XM-06 Dahgi Iris – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Gundam F91

The XM-06 Dahgi Iris was a commander’s reconnaissance mobile suit produced by the Crossbone Vanguard for information gathering operations. The “XM” in the model code indicated it was an experimental mobile suit, whilst the “06” denoted it as the sixth design in the Crossbone Vanguard’s experimental mobile suit development programme.

History

The XM-06 Dahgi Iris was developed by the Crossbone Vanguard as a specialised reconnaissance unit for use by officers leading reconnaissance teams. The Dahgi Iris was typically used in conjunction with a team of XM-03 Ebirhu-S recon units in a supervisory and escort role. The mobile suit incorporated many of the advanced technologies developed by the Crossbone Vanguard, including enhanced sensor systems and the organisation’s distinctive beam technology.

During the Crossbone Vanguard’s invasion of the Frontier colonies in UC 0123, one Dahgi Iris pilot, Annamarie Bourget, defected to the Earth Federation Forces midway in the conflict, bringing the suit with her. Annamarie’s Dahgi-Iris was then repainted into an off-yellow color to more easily distinguish it from its loyal Crossbone counterparts. This defection proved significant as it provided the Earth Federation Forces with both an advanced mobile suit and valuable intelligence about Crossbone Vanguard capabilities.

Design

The XM-06 Dahgi Iris is used by leaders of the Crossbone Vanguard’s reconnaissance teams, and regularly lead a team of XM-03 Ebirhu-S. The mobile suit was specifically designed for information gathering operations, featuring advanced sensor arrays and electronic warfare capabilities that set it apart from conventional combat units.

As it is created for information gathering, multiple cameras and precision sensors, notably the newly developed ‘Doppler Radar’, are placed throughout its body. Unlike most other Crossbone Vanguard mobile suits, the Dahgi-Iris was not equipped with a beam shield, as its operation interfered with the reception of data by the highly sensitive sensor systems planted all over the mobile suit’s body.

The mobile suit featured the standard panoramic monitor cockpit configuration used throughout the Crossbone Vanguard fleet, providing excellent visibility for reconnaissance operations. Instead of the hybrid dual sensors found on the heads of many Crossbone Vanguard’s mobile suits, the Dahgi Iris is equipped with head-mounted antennae and forehead sensors that provide it with comparable or even better performance.

Armaments

The XM-06 Dahgi Iris’s standard weapons were its beam rifle for ranged attacks, and beam saber for emergency melee combat.

3-barrel diffuse beam cannon

The Dahgi Iris mounts a high-output triple scattering beam cannon in its abdomen, just below the cockpit. The cannon can fire a powerful, focused particle beam from all three barrels at once, or spread/scatter the beam to disorient or blind the opponents to help the Dahgi Iris escapes. The focused beam is capable of overwhelming a beam shield and destroy the opponent’s mobile suit.

Beam saber

The Dahgi Iris carries a beam saber stored on the rear waist armor. This standard melee weapon generated a plasma blade contained by an I-field and could cut through most armour materials.

Beam rifle

Among the beam rifles used by Crossbone Vanguard’s mobile suits, the one used by the Dahgi Iris is said to have the longest range, and this facilitates the suit’s use as a sniper unit. The weapon was powered by rechargeable energy caps and provided accurate long-range firepower.

Shield

The Dahgi Iris is equipped with a conventional shield mounted on the left forearm instead of a beam shield like other Crossbone Vanguard mobile suits, because the beam shield might interfere with the suit’s sensitive sensor and electronics. In its place, the Dahgi-Iris carried a standard solid shield.

Doppler radar

A newly developed radar, it enables the Dahgi Iris to retain its high precision search capabilities even while moving. This advanced sensor system was one of the key features that made the Dahgi Iris such an effective reconnaissance platform.

Known pilots

Annamarie Bourget

Variants

XM-06 Dahgi Iris Custom

Behind the scenes

The XM-06 Dahgi Iris was designed by Okawara Kunio and first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam F91 in 1991. The mobile suit’s design emphasised its reconnaissance role through its distinctive sensor arrays and more streamlined appearance compared to the combat-focused units in the Crossbone Vanguard arsenal.

External links

XM-06 Dahgi-Iris on MAHQ
XM-06 Dahgi Iris on The Gundam Wiki