DRAGOON system

This article is about the Cosmic Era Remote Weapon System technology. For the Universal Century variant, see the Psycommu System. For the After War variant, see the Flash System. For the Anno Domini variant, see the Bit Control System .

DRAGOON system
Usage
Designer	PLANT
Manufacturer	Earth Alliance Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty Orb Union Terminal
Operator	Earth Alliance Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty Orb Union Three Ships Alliance Terminal Librarian Works Serpent Tail Kingdom of Foundation
Technical Specifications
Functional Purpose	DRAGOON Pod Deployment and Control System
Power-plant	Energy Battery Nuclear Reactor
Form of Discharge	Particle Beam (via DRAGOON Pod)
Real World
Appearances*
Television	SEED: #48 - Episode #50 GSD: #1 - Episode #50

A DRAGOON (Disconnected Rapid Armament Group Overlook Operation Network) is a weapon system introduced in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

Technical Information

DRAGOON (Disconnected Rapid Armament Group Overlook Operation Network) is a control system developed by ZAFT to guide remote weapons. The system allows a single mobile weapon pilot to control several smaller weapon pods to attack enemies from different angles, using a quantum communication network (that functions on similar principles as the Quantum Computer Virus Transmission System) to send signals to move them around the battlefield. This is performed without the awkward wire-guidance restrictions used in EA's mobile armors such as the TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero, AQM/E-X04 Gunbarrel Striker and TS-MA4F Exus. These pods are usually stored on several hardpoints across the suit's body (usually a large backpack) and after a certain amount of use must return to their respective unit to recharge.

The DRAGOON system is powerful enough that a mobile suit equipped with this system, in combination with a skilled pilot, can match or overwhelm the firepower of an entire team of conventional CE mobile suits, but with more coordination than a group of individual CE pilots. This is best shown in the final battle between Rau Le Creuset and Kira Yamato, during which the ZGMF-X13A Providence severely damaged the ZGMF-X10A Freedom with the system. Two years later, Kira himself would display the strength of the system when he disables 25 ZAFT mobile suits in under 2 minutes.

Over time, several versions of this system have been invented, most of them possessing different capabilities. The original system, also known later as the first generation, was tested on the YMF-X000A Dreadnought Gundam and later installed in the ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam. This first generation system can only be used by a pilot who has high spatial awareness, like Courtney Heironimus and Rau Le Creuset. The wireless guided beam turrets used by ORB-01 Akatsuki Gundam's "Shiranui" backpack are similar to the first generation system.

An alternate version of the DRAGOON system was developed by Earth Alliance's Azrael Financial Group and utilized in the TSX-MA717/ZD Pergrande mobile armor. This version requires three pilots that have been synchronized through surgical means to increase the pool of possible users, with each pilot controlling one of the X, Y, and Z coordinates necessary to utilize the system.

In C.E. 73, ZAFT developed a second generation DRAGOON System. This second generation does not require a pilot with high spatial awareness, meaning even an average pilot can control the system (even though spatial awareness does improve the system's performance). This version is equipped on ZGMF-X24S Chaos Gundam, ZGMF-X3000Q Providence ZAKU, ZGMF-X666S Legend Gundam, ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam and perhaps on the DRAGOON Flyer, which is designed for use in conjunction with Impulse Gundam.

It is unknown if the GFAS-X1 Destroy Gundam's detachable arms are controlled using this new technology. It is also unknown if the DRAGOONs equipped on the MBF-P03D Gundam Astray Blue Frame D‎‎ are controlled using the second or first generation system.

Weaknesses

Despite its immense strength the DRAGOON system has several weaknesses, the first being its extraordinary power consumption: most suits with full-fledged DRAGOON systems are nuclear-powered. A second one is its extraordinary difficulty to operate: a person with great spatial awareness is required to use the system to its full potential. However, the improved version by ZAFT has overcome this shortcoming through the use of improved quantum communication system among other modifications. Third, most of the DRAGOON system pods cannot be used on Earth since they are incapable of atmospheric flight.

Like all weapons, the DRAGOON pods can be destroyed although this can only be done by skilled pilots. As such, most Mobile Suits that use the DRAGOON system are also armed with weapons meant to give the suit basic defensive and offensive capabilities, namely beam sabers and beam rifles.

History

The first mobile suit created to use the DRAGOON system was ZAFT's YMF-X000A Dreadnought Gundam, which also served as a testbed for the system. The Dreadnought was equipped with two XM1 "Pristis" beam reamers armed with a beam gun each, which were mounted on the hips of the suit. While these weapons were tethered to the suit by wires, they were completely DRAGOON controlled; the wires were simply there to recover the weapons in the event of a malfunction in the still-experimental system. Later, a large backpack mounting four large DRAGOON pods was installed on the suit. These pods mounted a total of 40 beam guns and, like the beam reamers, were connected with wires to the suit, although they also could function without them. Interestingly, the DRAGOON pods have the ability to create a tetrahedral beam shield when they are used together.

After testing the technology with the Dreadnought, ZAFT implemented it into the ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam, the final nuclear-powered Gundam-type mobile suit created by ZAFT during the First Alliance-PLANT War. The Providence was equipped with 11 units (the highest number so far), which mounted a total of 43 beam guns. The Providence displayed excellent performance during the Second Battle of Jachin Due, destroying several groups of GAT-01 Strike Daggers and heavily damaging the GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam and the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam before its destruction by the latter.

After the end of the First Alliance-PLANT War, ZAFT improved the DRAGOON system so that it can be operated by ordinary pilots. This updated version was first installed on the mobile armor XMF-P192P Proto-Chaos, and then the mobile suit ZGMF-X24S Chaos Gundam. Both machines used the same EQFU-5X mobile weapon pod, but the Proto-Chaos was equipped with four pods, while the Chaos Gundam only had two. Unlike previous models of DRAGOONs, the EQFU-5X possessed small wings and thrusters, allowing it to be used not only in space but also in Earth's atmosphere. Each pod mounts a single MA-81R beam assault cannon as well as a large number of AGM141 "Firefly" guided missiles. The weapon pods also function as additional boosters while attached to the Proto-Chaos and Chaos, providing them with higher mobility and speed.

Through further work on the improved DRAGOON System, ZAFT developed a newer version that was then equipped onto the ZGMF-X3000Q Providence ZAKU, a testbed unit created during the Second Alliance-PLANT War that utilized data from the Providence Gundam. The data from the Providence ZAKU was then used to construct the ZGMF-X666S Legend Gundam, the successor of the Providence. The Legend Gundam used the DRAGOON system and large DRAGOON pods first tested on the Providence ZAKU. Each of the two large pods equipped on the Legend has five beam guns and four beam spikes, allowing them to be used as ramming weapons and they are also capable of penetrating the Earth Alliance's Positron Reflector. Besides these two, the Legend also mounts eight small DRAGOON pods, each equipped with two beam guns.

Following the start of the Second Alliance-PLANT War, ZAFT's improved DRAGOON System was copied by Terminal, who secretly constructed the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam, the successor of the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam for the Three Ships Alliance. The Strike Freedom Gundam was equipped with eight EQFU-3X Super DRAGOON mobile weapon pods in its wings, each mounting a single MA-80V beam assault cannon and capable of emitting a beam saber for close combat. Unlike the easier to use system of the Chaos Gundam, the Strike Freedom, having been designed as Kira Yamato's custom mobile weapon, features a more advanced OS to accommodate Kira's high data analysis and spatial awareness capabilities.

By the Second Alliance-PLANT War, the Orb Union had developed the "Shiranui" Space Pack - a weapons system similar to the first generation DRAGOON system for the ORB-01 Akatsuki Gundam. The "Shiranui" Space Pack featured seven wireless M531R Guided Mobile Beam Turrets, each equipped with a beam cannon as well as beam shield emitters that, when coupled with other turrets, can provide full defense to an area of approximately 1-2 ships in size.

TSX-MA717/ZD Pergrande

The Pergrande is an Earth Alliance-created mobile armor, which features a unique version of the DRAGOON system. Instead of using a pilot with high spatial awareness or the new ZAFT-created control system, the modified DRAGOON system utilizes three pilots that have been synchronized through surgical means to increase the pool of possible users. This system links the pilots' brainwave together and each pilot controls one of the X, Y, and Z coordinates necessary to utilize the pods. As a result, the pods can only when be used the three pilots are linked together. The Pergrande is equipped with three DRAGOON pods, each mounting two large beam cannons, one beam cannon and two beam guns.

DRAGOON Flyer

The DRAGOON Flyer is what the ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam's Silhouette Flyer may have looked like after further development. The idea was to have multiple DRAGOON Flyers accompany the Impulse Gundam into battle, and although these DRAGOONs would be armed with four small beam guns each, their primary purpose would be to allow the Impulse to switch Silhouette packs without waiting for them to be launched from the Minerva.

MBF-P03D Gundam Astray Blue Frame D‎‎

A variant of the Blue Frame Second L and Astray Blue Frame Second G, the Blue Frame D is created by Gai to counter the Astray Noir. What set this suit's DRAGOONs apart from those used by other MS is that they are in the form of blades of various size and designs, and most of them can be used as handheld weapons. The DRAGOONs used by Blue Frame D consists of four types: Sword, Sensor, Stealth and Beam Cannon DRAGOONs, and each of them have unique abilities corresponding to their name. In addition, these DRAGOONs can combine with another weapon on the suit to form two large arm-mounted swords.

LN-ZGMF-X13A Nix Providence Gundam

The only Gundam of the Librarian Works to use the DRAGOON system, the Nix Providence holds 11 units (same as the Providence) and is also equipped with a Striker pack that can also serves as a DRAGOON unit. Nix Providence's DRAGOON system is based on the original version, but is more efficient as it takes into account the differences between pilots and alters the configuration of the DRAGOON pods to suit the pilot's needs.

MBF-P02Kai Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai

The Tactical Arms IIL used by the Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai is outfitted with a DRAGOON system. However, as it is based on the First Generation system, it can only be used by those with a high spatial awareness.

Gallery

Dragoon Flyer lineart & profile

Color Lineart

Equipped with Force Silhouette

Equipped with Sword Silhouette

Equipped with Blast Silhouette

Notes & Trivia

• The DRAGOON system is very similar to the Funnels and Bits used in the Universal Century timeline.
• The Anno Domini era also features a similar technology called "Fangs"/"Bits".
• While the DRAGOON Flyer is never seen in official media, the concept of pre-launching Silhouette Flyers to instantly swap between Silhouette packs in combat is performed in the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom movie.

Appearances

Television Series

• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
  • PHASE-48, Day of Wrath
    • First Appearance
  • PHASE-49, The Final Light
  • PHASE-50, To a Future that Never Ends
• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
  • PHASE-14, Flight to Tomorrow
    • Flashback(s) Only
  • PHASE-39, Kira of the Skies

References

DRAGOON and Gunbarrel File 01 (Gundam Perfect Files, Issue 55, Pg 23)

DRAGOON and Gunbarrel File 02 (Gundam Perfect Files, Issue 55, Pg 24)