![]() All the earlier model space-combat mobile suits, specifically the Zakus and Rick Dom, had inferior acceleration and less sensor range. All of the supposedly very powerful mobile armors, save for a few Newtype units, had lower mass-thrust ratios (i.e. ![]() The Ball was smaller than the average mobile suits, which not only made it a more difficult target to hit than a GM but also made it lighter as well as gave it a higher acceleration rate than most contemporary mobile suits. However, some statistics on the unit counters this view of the Ball unit being weak - in fact, it had a specification superior to many of their opponents. It is sometimes joked that (in Gundam 0079) the only time a Ball ever hit anything was when one is kicked into a GM by a Zaku II. Soon after, the Ball earned the nickname "Mobile Coffin" among EFSF pilots. Their numbers overwhelmed the Zeon fleets and drove them away, but countless RB-79s were destroyed during what turned out to be one of the most brutal battles for the Federation. Since the GM was not yet ready, over 1000 Balls were committed along with Salamis-class and Magellan-class warships. The most famous battle involving Balls was Operation Star-One, an operation undertaken to further pressure Zeon into retreating from Earth after the Federation took the upper hand following Odessa. It had limited ammo, relatively thin armor (though sloped to assist in projectile deflection), and lacked the AMBAC system or any sort of close-in weapon other than its manipulator claws. Because it does not have a thermonuclear reactor and is driven by a fuel cell, it can be operated even on ships that do not have MS cooling facilities.Īt first, the Ball was seen as ill-suited for combat. In fact, the thrusters and weapons were designed to be modular, allowing depleted thruster banks and empty gun magazines to literally be removed by the servicing crew to be reloaded at a later time, and fully-loaded ones to be quickly installed in their place. The Ball units had an advantage when it came to refueling on board the Columbus-class support vessel due to the lack of beam weapons and low number of liquid fuel thrusters, making the refueling/rearming time extremely short compared to any Mobile Suit that runs on thermo-nuclear power. ![]() ![]() This configuration gave the Ball unit good reaction speed and reasonable maneuverability on each thrust but very limited use of the system compared to the liquid fueled directional thrusters on mobile suits. The directional thrusters mounted on all Ball units were "directed" solid fuel explosives, the detonation giving an impulse through the thrusters to change the direction of the Ball. The Ball mobile pod also had vernier thrusters mounted all along the body.Ī standard EFSF combat team would consist of 3 RGM-79 GMs and 2 Balls to counter Zeon's 3-MS tactical units, though other formations have been seen Ball-only teams of 1 RB-79K and 2 RB-79 launched from a Salamis-class cruiser, and various large formations launched from Columbus-class ships. The Federation reinforced it with heavier armor and mounted a 180mm low-recoil cannon on top. ![]() The Federation refitted about 1200 of the civilian-model worker space pods, known as SP-W03 Space Pods. ![]()
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