When Earth was overmatched by the Federation of Zeon and its new Mobile Suits, one design helped save the planet: the RGM-79 GM.
Of all the Mobile Suits in the Universal Century, no design had as much work to do as the RGM-79 GM. Colloquially known as the GM (and pronounced Jim), this was Earth’s first mass-produced Mobile Suit. And it came just in time for the One Year War. Without the rapid development of the GM, Earth might have fallen to Zeon.
But how did one mass-produced model of Mobile Suit make such a difference in the war on Earth? What made the GM special? It certainly wasn’t a Gundam – and yet it borrowed heavily from that design. Without Amuro Ray’s intervention during that fateful attack on Side 7, in which he saved the RX-78-2 Gundam, the RGM-79 GM might never have been developed.
The RGM-79 GM – Design and capabilities
The GM was a mass-produced design inspired by the legendary Gundam. Although the Gundam carried modified weapons. And custom armor. For example, the RGM-79 GM only had titanium alloy armor, instead of Luna Titanium Alloy armor, because it was easier to refine and produce. But while the components were relatively cheaper and easier, they were also not general waste.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the frame itself. The GM was more mobile than the Gundam. With an acceleration of 0.94 Gs (in space), the GM was twice as fast as its Zaku counterparts with a top speed of 102 khm/h, giving Earth pilots a much-needed edge. And with a Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor, it had enough energy to power even advanced boosters and beam weapons.
Like the Gundam, the RGM-79 GM carried a variety of weapons, with a few major fixed components. Each GM was equipped with a pair of head-mounted 60mm Vulcan cannons. These were crucial for intercepting incoming missiles. They can also be used to destroy Mobile Suit sensors and attack lightly armored vehicles, although they were not as effective against Mobile Suit armor.
The other fixed armament was a THI-BSGj01 Beam Saber. The THI-BSGj01 is modeled after the Gundam’s beam saber and emits a plasma blade. Surrounded by an I-field, the energy sword cuts through any armor not treated with an anti-beam coating. Some versions of the GM had two beam sabers instead of one. Mostly these were Commander models. Some versions slung ‘beam spear’ models, but with limited supply.
Hand armament for days
Like its counterpart, the RGM-79 GM could handle a wide variety of weapons. The portable armament was typically a YHI YF-MG100 machine gun. These were the mainstay of Mobile Suits during the One Year War.
But in the last days of the war, the GM carried a BR-M-79C-1 jet spray gun. This was a handheld “mega particle” gun. With a slower focusing speed than the Gundam’s beam rifle, it had a shorter range but could still fire shots powerful enough to destroy the Mobile Suit armor. The lower focus distance allows him to take both single shots and area burst shots that can damage multiple enemies.
In a pinch, a GM could use the Gudam’s Beam Rifle if it was reproduced, although very few were fielded during the war. Much more common were the BLASH HB-L-03/N-STD Hyper Bazookas. These rocket launchers gave the GM significant firepower, whether they used anti-armor or anti-infantry rockets.
Then of course the standard YHI 6ML-79MM Missile Launcher which could carry a variety of missiles. Or the special Space/Ground HWF GMG-MG79 Bullpup machine gun, which used a new gunpowder to give a high rate of fire and an advanced sensor suite to a more compact machine gun.
Certain RGM-79 GMs, piloted by deadeye marksmen, could be equipped with a Franz EF-KAR9K sniper rifle, which carried only five rounds but excelled at engaging targets at extreme range.
A GM could also carry a 180mm gun or a 380mm rocket launcher, both of which packed a punch, though they were relatively rare.
The rarest of them all, however, was the experimental Prototype Beam Rifle. Only one was developed and assigned to the White Dingo Team in December UC79. It was equipped with an external generator, but was not the most reliable weapon.
RGM-79 GM – One Year of War
The RGM-79 GM was Earth’s last-ditch response to the Mobile Suit threat. At the start of the One Year War, the Earth Federation lacked any serious Mobile Suits that could compete with the deadly Zaku II. The Gundam was developed under siege. But out of the success came the GM. These Mobile Suits allow Earth pilots to compete with Zeon forces.
Although Zeon’s pilots were initially more experienced, the GM’s performance upgrades gave Earth’s pilots an edge over the enemy Mobile Suit’s maneuverability. And with firepower that could penetrate even heavy armor (in the right conditions), Federation forces had the opportunity to gain valuable experience in battle. So much so that, by the time Zeon rolled out its more advanced models, like the Rick Dom or Gelgoog, the Earth forces had an advantage in experienced pilots.
That, plus the bickering of the Zabi ruling family – and the actions of the White Base crew – helped Earth secure victory near the end of the war. Many variants followed.
But the variants are a story for another time.
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