RGT-501 Guntank Defender

The RGT-501 Guntank Defender  is a mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam Alpha. It is the first combat oriented mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation.

Appearance
Despite its name, the Guntank Defender looks more like a combination of the Tragos from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and the mass production Guntank from Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team. This is mainly due to the original's treads being replaced by a hoverbed.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The first combat oriented mobile suit ever created, the RGT-501 Guntank Defender was less like a standard mobile suit and more like a humanoid tank. Compared to what mobile suits would later become known for, the Guntank was nothing more than a fusion of a tank with the upper torso and arms of a mobile suit, primarily designed as a mobile artillery unit to supplement the Earth Federation's main battle tanks in planetary battles.

Despite this apparently faltering first step, the Guntank packed a serious punch for its role as a heavy fire support and artillery unit. Unlike conventional tanks and armored assault vehicles however, the Guntank was designed for one pilot as opposed to a full crew, and it being equipped with an Apollo Reactor increased its power greatly over any other combat vehicle at the time. Its hoverbed unit even granted the Guntank limited three-dimensional maneuverability, although it was incapable of formal atmospheric or space flight due to lacking Apollo Thrusters.

The main weapons of the Guntank Defender are twin shoulder mounted beam cannons, which were effective at both long and medium ranges. The Defender's two arms ended in four-barrel beam vulcans instead of hands. These weapons provided good cover fire against enemy tanks and aircraft, but were less effective against conventional mobile suits. And finally, a set of missile launchers were placed on the Defender 's back, providing it heavy bombardment capability as well.

Though a true advancement over the conventional main battle tank, the Defender was not without its flaws. First and foremost, it lacked the ability turn its torso, meaning the cannons can't aim horizontally and are difficult to aim at moving targets, as the Defender must completely reposition itself (whereas a MBT can simply turn its turret around). Another major flaw was that its design was completely aimed towards ground combat, leaving it incapable of fighting in space. While this was not considered at the time, as once more the Defender was meant to be a single piloted, more heavily armed humanoid-esque tank, it would become a serious bane for Star Force when true spacebourne mobile suits began to be developed.

Armaments

 * M124 Beam Cannon
 * Two beam cannons are equipped on the shoulders of the Guntank Defender. Due to the unit's then-larger than average size, its mounted cannons were noticeably larger than those placed on main battle tanks of the time, as well as more powerful thanks to being directly linked to the Defender's Apollo Reactor. These cannons were primarily used for long range artillery and sniping, having a reach that exceeds visual range.


 * M240 Quad Beam Vulcan
 * Two quad-barreled vulcans are mounted in the Defender's arms, where hand manipulators would be placed on future mobile suits. Essentially greatly scaled-down versions of capital ship styled beam phalanx, these weapons nonetheless proved effective in combating smaller targets like conventional tanks, ground vehicles and aircraft. So effective were these weapons that vulcans would later become a standard feature on Star Force mobile weapons.


 * MR90 Missile Launcher
 * The Defender mounts a set of missile launchers on its back, directly behind the beam cannons. Meant to provide the Defender long-range bombardment capability, these missiles have far greater range than those mounted on dedicated ground vehicles, allowing the Guntank to rain projectiles down on targets usually beyond attack range. That being said, they still carry a limited amount of ammunition, thereby necessitating Defender pilots to use them sparingly.

Special Equipment & Features

 * Hoverbed System
 * The Defender mounts an anti-gravity hoverbed system like most ground vehicles of its day, and so can easily transverse terrain far more efficiently than ancient wheeled or treaded vehicles. In fact, thanks to the onboard Apollo Reactor, the Defender's hoverbed was actually more powerful than most conventional units, granting it superior speed and mobility as well. That being said, the Defender is nowhere near as mobile as units equipped with Apollo Thrusters.

History
Not long after its invention, the Guntank Defender proved to be an effective weapon against the Earth Federation's enemies on various planets, and to the current day is often credited as projecting the Federation's power to the rest of the galaxy. However, as time would pass, these dissident factions would gain hold of their own mobile suits to use against the Federation, leading the EF to development of more powerful Guntank types and later on the first "true" combat mobile suit series altogether, the Guncannon series. That being said, the Defender and the rest of its series would remain in service regardless, usually as, in true form to its name, defensive platforms for Star Force bases and installations throughout the galaxy.