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Zimmad

Zimmad was a civilian company that developed mobile suits for the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War.
Jenxi Seow Published 25 Feb 2025
Zimmad

Zimmad was a civilian company that developed mobile suits for the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War. It was the primary competitor of Zeonic and was responsible for creating several iconic mobile suit designs, including the MS-09 Dom and MSM-03 Gogg.

History

Origins and early development

Zimmad was established in the Principality of Zeon as a private arms manufacturer. In the years leading up to the One Year War, Zimmad was among several companies competing for military contracts with the Principality’s armed forces, which sought to develop next-generation mobile weapons.

Competition with Zeonic

Zimmad’s primary rival was the Zeonic company. Both companies developed prototype mobile suits in an effort to secure the Principality’s primary military contract. Zimmad produced the EMS-04 Zudah, while Zeonic created the MS-04 Prototype Zaku.

Although Zimmad’s Zudah featured superior performance specifications, it suffered from a fatal defect in its propulsion system that caused catastrophic failures at high speeds. This led to the Principality selecting Zeonic’s Zaku design, which evolved into the iconic MS-05 Zaku I and MS-06 Zaku II that formed the backbone of Zeon’s mobile suit forces during the early stages of the war.

One Year War production

Despite losing the initial competition, Zimmad continued to develop mobile suit designs for the Principality. When Zeonic introduced the MS-07B Gouf as a ground combat mobile suit, Zimmad responded with the limited production MS-08TX Efreet. However, production of the Efreet was soon halted in favour of more advanced designs.

Zimmad’s fortunes changed with the development of the MS-09 Dom, a high-performance ground combat mobile suit that outperformed Zeonic’s offerings. Its space-use variant, the MS-09R Rick Dom, was selected to succeed the Zaku II as Zeon’s primary space combat mobile suit. The Dom would likely have become Zeon’s main ground mobile suit had the Principality not been forced to withdraw from Earth.

Zimmad also developed specialised amphibious mobile suits for the Principality’s marine forces, including the MSM-03 Gogg, MSM-04 Acguy, and MSM-07 Z’Gok. These models gave Zeon a significant advantage in naval and amphibious operations.

Late in the war, Zimmad created the YMS-15 Gyan as a potential successor to earlier mobile suit designs. However, this unit was rejected in favour of Zeonic’s MS-14 Gelgoog, which became Zeon’s final mass-produced mobile suit of the conflict.

Post-war activities

After the Principality’s defeat in UC 0080, Zimmad was absorbed by Anaheim Electronics and reorganised as “AE/ZIM”. The division continued to develop mobile suit weapons and systems, including the clay bazooka and the nuclear bazooka used by the RX-78GP02A Gundam “Physalis” during the Delaz Conflict.

Zimmad’s engineering expertise was also utilised to develop and improve weapons for the Republic of Zeon after the war.

Notable products

Mobile suits

Amphibious mobile suits

Weapons systems

  • Clay bazooka
  • Nuclear bazooka for the RX-78GP02A Gundam

Known personnel

  • Jean Luc Duvall - Former test pilot who served for 12 years before becoming an officer in the Principality Forces

Behind the scenes

Zimmad was first mentioned in the reference book Gundam Century and made its first on-screen appearance in the final episode of Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War.

Appearances

Anime

  • Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War

Manga

  • Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin

See also