Model number: TMF/A 802 Code name: BuCUE Unit type: mass production ground assault mobile suit Manufacturer: ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty) Operator: ZAFT First deployment: C.E. 70 Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso Dimensions: head height 11.07 meters (base of turret) Weight: max gross weight 69.3 metric tons Armor materials: unknown Powerplant: ultracompact energy battery, power output rating unknown Propulsion: 4 x engine-driver caterpillar tread (tank mode) Equipment and design features: sensors, range unknown Fixed armaments: double-edged beam saber, mounted on mouth (later modification) Optional fixed armaments: 2-barrel 450mm railgun, mounted on back; 13-tube 400mm missile launcher, mounted on back
Technical and Historical Notes
At the start of the Bloody Valentine War in C.E. 70, ZAFT produced specialized mobile suits for specific environments. One such design was the ground assault TMF/A-802 BuCUE. Unlike the humanoid ZGMF-1017 GINN, the BuCUE was a quadruped suit resembling a dog or cat. However, the BuCUE's unique design allowed it to be faster and more maneuverable than a humanoid mobile suit on the Earth's surface. The BuCUE was capable of running or sliding across the ground with tank treads, and it could also jump across great distances. The BuCUE's armament consisted of a double-edged beam saber mounted on the mouth, which was added to later models after ZAFT acquired beam saber technology from the stolen Gundams in January C.E. 71. The BuCUE's back could be fitted with either a 2-barrel railgun or a 13-tube missile launcher. BuCUEs were deployed all over Earth in ZAFT's campaigns of conquest. Aside from the main BuCUE model, ZAFT also produced the TMF/TR-2 BuCUE Tactical Reconnaissance Type. Another variant, the TMF/A-802 P-Mod.W Waltfeld Custom Type served as the prototype for the upgraded TMF/A-803 LaGOWE. The BuCUE was the preferred mobile suit of North African commander "Desert Tiger" Andrew Waltfeld for use by his forces operating in Libya. In Libya, the BuCUE's abilities were unchallenged until the arrival of the Earth Alliance battleship Archangel and the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam. The BuCUE remained in service as a ground attack unit in the Second Bloody Valentine War, and several units participated in a futile attempt to defend Berlin from the mammoth GFAS-X1 Destroy Gundam.
