Model number: MS-18E
Code name: Kämpfer
Unit type: prototype heavy assault mobile suit
Manufacturer: Zeonic Company
Operator: Principality of Zeon
First deployment: UC 0079
Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso
Dimensions: head height 17.7 meters; overall height 18.2 meters
Weight: empty 43.5 metric tons; max gross 78.5 metric tons
Construction: titanium/ceramic composite on monocoque frame
Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1550 kW
Propulsion: rocket thrusters: 2 x 28500 kg, 2 x 27000 kg, 4 x 12000 kg; vernier thrusters/apogee motors: 16
Performance: maximum thruster acceleration 2.03 G; 180-degree turn time 1.2 seconds; maximum ground running speed 215 km/h
Equipment and design features: sensors, range 6100 meters
Fixed armaments: 2 x 60 mm vulcan gun, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in hip armor, hand-carried in use
Optional hand armaments: 2 x shotgun, pump-action magazine and breech, 9 round magazine, can be stored on backpack storage racks; 2 x 360 mm giant bazooka, clip-fed, 5 rounds per clip, can be stored on backpack storage racks; 2 x panzer faust, rocket-propelled warhead, can be stored in racks on legs; chain mine; heat hawk, battery powered; grenades Featured series: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket; Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo; Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles; SD Gundam: G Generation Neo; Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
Webmaster's notes: An experimental unit and the last known original Zeon mobile suit produced during the One Year War, the Kämpfer used in an assault against the NT-1 Alex Gundam at Side 6 is presumably the only one that was made. Produced at Granada, the Kämpfer is the second fastest mobile suit made by the Duchy of Zeon during the war, and probably the most manuverable, thanks to the huge number of verniers and thrusters mounted in its shoulders, chest, and even head, in addition to the propulsion thrusters in its feet, legs, and back. Unlike other mobile suits produced at this time that utilized external fuel tanks to prolong operation time, the Kaempfer had only an internal fuel supply and hense had an extremely short operation time. That said, the Kämpfer was equipped to cause the most damage possible in that short time, capable of carying two shotguns, two 360mm bazookas, and two panzer fausts into combat, all at the same time. The panzer fausts are mounted on its upper legs and could be fired while still locked in place, and the bazookas are stored in racks over the shoulders. One shotgun could be carried into battle, while a sawed-off version could be latched onto its rear waist armor. The Kämpfer also utilized twin beam sabers, largely similar to those carried by Earth Federation mobile suits. During the assault on Riah, the Kämpfer had access to weapons trailers containing a heat hawk, hand grenades, a chain of mines, used for latching on to an enemy and then exploding in sequence, and various other weapons. It is unknown whether these weapons were standard armament for the Kämpfer or merely odds and ends brought along for assistance during the mission. Either way, the Kämpfer's small fuel supply fails to overshadow its general effectiveness as a mobile suit, making it one of the best known and loved weapons used during the One Year War.
(Additional Notes: N00bies to gundam may confuse the Kaempfer with the OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate, a mobile suit from Gundam Wing. However, the two mobile suits are only really similar in their color and their head antennae, though even those are different.)
Super deformed Kaempfer
Drawn by Mark Simmons
