MS-06D Zaku Desert Type


General and Technical Data

Model number: MS-06D
Code name: Zaku Desert Type
Unit type: mass production desert combat mobile suit
Manufacturer: Zeonic Company/Principality of Zeon field engineers
Operator: Principality of Zeon
First deployment: UC 0079
Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso
Dimensions: overall height 18.2 meters; head height 17.5 meters
Weight: empty 61.3 metric tons; max gross 79.4 metric tons
Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 976 kW
Propulsion: jet thrusters: total output 42900 kg
Performance: maximum thruster acceleration 0.54 G; maximum ground running speecd 80 km/h
Equipment and design features: sensors, range unknown
Fixed armaments: 2 x vulcan gun, fire-linked, mounted in head
Optional hand armaments: 105mm machine gun, drum-fed; cracker grenade, stored in optional 2-slot cracker pod on hip armor racks


Technical and Historical Notes

During the early months of the Universal Century Era's One Year War, Principality of Zeon military field engineers were developing variants of its standard Zaku II mobile suit to operate in the varied and sometimes harsh climates on Earth. One such variant was the MS-06D Zaku Desert Type, which was based on the standard ground-combat J-type Zaku. Developed at Zeon's California Base, the Zaku Desert Type (or "D-type") was designed for Earth's desert and tropical regions, and was first field-tested in North Africa by Major Roy Greenwood's Karakal unit. Operating an early type with 2 antennae on the head, the design soon proved itself, and a newer version sporting only one antenna was produced shortly thereafter. In all, 114 D-type Zakus would be produced (43 two-antenna and 71 one-antenna types), making the Zaku Desert Type the backbone of Zeon's Earthside forces in North Africa and the Middle East for many months, with the later-produced MS-09 Dom line becoming Zeon's main ground-combat mobile suit.

The Zaku Desert Type sported several new features to make it adaptable to desert and tropical climates. The most notable feature was the replacment of the standard thruster-laden backpack with a special heat-dissipating radiator backpack, while jet thrusters were added to the legs and skirt armor area to provide additional mobility. With additional power and armor to top off the modifications, the D-type Zaku proved highly effective in the climate it was designed for.

Miscellaneous Information

Pilot: Roy Greenwood
Appearances:
MSV (Mobile Suit Variations); Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield
Original mechanical designer: Kunio Okawara