Weapons of the ZOCU War

EU Weapons

Ge-02 "Lambert" Mobile Suit

While they had originally discounted the possibility that the combat mobile suits by the Zodiac Colonies posed any real threat, the military authorities of the European Union were quick to reassess this position after the startling successes of the OMF-06 Hoplite in the summer of 2185. Superior in performance to the EU's outdated space fighters, the highly mobile Hoplite was often able to retreat into planetary atmospheres beyond reach of any pursuit by conventional space forces. They could even be used in the rugged jungles of Haraway's World and Open. It was obvious that while improvements to the regular forces were desperately needed, adopting the unconventional weapons used by the guerrilla Zodiac fighters would prove vital to defeating them.

The Ge-02 Lambert was the result of the EU's crash mobile suit development program, and while itself a relatively primitive design it provided data vital to design of the deadly mobile suits eventually fielded by the EU in the war's final climactic battle. Only a limited number of Lamberts were produced during the war, and they saw little actual combat against Zodiac mobile suits. While not much of a wartime success, the Lambert found its niche in the postwar years as remote or technologically backwards colonies rushed to obtain their own mobile suits and the EU looked to bolster its own clients on the frontier.

The easy to produce and dependable Lambert proved to be well suited for deployment on worlds without the resources needed to maintain or construct more advanced mobile suits, and the design is now produced under license on a number of worlds. It is widely available across the expanse and beyond.

Type: Combat Frame
Height: 18 Meters
Armor: Titanium Alloy (Category 2)
Armament: 1 x GIAT F3 100mm Autocannon
Powerplant: 1 x Compact Reactor
Propulsion: 1 x Extra Verniers, 1 x Extra Boosters

ZOCU Weapons

OMF-04 Peltast Mobile Suit

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Peltast armed with Londenium Metals Mk-11 Railgun

For the worlds of the ZOCU organization, the Breakdown offered an opportunity to seize their national destinies. Unfortunately with the effective termination of significant core world contact, the ZOCU Worlds were forced into nearly total self-reliance. Armed with limited weapons and with no source for replacement or reinforcement it was almost inevitable that civilian vehicles would be pressed into service. Among these were orbital transfer vehicles and manipulation vehicles, the ancestors of modern combat frames. Not terribly efficient, they nonetheless served as stopgaps until ZOCU military industry matured. Out of the 'second' generation of ZOCU weapons, the OMF-04 Peltast was the first frame to be designed and built from conception forward as a combat craft.

Originally produced by Londenium Metals for the local militia, the arrival of the Peltast into service did not come too soon as less than six months after the first companies achieved operational status, the ZOCU world of Vrijheid was attacked by forces of the Magnates. The organized clone-soldiers of the Magnates swiftly overwhelmed Vrijheid's militia and a rushed relief force from several ZOCU worlds was organized. At the lead were Londenium's Peltasts which led the landing operation in December 2165 and subsequent counterattacks. This and smaller brushfire wars gave the ZOCU Peltast pilots and tacticians solid experience that they put to good use in the '80s.

While rugged and relatively simple to produce, the Peltast was already starting to show its limitations by the early '80s. Its early design was beginning to hold it back and the design austerity that had allowed it to be produced all across the ZOCU worlds was being superseded by almost two decades of technological and industrial improvements. Furthermore, despite the successes scored by Peltast teams in the early 80s, recontact and the looming spectre of conflict with the industrially and technologically powerful core worlds pointed towards the need for replacements. These were to be the OMF-06 Hoplite and the OMF-07 Legionnaire.

The wartime record of the Peltast ultimately spanned more than two decades from the Magnate Wars of the 60s to the ZOCU war of the 80s. Designed as an all-environment craft it saw most of its battles on land, with the majority of its space combat time occurring near the end of its service period. For most of this time the standard load was a Londenium Metals Mk-11 railgun or locally-built weapons, with the more expensive PG-47 particle rifle only entering service in the 80s for units assigned to orbital ops. Despite the Peltast's age, it performed adequately against the EU's aging space fighters and ground vehicles, though PACT aerospace craft proved to be difficult opponents for the relatively underpowered mobile frame.

The introduction of the Hoplite pushed the Peltast into second-line formations as fast the newer frames could be produced. Today, surviving Peltasts have been relegated to home guard forces or sold/provided to third-world Expanse states, making them a reasonably common sight in smaller militaries.

The following specifications are typical for a war-era Peltast.

OMF-04 Peltast Combat Frame
Origin: Londenium
Primary Operator: ZOCU
Date Of Introduction: 2165
Role: General Role Combat Frame
Control System: Linear Frame
Height: 16.9 meters
Weight: 72.5 tons (standard combat loadout)
Powerplant: Forced Fusion Reactor
Main Thrusters: 7
Apogee Motors: 16
Fixed Armament: 1x PL3 Plasma Lance (hand-carried in use)
Additional Armament: 1x Kojima-Saitama Collective Technologies PG-47 Particle Rifle (arm-mounted in use), 2x 'Hammerhead' Medium Missiles
Defensive Systems: Laminate Armor

OMF-06 Hoplite Mobile Suit

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Hoplite in Asakuran paint scheme

Early skirmishing on and around Asakura, Haraway’s World and New Mercia between 2181 and 2183 demonstrated the creeping strategic inferiority of the Peltasts that had been ZOCU's backbone for fifteen years. While well-suited for their original role, it was clear that in the case of all-out war - which had already begun on New Mercia - the unsophisticated '60s design would not suffice. Plans for a Peltast replacement were duly accelerated and the introduction of the Hoplite to battle in 2185 was instrumental in several ZOCU victories in space. Indeed, if it were not for the heroic efforts of the 16th ZOCU Mobile Volunteer Battalion in getting the full design schematics and prototypes out of Asakuran space in the face of stiff PACT resistance it is quite possible that the EU's attack on the Londenium orbital yards four months later would have been successful, crippling half of ZOCU's entire starship production ability.

The Hoplite entered warzones in first a trickle and then as production ramped up across the ZOCU worlds. By the end of 2185, virtually all production lines had been turned to the Hoplite family and between 2185 and the armistice of 2189, approximately 90% of all ZOCU combat frames built were Hoplite variants. The Alpha model was the definitive production model and saw both production and fighting on all fronts. Other common variants include the Beta superiority/ace model with enhanced apogee motors and tweaked control systems for better aerospace performance and the Gamma 'shell' model which was clad in advanced armor composites, seeing use in both antishipping strikes and ground actions.

The rapid introduction of the Hoplite came as welcome news to ZOCU pilots. Importantly, the control systems and general outfit were quite similar between the Peltast and Hoplites replacing them, ensuring that changeover to the new units was smooth and quick. Superior in performance to the Peltasts, Hoplites allowed ZOCU to effectively control space for the first time in the war. Beyond the improvements to thruster output and armor and the increased agility due to reduced weight, the Hoplites also had substantially improved powerplants. This meant that Hoplites could power high-energy weapons like the standard PG-55 directly from their onboard power grid, as opposed to relying on capacitor 'magazines' like the Peltast was forced to do.

Fighting on the ground and in space across both the Pac-Am and European Arms, the Hoplite was the dependable soldier of ZOCU. Its effectiveness and reliability has ensured it remains in service to the current day. No official replacement has yet been planned, though some forces are slowly shifting to the more powerful Sarissa derivative. Hoplites have also been sold to a number of friendly governments, as they include no cutting-edge ZOCU technology.

OMF-06A Hoplite Alpha Mass Production Model
Origin: Asakura
Primary Operator: ZOCU
Date Of Introduction: 2185
Role: General Role Combat Frame
Control System: Linear Frame
Height: 16 meters
Weight: 56 tons (standard combat loadout)
Powerplant: 2x Forced Fusion Reactors
Main Thrusters: 4
Apogee Motors: 14
Fixed Armament: Kojima R-10 Pulse Laser Array (head mounted), 2x PL6 Plasma Lances (hand-carried in use)
Additional Armament: 1x Kojima-Saitama Collective Technologies PG-55 Particle Rifle (hand-carried in use), 4x 'Hammerhead' Medium Missiles
Defensive Systems: Laminate Armor

OMF-07 Legionnaire Mobile Suit

Legionnaire in standard production colors

While the Hoplite was a solid performer, its ability to perform anti-shipping strikes in the face of increasingly effective Core anti-air defenses became a concern by early 2187. Even the deployment of the heavily-armored Hoplite Gamma model could not reverse this trend. This made the introduction of the OMF-07 Legionnaire in June 2187 an unpleasant surprise for Core shipping. Sharing some outward similarities with the old Peltast, the Legionnaire was nonetheless an entirely new machine designed designed by Londenium Metals for heavy assault.

Thickly armoured in low-mass composites and equipped with a frame-sized flash shield, the Legionnaire was a tough target for the Core ships’ railguns and pulse cannons, making it popular with pilots and earning it the nickname 'The Tank.' As befitting an assault unit its default armament emphasised anti-ship and anti-armor effectiveness, starting with a LDS-2 assault cannon. This large bazooka-style weapon and the pair of 'Sledge' heavy missiles proved to be effective at antiship strikes. A lightweight particle carbine provides firepower against other mobile units. Unfortunately this Legionnaire was something of a rushed design and shipboard maintenance crews were forced to replace overworked components after almost every mission. Additionally, while the Legionnaires were only slightly taller than their stablemates, they were considerably bulkier than Hoplites and as a result some hangars could not handle them properly.

Despite its flaws, the Legionnaires performed well during the war. A sweeping upgrade in the early '90s solved many of the nagging maintenance issues, though Legionnaires still retain their reputation as hangar queens.

OMF-07 Legionnaire Combat Frame
Origin: Londenium
Primary Operator: ZOCU
Date Of Introduction: 2187
Role: Assault Frame
Control System: Linear Frame
Height: 16.9 meters
Weight: 84.8 tons (standard combat loadout)
Powerplant: 2x Forced Fusion Reactors
Main Thrusters: 4
Apogee Motors: 12
Fixed Armament: Kojima R-10 Pulse Laser Array (head mounted), 1x PL6 Plasma Lances (hand-carried in use)
Additional Armament: 1x LDS-2 Assault Cannon, 1x Kojima-Saitama Collective Technologies PG-59 Particle Carbine, 2x 'Sledge' Heavy Missiles
Defensive Systems: Depleted Uranium Armor, Flash Shield

OMF-09 Sarissa Mobile Suit

Sarissa in standard 'Ace' paint scheme

The continuing deployment of increasingly superior models by both the Core and ZOCU eventually led to the introduction of the OMF-09 Sarissa, a high-performance unit intended for commanders and aces. The first mobile suit to feature a mega particle rifle, the sheer firepower of the Sarissa’s rifle led directly to the development of the high-agility Leonid Command – no armor that would fit on a Leonid frame could stop a mega particle strike.

OMF-09 Sarissa Combat Frame
Origin: Londenium
Primary Operator: ZOCU
Date Of Introduction: 2188
Role: Ace use Frame
Control System: Linear Frame
Height: 16.0 meters
Weight: 57.9 tons (standard combat loadout)
Powerplant: 2x Forced Fusion Reactors
Main Thrusters: 2 (Mercurion Drives)
Apogee Motors: 18
Fixed Armament: Kojima R-10 Pulse Laser Array (head mounted), 2x PL7+ Plasma Lances (hand-carried in use)
Additional Armament: 1x Kojima-Saitama Collective Technologies MP-1 Mega Particle Rifle (hand-carried in use), 1x 'Stonebridge' 140mm electromotive shotgun (hand-carried in use), 12x MM-3 Swarm Missiles
Defensive Systems: Laminate Armor

OMF-14 Mikaboshi Mobile Suit

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Mikaboshi with stealth system disabled

OMF-14 Mikaboshi Combat Frame
Origin: Asakura
Primary Operator: ZOCU
Date Of Introduction: 2189 Role: Special Operations Combat Frame
Control System: Direct Neural Interface
Height: 14.0 meters
Weight: 50 tons (estimated)
Powerplant: Unknown
Main Thrusters: Unknown
Apogee Motors: Unknown
Fixed Armament: Kojima R-10 Pulse Laser Array (head mounted), 2x Kojima-Saitama Collective Technologies MP-2 Mega Particle Guns (chest mounted), 4x PL7+ Plasma Lances (hand-carried in use)
Additional Armament: Unknown
Defensive Systems: Laminate Armor, stealth system