RTX-440 Assault Guntank
Ground assault artillery mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation.
The RTX-440 Assault Guntank was a ground assault artillery mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation Forces as an improved version of the RX-75-4 Guntank.
The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model and the “TX” indicated that it was an experimental tank design. The “440” in the model code denoted that it was developed from the RTX-44 prototype anti-mobile suit tank.
History
Development of the RTX-440 Ground Assault Type Guntank was one of the many mobile suit projects that the Earth Federation started during the One Year War. Like all of the projects it was descended from the Federation’s Project V, specifically from the data of the RX-75 Guntank.
However, its development was halted after technical officer Clyde Bettany stole its specs and defected to Zeon, placing his subordinate and lover Aline Nazon under suspicion. Despite its data being in the hands of the Zeon, three RTX-440 Guntanks had been produced before the project was cancelled.
They were fielded by the Federation Forces to participate in Operation Odessa in a desperate attempt to break through Zeon defense. The pilots were three convicts who had been promised amnesty from their crimes, including Aline Nazon who technically hadn’t committed any crimes except for being the lover to a traitor.
The Guntanks were assigned as vanguard units during Operation Odessa to penetrate enemy lines and to destroy a Dobday-class battleship that was causing severe losses to the newly reorganized 44th Independent Brigade Composite. The Guntank Crews managed to succeed in their mission, at the cost of two of the machines and their pilots. The mission was accomplished at the cost of losing Karppi and Kuzwayo, but when a second Dabude appeared, Nazon conducted a suicide attack.
Later, the Assault Guntank’s design was refined for a variant, the RTX-440-B Assault Guntank Type B, which saw combat in Eastern Europe.
Design
Compared to the RX-75-4 Guntank, the Assault Guntank could deploy its secondary caterpillar treads and have its torso squat for its assault mode, which allowed it to move at higher speed. This transformation capability distinguished it from the fixed configuration of the original Guntank.
The RTX-440 have a very limited degree of flexibility of its torso - unlike the fixed torso of its predecessor, the Guntank - but rigid enough to make it hard to shoot a moving target with its main cannon. The mobile suit featured titanium alloy armor that provided substantial protection whilst maintaining reasonable mobility.
The RTX-440 Guntank is equipped with numerous smoke dischargers on top of its torso and movable sensor unit. The smoke discharger is a defensive feature used to visually blind the opponent while their sensors are jammed by Minovsky particles. This allows the Guntank an opportunity to escape or to ambush the enemy.
Emergency systems
As the last line of self-defense, the RTX-440 Guntank is equipped with “Emergency Destruction System” which can be triggered by its pilot to self-detonate the Guntank within a preset time interval. The RTX-440 was built to self-detonate should the pilot choose to.
Armaments
The Assault Guntank featured more armaments than the standard Guntank, including its main 220mm cannon, bob guns, a flamethrower, heavy mines, 2-tube MLRS and a rocket launcher.
220 mm cannon
The 220 mm cannon was the Assault Guntank’s primary weapon, mounted on the main body. This heavy artillery piece provided substantial firepower against both mobile suits and fortified positions.
Bob guns
The machine cannons equipped on left manipulator are an improved 2-tube model which has longer range than the older 4-tube model on the original Guntank. The Assault Guntank mounted a 2-tube bob gun on the left forearm and a 4-tube bob gun on the right forearm. The 2-tube bob gun mounted on left forearm features flamethrower capability, providing close-range anti-personnel options.
Multiple Launch Rocket System
The 2-tube MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) was mounted on the main caterpillar treads, providing additional indirect fire support capabilities for area suppression and bombardment roles.
Optional weapons
In addition to the bop gun and 220mm cannon, the RTX-440 can be armed with numerous optional weapons including Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS), rocket launchers, heavy mines and a flamethrower. These modular weapon systems allowed the Assault Guntank to be configured for different mission requirements.
Known pilots
- Aline Nazon
- Milos Karppi
- Drogba Khuzwayo
Variants
RTX-440-B Assault Guntank Type B
Compared to its predecessor, its undercarriage was simplified, lacking the second set of caterpillar treads and the “Assault Gun Mode” transformation system. This variant appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance.
Behind the scenes
Original mechanical designer: Kimitoshi Yamane
The RTX-440 Assault Guntank was featured in the third episode of Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: The Gravity Front, titled “Odessa, Iron Storm!”
Appearances
- Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: The Gravity Front
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield
See also
- RX-75-4 Guntank
- RTX-440-B Assault Guntank Type B
- Operation Odessa
External links
- RTX-440 Assault Guntank on the Gundam Wiki
- RTX-440 Assault Guntank on MAHQ