Technical and Historical Notes
The second of three mobile suit prototypes built under the Earth Federation's "Project V" during the One Year War, the RX-77-2 Guncannon was a step above the RX-75 Guntank in that it was a true mobile suit and not just a "mobile suit body on a tank." Like its brethren Guntank and RX-78-2 Gundam, the Guncannon used the same FF-X7 Core Fighter as an escape system for the pilot. Also like the Gundam, the Guncannon was one of the first mobile suits to use the energy cap-based beam rifle, as well as head-mounted vulcan guns for close range defense.
However, the Guncannon was designed as a mid-range fire support unit, and its primary armament was its shoulder-mounted 240 mm cannons. The main drawback to this was the cannons' limited ammunition supply, but an experienced pilot learned to use the ammo conservatively and effectively to stay in battle longer (as Guncannon pilot Kai Shiden had to learn the hard way). Initially, only one RX-77-2 survived a Zeon attack on the Side 6 colony when Project V was uncovered, and this unit was transferred to the Federation assault carrier White Base, where it continued to serve until the end of the war. A second Guncannon unit was later pieced together and added to White Base's mobile suit complement, with the two units designated "C-108" and "C-109."
The second of three mobile suit prototypes built under the Earth Federation's "Project V" during the One Year War, the RX-77-2 Guncannon was a step above the RX-75 Guntank in that it was a true mobile suit and not just a "mobile suit body on a tank." Like its brethren Guntank and RX-78-2 Gundam, the Guncannon used the same FF-X7 Core Fighter as an escape system for the pilot. Also like the Gundam, the Guncannon was one of the first mobile suits to use the energy cap-based beam rifle, as well as head-mounted vulcan guns for close range defense.
However, the Guncannon was designed as a mid-range fire support unit, and its primary armament was its shoulder-mounted 240 mm cannons. The main drawback to this was the cannons' limited ammunition supply, but an experienced pilot learned to use the ammo conservatively and effectively to stay in battle longer (as Guncannon pilot Kai Shiden had to learn the hard way). Initially, only one RX-77-2 survived a Zeon attack on the Side 6 colony when Project V was uncovered, and this unit was transferred to the Federation assault carrier White Base, where it continued to serve until the end of the war. A second Guncannon unit was later pieced together and added to White Base's mobile suit complement, with the two units designated "C-108" and "C-109."
