Cosmic Era technology
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- For Nuclear Technologies like the Neutron Jammer and GENESIS please see Cosmic Era Superweapons for more information.
This article deals with technology from the Cosmic Era timeline of the Gundam fictional universe metaseries.
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Mobile Suit Technology
Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System
The deuterion beam energy transfer system is a technology developed by ZAFT to remotely recharge the batteries of mobile suits. The system was eventually installed into the Second Generation Gundams produced by ZAFT.
DRAGOON system
The DRAGOON system is a weapon system used on both mobile suits and mobile armors. It allows the user to remotly control several small units to perform attacks from different angles. Over time these units were equipped with different weapons and capabilities.
G Project
The G Project was the Earth Alliance's crash program to develop mobile suits that could be piloted by Naturals. The five prototype mobile suits developed under the G Project were the GAT-X102 Duel, the GAT-X103 Buster, the GAT-X105 Strike, the GAT-X207 Blitz and the GAT-X303 Aegis.
Striker Packs
Striker Packs are interchangeable packs that can be mounted on the back of a mobile suit built so use them. They were first used on the Strike from the EA. Over time, nearly every major faction created their own version of Striker Packs, with ZAFT f.e. creating the Silhouette and the Wizard Packs.
Voiture Lumiere
While the exact detail of this technology is unknown, Voiture Lumiere is a new form of propulsion system that is primary used for interplanetery travel. In the case of the GSX-401FW Stargazer, it is composed of a ring shaped nano-particle generator, which is movable and transformable via a variable arms mechanism. It will catch solar wind on its curtain of light and starts at to move at 0.5cm then in a minute it will move at least 18 meters. After an hour, its at least 64 meters from where it started and the Voiture Lumiere, will achieve a speed of 128 km/h and will constantly gain momentum. However, it is intended to be used as a solar sail in conjunction with a high-powered laser. However, the Voiture Lumiere on the GSF-YAM01 Δ Astray resembles and functions closer to Destiny's Wings of Light. It is unknown if these two propulsion systems work the same, though it is possible that both use Mirage Colloid, which are actually nano-particles, for propulsion.
It is possible that Destiny's "Wings of Light" is an evolved form of Voiture Lumiere, as the Delta Astray once visited Armory One and met with Chairman Gilbert Durandal shortly before its attack. Its precursor is an electromagnetic propulsion system, which is currently used in UT-1D Civilian Astray DSSD Custom.
Voiture Lumiere translates roughly from French to "radiant carriage" in English, denoting its use of electromagnetic waves for propulsion. The literal translation is "car light"
Colloid Particles
Mirage Colloid is a synthetic particle which can be used for a variety of military purposes. They were first used in form of the Mirage Colloid stealth system but eventually several other forms of technolgy using these particles were discovered. Among them are the "Geschmeidig Panzer" energy deflection armor, which can be used to bend beam weapon attacks, the Mirage Colloid Virus Spreader, used to take control over enemy mobile suits and lastly the Wings of Light, which use Colloid particles to create afterimages of the suit using them.
Offensive Technology
Phonon Maser
The phonon maser was created by ZAFT for use in amphibious mobile suits, to counteract the ineffectiveness of standard beam weapons in underwater environments. Phonon masers concentrate sound waves into highly destructive laser-like beams. The Earth Alliance was later able to duplicate phonon maser technology for use in its own series of amphibious mobile suits.
Positron Blaster Cannon
Positron blaster cannons are the most powerful mass-produced energy weapons in the Cosmic Era. They are usually mounted on ships and capable of inflicting great damage to a fleet or an area. Their firing also causes a Positronic interference which can be used to launch a vessel into space without use of a mass driver.
Gungnir System
The Gungnir System, named for the legendary spear of the Norse god Odin, is a powerful electromagnetic pulse system produced by ZAFT to disable electronic systems (including the controls of mobile suits) without harming living creatures. ZAFT's own mobile suits have heavy EMP shielding and are unaffected by the Gungnir System, but the Earth Alliance's early mass-production model GAT-01 Strike Daggers' shielding proved insufficient to protect against it. Later Earth Alliance mobile suits include improved EMP shielding, rendering the Gungnir useless. Besides disabling mobile suits, it can also disable any electronic items such as a moblie armour as well as a Mass Driver. The output of the EMP creates a current inside the Mass Driver so great that it destroys the metal part of it. Gungirs are also rather difficult to set up in the heat of battle, due to the large size of them and requiring set up from a nearby mobile suit. Gungnirs detonate to produce the EMP Wave and can do as much damage to equipment as a Cyclops system, with no ill effects on plant life.
Defensive Technology
Shield
Shields are additional defensive measures employed by mobile suits. While most shields are carried through some combination of a handle and a forearm hardpoint, others such as the as the ZAKU, or the Strike Freedom have permanently mounted shields. Prior to the 2nd Bloody Valentine War, shields were typically additional pieces of armor with an Anti-Beam Coating. Some mobile suits mounted ranged weapons in their shields. Namely the Cgue, Blitz, Calamity, and Strike I.W.S.P. The Blitz is worth special mention because it is the only mobile suit to use a Phase Shift shield rather than a coating or energy based defense.
Composite shields
Composite shields offer a combination of defense and melee weapons. While all shields can be used as a blunt weapon, Composite shields mount a beam blade. This system can be seen in both production versions of the GuAIZ, the Providence, and the Dreadnought.
Beam shields
During the second EA/PLANT war, ZAFT created a new version of energy shield, the so-called beam shields. These shields are similar to the lightwave barrier and the positron deflector used by EA. Beam shields are usually mounted on the forearms of a mobile suit and create an energy barrier, capable of defending the suit against heavy beam weapons fire. The first known suits using these shields are ZAFT's ZGMF-X42S Destiny and ZGMF-X666S Legend and are eventually also used by Terminal on the ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice, the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom and the ZGMF-XX09T DOM Trooper.
Anti-Beam Coating
Anti-beam coating is a material that can be applied to the surface of objects to make them resistant to beam weaponry. Nearly all mobile suit shields have anti-beam coating applied to the outer face, allowing them to withstand numerous hits by beam rifles and blades, and even provide some protection against a warship's large beam cannons. However the anti-beam coating is an ablative layer, which wears down with each strike. Once the coating is worn away, the shield offers no protection beyond that of conventional armor. The coating is re-applied as part of a mobile suit's standard maintenance. ZAFT warships also have a thin anti-beam coating, and a few rare bladed weapons are also anti-beam coated (e.g. the GAT-X252 Forbidden's Nidhoggr heavy scythe).
Mirror Coating
Mirror coating is a highly improved version of anti-beam coating developed by Morgenroete for use on the ORB-01 Akatsuki. While ordinary anti-beam coating merely disperses energy beams, mirror coating actually reflects them. As a result, if the Akatsuki is hit at the proper angle, it can cause an attacking mobile suit to be destroyed by its own beam. Mirror coating also gives any surface it is applied to a highly reflective gold sheen. Units with Mirror Coating cannot use Phase Shift, however, much like with standard anti-beam coating.
Anti-Beam Depth Charge
Anti-beam depth charges are cylindrical pods that can be released by some warships, which detonate and release clouds of beam-absorbing particles. These particles disperse relatively quickly, but temporarily reduce the power of beam shots. As the particles have the same effect on beams fired by the ship that deployed them, anti-beam depth charges are typically used to cover a retreat.
Laminated Armor
Laminated armor is an outer armor layer consisting of a single piece, rather than connected plates. It provides protection against beam weaponry by dispersing them across the entire surface of the armor. This provides superior protection against beam weapons, but eventually laminated armor begins to melt from the accumulated heat. Laminated armor is used on the Archangel-class assault ships and the GAT-01A1 105 Dagger and GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger mobile suits and almost all Earth Alliance's later mobile suits.
Lightwave Barrier
A lightwave barrier is an energy field which blocks both physical and energy weapons. This technology was developed by the Eurasian Federation and eventually installed on its asteroid fortress Artemis as well as the CAT1-X Hyperion series of mobile suits.
Phase Shift armor
Phase Shift armor is a technology designed to protect mobile weapons from physical attack. It was used first on the five original Gundams developed as part of the G Project, which led to nearly every major faction using this technology as of CE 74. Over time, different and more efficient versions of PS armor were developed by the different factions. One variant, developed by the Earth Alliance, is called Trans Phase armor, which only activates at the point of impact. Another version is the Variable Phase Shift armor, which was first developed by ZAFT. This version allows the pilot of an MS to alter the strength of the PS armor to adapt to different attack strengths.
Positron Deflector
A positron deflector is new type of defense technology capable of protecting against attacks up to the power of a positron blaster cannon. It is created by the Earth Alliance after the first war and installed on several new mobile armor.
Other Technologies
Mass Driver
Mass drivers are large electromagnetic catapults which are used to cost-efficiently send cargo and people into space. The drivers work like railguns and apply hundred of gees of acceleration on a ship carrying cargo to hurl it into space, without this ship using its own thrusters. They can also used to send passenger shuttles into space, although the acceleration must be decreased to only a few gees. Mass drivers are very time and cost consuming to build and maintance, making them important objects on Earth.
All mass drivers are built around the equator and often protected by large armies. Facilities containing mass drivers include the Victoria Base, the Panama Spaceport and the Orb Union's Kaguya mass driver. During the first war, these mass drivers were major attack targets of ZAFT, to prevent the Earth Alliance from sending weaponry and people to space. Several mass drivers are destroyed during the war, but eventually rebuilt afterwards.
Quantum Computer
Quantum computers are advanced computer systems that use quantum mechanical principles to achieve vastly superior processing capability compared to conventional computers. Quantum computers in the Cosmic Era capable of supporting highly sophisticated artificial intelligence programs. The most notable of these quantum computers is 8, a briefcase-sized unit that was discovered by Lowe Guele aboard a small derelict spacecraft. 8 assisted Lowe in piloting the MBF-P02 Astray Red Frame, and later performed a similar task for Jess Rabble in the ZGMF-X12 Astray Out Frame. Several similar quantum computers were utilized by Morgenroete, Inc. to assist in the design of [Orb's MBF-M1 Astray mobile suits. In the rush to evacuate Orb during the Earth Alliance invasion, the quantum computers were left behind with Morgenroete engineer Yoon Sefan. Sefan took the computers with her when she joined the Junk Guild, and they helped her design the civilian-use Astray variant MWF-JG71 Raysta.
Scale System
A scale system is method of propulsion developed by ZAFT for use in land battleships. Scale systems use the vibrations of thousands of tiny mechanical scales to move over loose soil or sand, and can also function on water. For smaller vehicles such as mobile suits, a scale system can also be used for underwater propulsion, though the relatively fragile scales cannot withstand the high pressures of the ocean depths, requiring the mobile suit to remain close to the surface. As the scale system can propel a vehicle sideways or backwards (or vertically, in underwater use) with equal speed to forward motion, vehicles with a scale system tend to be more agile than those of comprable size that are reliant on conventional thrusters or screw propellers.
