XM-01 Den'an Zon – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Gundam F91

The XM-01 Den’an Zon was a mass production close combat mobile suit produced by the Crossbone Vanguard for operations inside space colonies. The “XM” in the model code indicated it was an experimental mobile suit, whilst the “01” denoted it as the first design in the Crossbone Vanguard’s experimental mobile suit development programme.

History

The XM-01 Den’an Zon was first developed by the Crossbone Vanguard in UC 0117. From that point on, it would serve as the basis for several future Crossbone Vanguard mobile suit designs as well as serving as the basic grunt mobile suit of the Crossbone Vanguard’s military forces. Though the RGM-109 Heavygun was the first miniature mobile suit to be mass-produced, it is the XM-01 Den’an Zon which is truly the first representative of a new age of mobile suits in the late Universal Century.

In UC 0122, the Den’an Zon makes its first appearance when it tried to ambush Earth Federation Forces’s Anti-EF Extermination Unit’s space shuttle at a spaceport that contains F90 Gundam F90 units. The first mobile suit to be mass produced by the Crossbone Vanguard, the XM-01 Den’an Zon was designed to specialize in close combat inside space colonies.

During the Crossbone Vanguard’s invasion of the Frontier colonies in UC 0123, Den’an Zons formed the backbone of the organisation’s mobile suit forces. Den’an-Zons, being the basic unit produced in the most numbers, were typically assigned to low-ranking soldiers. Despite its compact size, the Den’an Zon was faster and more maneuverable than most of the mobile suits used by the Earth Federation Forces in the early UC 0120s.

Design

Developed and produced by the Crossbone Vanguard, the Den’an Zon is lighter and had greater performance than any Federation mobile suits produced in UC 0117, the year the Den’an Zon was first produced, or in UC 0123 when the war between the Federation and the Crossbone Vanguard began. The Den’an Zon also has new features such as the defensive beam shield and the offensive shot lancer.

The mobile suit was specifically designed for close combat operations within space colonies, where its compact size and high manoeuvrability would prove advantageous. Invasion of the Frontier Colonies seems to be taken into consideration when the Den’an Zon was developed as its primary weapon is the shot lancer, which has a combination of close and ranged weapons.

The Den’an Zon incorporated many advanced new technologies developed by the Crossbone Vanguard, including the highly effective beam shield for defense and the piledriver-like shot lancer weapon for melee combat. The mobile suit featured the distinctive “goggle”-type optics that became characteristic of Crossbone Vanguard designs, giving it an aristocratic appearance that reflected the organisation’s noble heritage.

Armaments

The XM-01 Den’an Zon’s standard weapons were its dual beam gun for ranged attacks, and shot lancer for melee combat.

Dual beam gun

The Den’an Zon mounted a dual beam gun on its left forearm, providing rapid-fire beam capability for close-range combat. This weapon system was integrated with the beam shield mounting, allowing for simultaneous offensive and defensive operations.

Shot lancer with mounted heavy machine guns

A distinctive close combat weapon developed by the Crossbone Vanguard, the shot lancer is designed for combat in and around space colonies, where beam weapons would run the risk of triggering catastrophic reactor explosions in enemy mobile suits. Instead, the shot lancer uses electromagnetic acceleration to drive its tip through the enemy’s armor, and the spearhead itself can also be launched like a missile.

The Den’an Zon’s shot lancer mounted two heavy machine guns, providing additional firepower for ranged combat situations. The shot lancer was first equipped on XM-01 Den’an Zon and remained a standard melee weaponry for many Crossbone Vanguard mobile suit models.

Beam shield

The Den’an Zon was equipped with a beam shield mounted on the left forearm. Unlike an I-field generator, which is effective only against beam attacks, the beam shield blocks both beam and projectile weapons. It generates a plane of energy similar to the blade of a beam saber, representing one of the first successful implementations of this defensive technology.

Beam saber

The Den’an Zon carried a single beam saber, though its storage location is unknown. This standard melee weapon generated a plasma blade contained by an I-field and could cut through most armour materials not treated with anti-beam coating.

Beam flag emitter

The beam flag emitter is a technology that uses similar principals as a beam saber to generate a large beam shaped into a specific symbol. It is used to act as a battlefield standard, often designating which units were commanders and providing formation identification for squad operations.

Known pilots

Morris O’Barry
Gunmad (custom unit)

Variants

XM-01 Den’an Zon (Gunmad Custom)
XM-02 Den’an Gei (derived design)
XM-03 Ebirhu-S (reconnaissance variant)

Behind the scenes

The XM-01 Den’an Zon was designed by Okawara Kunio and first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam F91 in 1991. The mobile suit’s design drew inspiration from European aristocratic military aesthetics, particularly German Empire WWI styling, creating a distinctive appearance that differentiated it from both Federation and Zeon mobile suit designs.

External links

XM-01 Den’an-Zon on MAHQ
XM-01 Den’an Zon on The Gundam Wiki