civilian work applications.

Behind the scenes

The RH-35E Draken E was designed to demonstrate the limitations of civilian defence forces when confronted with military-grade mobile suits. Its appearance in Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket served to highlight the vulnerability of neutral colonies when drawn into the conflict of the One Year War.

The mobile suit’s compact size and limited capabilities reflected the reality that not all mobile suits were designed for military purposes, with many serving civilian and industrial roles throughout the Universal Century.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

External links

RH-35E Draken E on MAHQ