Re: ZGMF-701

[fireminerva 0]

All Credit for the Creation and Submission of the ZGMF-701 TAURUS Should be Given to T569ssgoku.

 

General and Technical Data

 

Model number: ZGMF-701

Code name: TAURUS

Unit type: Transformable Mobile Suit

Manufacturer: Asimov Design Bureau

Operator: ZAFT

First deployment: C.E. 85

Capacity: 1, in cockpit standard

Height: Head Height 16.8 meters

Weight: empty, 48 metric tons

Construction: Titanium alloy

Power plant: Ultra Compact Battery, power output unknown

Equipment and design features: Sensors, Range unknown

Fixed armaments:   2x beam saber, stored behind shoulders, hand carried in use.

 

Optional hand armaments: 1x Beam Rifle, power rating unknown. Mounts on back in mobile armor mode, Hand carried in use, 1x Beam Cannon, power rating unknown (output comparable to the M1500 “Orthos” High energy long-range beam cannon), Mounts on back in mobile armor mode, Hand carried in use, MA-MV05 Composite Shield, features beam saber on tip, mounted on left arm, mounted on torso in flight mode ,MA-MV05A Composite Armed Shield system, features beam saber and small beam gun x2, mounted on left arm, mounted on torso in flight mode (beam guns useable)

 

Technical and Historical Notes

 

The loss of the contract of the “New Millennium” mobile suit line in CE 71-72 was a large setback to the designer and producer of the ZMGF-1017 GINN and the ZMGF-601 GuAIZ, Asimov Design Bureau.  As the ZAKU Series begins to show age in CE 85 Asimov Design Bureau released plans for the “Next Millennium” mobile suits.

 

ADB worked on surpassing the aging ZAKU in every way, from performance, to flexibility, and cost. ADB recognized that the ZAKU Warrior and the ZAKU Phantom were superior to Earth Alliance mobile suits in space, but that ZAKUs were fairly useless inside the Earth’s gravity without lifter assistance. This was compensated for by production of the BABI and GOUF, but the BABI was restricted to earth’s atmosphere and the GOUF was largely expensive and could only be assigned to top teams and pilots. ADB also felt that the ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited restricted the pilot to conform to the machine’s style.

 

The mobile suit most closely resembling what ADB wanted to create was the Orb Union’s Murasame. The design team set out with the following goals of the “perfect” mobile suit

1.)  Create a mobile suit that is performancely superior to the ZAKU

2.)  Create a mobile suit that is relatively in the same price range as the ZAKU

3.)  Create a mobile suit that can be deployed effectively both the Earth’s atmosphere and in outer space.

 

After months of testing the developers created what they believed to be a mobile suit that enveloped all their goals. The result was the Zero Gravity Maneuver Fighter Tactical Automated Unilateral Response Unlimited System, or the ZGMF-701 TAURUS Mobile Suit. The Taurus features allow it to operate extremely well in space in both mobile armor and mobile suit modes, capable of performing high speed and angle dodges.

 

The TAURUS is also capable of being piloted inside the Earth’s atmosphere, although it is only capable of full maneuvers in its mobile armor mode (it can hover and move in mobile suit mode, but not make the maneuvers it is capable of in space) although with simple modifications it can function at 90% maneuverability inside the Earth’s atmosphere. ADB estimates that a mobile suit crew should be able to complete the modifications within 90 minutes, although this is dependent on the skill of the support crew.

 

Seeing the production costs of the prototype TAURUS would at best limit it in peacetime to fill the limited ace-only role of the old ZAFT CGUE, ADB redesigned the Taurus for a mass production run. ADB renumbered the prototype version the ZGMF-701X and preceded to redesign the Taurus to give it similar firepower and maneuverability with reduced cost.

 

The final product featured two, shoulder mounted beam sabers, and a redesigned beam rifle at a lower power output. ADB also featured the option replacing the beam rifle with a high power Beam Cannon on par with the Gunner ZAKU Warrior’s cannon when the situation warrants its use. Each weapon has its own energy source (for about 24 shots on the cannon, about 60 for the rifle, each can be replaced) but can be fired using the mobile suit’s battery, although this significantly reduces its operating time.

 

ADB designed the Taurus to be compatible with its shield armed-composite systems used on the Providence Gundam to increase the mobile suit’s firepower in both mobile suit and mobile armor mode. However, production restraints have caused most Taurus units coming off the production line to feature the GuAIZ’s MA-MV05 Composite Shield as a stopgap while more MA-MV05A Composite Armed Shield system are built.

[t569ssgoku 0]

uhhh, I wanted to post a picture, but I have no clue how so I will just hyperlink it in

 

ZGMF-701 with beam rifle

 

ZGMF-701 with beam cannon