RGM-79RN GM Raven

The RGM-79RN GM Raven was a limited production, special purpose variant of the RGM-79 GM and was deployed during the Universal Century era's One Year War by the Earth Federation Army's 2nd Mobile Suit Composite Group ("Night Lords"), a special unit with particular training in airborne assault operations.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Despite the advances made by the mobile suit (MS) since the earliest years of military mobile weapons, the concept of a specialist assault MS was almost universally ignored until U.C.0079, and nowhere more so than in the Earth Federation (EF)'s Earth-based military force, The Earth Federation Army (EFA). Spurred by events in Jaburo and encouraged by the Earth Federation Space Force's (EFSF) early experience with MS, the EFA accepted proposals in December 6, 0079 for a heavily armed, flight-capable assault MS, to which the RGM-79RN was submitted by the Federation Forces' highly-classified Enigma Phantom Skunkworks project. The army seemed unable to agree specification priorities on this highly ambitious design, but eventually work was started on the development of the "GM Raven". Conceived as a form of support artillery for the EFA's guerrilla tactics in the Southeast Asian front, It was an imaginative weapon of considerable power when operating in dense jungles clear of artillery fire. Their task was mainly to provide support for EFA soldiers, for which they carried a variety of armament combinations.

Based on the overall frame of the Earth Federation's newly rolled-out RGM-79G GM Command, The Raven was physically comparatively small - one meter shorter than the GM Command, however the Raven's height-to-breadth ratio made for better stability and maneuverability in atmospheric flight, still retaining provision for carrying gear externally and fitted with numerous hardpoints used for mounting external weapons, armor, and equipment. The Raven was adapted to carry the specialized YFU-01A "Corvus" flight-unit which housed high-performance turbojet thrusters with 2D thrust vectoring nozzles and stabilizer wings that considerably improved the machine's maneuverability, allowing it to sustain flight. The flight-unit was connected to the backpack and fed directly from the generator. The Raven featured a slightly widened center waist and thrusters mounted on its legs in order to maintain balance and altitude during flight. In air combat, It was somewhat tricky to fly and unforgiving of handling mistakes, particularly during complex maneuvers. Because the Raven was meant to be operated only on Earth, life-support systems for the pilot were omitted during the design phase, and the legs had been drastically redesigned; being fitted with strong electromagnetic shock absorbers which provided additional balance when landing, aerodynamic laminar-flow coverings and had wider-track feet for improved stability on the ground.

Although the Raven ran a generator powerful enough for it to use a beam rifle, it was often equipped with the 190mm Gun/Launcher nicknamed the "Ambassador Gun", an improved version of the 180mm cannon first seen on the RX-79(G) Gundam Ground Type, for which a range of ammunition was developed, including anti-vehicle and anti-MS rounds and proving capable of destroying the Principality of Zeon army's Zaku II from the air with a well-placed shot. The all-purpose backpack stored the IRAMM missiles used with the 190mm cannon, an underwater-use periscope, a pair of beam sabers and equipment racks that allowed the Raven to be rigged for low-velocity airdrops from large transport-planes.

Other straightforward modifications included the adoption of passive infra-red sensors, a laser-range and solid-state digital ballistics computer, and a thermal jacket for the 190mm gun barrel, to minimize distortion caused by uneven heating or cooling. These modifications considerably raised the expenditure on the unit, making the Raven an extraordinarily expensive machine to produce. A modified torso section was necessary to accommodate a 100mm machine cannon for close-range situations and to reduce the machine's infra-red signature, at the same time, however as a result, the cockpit became somewhat cramped for the pilot (This was also to prevent the pilot from flailing around when the machine engaged in high-speed air maneuvers.). Flying controls were operated via the computer system, in a form of digital "fly by wire" similar to that used in modern fighter jets and all data pertinent to the MS' operation and weapons were held in the computer and supplemented with an advanced fire-control system, accessible to the pilot via Visual Display Unit's and displays, however, this system was often wholly ignored by the veteran pilot's of the "Night Lords" who preferred analog controls.

Development
A prototype, which was initially designated RGM-79RX, was first tested in December 8 and subsequent development units had 1,090-kW power-plant. Despite being quite different in character from anything that had gone before it, it proved satisfactory enough in the fire-support role and gained favorable response from test establishments. Designers were working on a modified design to facilitate production, and in December 10 the first RGM-79RN was completed, being identifiable by its high-gloss black finish. Named "GM Raven", the RGM-79RN entered service in December 27 and was first deployed in Sumatra by the 2nd Mobile Suit Composite Group. Due to high manufacturing costs, just ten of these mobile suits were produced, but a beam-rifle equipped version failed to reach service. Powerful and fast, the GM Raven was certainly a handful for it's pilots, but proved a devastating weapon in the assault role. A new version, the RGM-79RN-2B/NS GM Raven "Spectre", with improved generator output, extra weapons and redesigned wing surfaces, appeared during the last week of hostilities and proved even better than the RGM-79RN. Although several attempts were made to mass-produce the unit, development was ultimately halted and design effort was concentrated to the more cost-efficient RGM-79C GM Kai.

Armaments
An upgraded version of the clip-fed 180mm cannon, The 190mm cannon Gun/Launcher was all round more capable weapon and could fire conventional armour-piercing ammunition as well as a infra-red line-of-sight guided missile capable of subduing MS that were so well armored as to be invulnerable to conventional ammunition of the time. The sub-calibre kinetic energy round, which left the muzzle at a scorching 2300 meters per second, could penetrate thick armour at a range of 5000 ft. The gun was physically larger than the old 180mm cannon, and the gun's size also limited the ready ammunition supply to just 6 rounds. In the Universal Century, where the Minovsky Particle (M-particle) is seen in every facet of mobile weapon combat, precision guided weapons are rendered useless due to the interference of the M-particle with the operations of electronic circuitry. As a result, the IRAMM was developed as a tactical infrared-homing anti-mobile suit missile designed to be launched singly from the 190mm gun/launcher. The target-detection equipment within the missile senses infrared rays emitted by the hot exhaust of an MS and locks onto this source by it's computer mechanism, which continues to track the target while giving commands to the missile control system. It is 45-pounds and used solid fuel for propellant, with a range of roughly 15 miles.
 * 60mm KMP-7/U Persuader
 * NFHI·GNE-type.12/ 190mm Gun/Launcher
 * AMS-90S IRAMM infra-red guided anti-MS missile 
 * RNS·10-05/G-00122 shield
 * 100mm NS·GR-Type.40/ Divider


 * B.Sa-G-05 beam saber


 * 90mm KMP-12/O Provider


 * NS-RN·MR95-90mm GM Rifle "Special"

Special Equipment
Emulating the concept of older VTOL aircraft, The Corvus' two powerful turbojet engines allow the heavy GM Raven to lift-off at a gross weight of 60.0 metric tons over a range of 1,500 miles. With it's nozzles rotated vertically downward the Raven lifts off the ground supported by jet reaction. As height is gained the nozzles are rotated progressively rearward until the Raven is moving forward fast enough to generate adequate lift. A moderately swept wing and special under-wing canards give the all-important speed range necessary, proving the essential control speed required for the ground assault role. The aerodynamic features of the "Corvus" allow the GM Raven to take-off on a sortie from most land terrain. Auxiliary boosters mounted on the legs augment the output of the thrusters. The Corvus had armament comprising of four 100mm machine cannons.
 * YFU-01A "Corvus" flight-unit

History
The specially trained 2nd Mobile Suit Composite Group of the 23rd Special Operations Armored Division was the only unit to use the RGM-79RN, with twenty-nine confirmed ground victories being achieved by the group. The greatest exponent of the "Raven" was Major Frederick Seigen, whose personal tally consisted of three Zaku I's, eleven Zaku II's and four Magella tanks destroyed far exceeded any other. While unconfirmed, reports indicate that at least two RGM-79RN's are destroyed in battle by a single Zeon prototype MS identified as the MS-05S-6/U Zaku "Totenkreuz".

Variants

 * RGM-79RN-2B/NS GM Raven "Spectre"