Garuda class (Melord)

Class: Garuda
Name: Melord
Ships of the line: Audhumla, Garuda, Melord, Sudori
Unit type: large transport plane
Manufacturer: Earth Federation Forces
Operator: Titans
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: overall length 317.0 meters; wingspan 524.0 meters
Weight: max gross 9,800.0 metric tons
Propulsion: 10 x jet engine
Equipment and design features: sensors, range unknown
Fixed armaments: 10 x 2-barrel laser gun turret, mounted across main body
Mobile suits: 20

The Garuda class was a stratospheric mobile suit transport plane constructed by the Earth Federation Forces as part of its Garuda Initiative. Six Garudas were assigned to Earth’s air defense zones to act as an emergency preparedness initiative for mobile suit deployment. The massive plane’s design bore a similarity to the Principality of Zeon’s Gaw planes from the One Year War. The Garuda class could carry up to 20 mobile suits, as well as multiple sub-flight systems. The Garuda class was lightly armed with 10 laser gun turrets and thus relied on the mobile suits it carried for its primary defense. In November UC 0087, Titans officer Jerid Messa commanded the Melord as it chased the Audhumla across Africa to the Earth Federation’s capital in Dakar. Karaba pilot Amuro Ray used his MSK-008 Dijeh to heavily damage the Melord, which forced the plane to cease pursuit.

Captain: Jerid Messa
First appearance: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Original mechanical designer: Kazumi Fujita

Bridge

Laser gun turret