AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra
The AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra (ガーベラ・テトラ) is a mobile suit in the fictional Gundam Universal Century universe.
History
Turning the Tides of War, or the Federation and the Gundam Development Project
As part of its military reconstruction following the One Year War, the Earth Federation Forces began its Gundam Development Project, the goal to produce advanced new Gundam-series mobile suit prototypes to test new technology and concepts. The intended fourth unit in this GP series was the RX-78GP04G Gundam Gerbera. This ill-fated mobile suit designed never saw the light of day, as its goal conflicted with its sister unit, the RX-78GP01 Gundam Zephyranthes. Since then, the full vernian parts were designed to adjust the ground use GP01 into a space use model RX-78GP01Fb Gundam Zephyranthes.
The Gerbera was designed around the Zeon tactic (of which came great success against the Federation in the One Year War) to perform high speed assault with mobile suits. The Federation forces had little or no time to react before being attacked by large groups of mobile suits. The Federation recognized this as a superior tactic, and sought to produce mobile suits to do the same in return.
However, the Zephryanthes was also being designed around the same goal, just a ground used unit, and it made no sense tactically or financially to produce two mobile suits to do the similar task for ground and space, and chose to keep the weaker (yet more economical) design Zephryanthes instead of keeping the Gerbera. Anaheim Electronics was left with an almost completed prototype, and no one to sell it to.
Ditch the White and Blue, or the Perfect Zeonic Mobile Suit
Since the Gerbera was designed to be faster and more powerful than the common Zeon mobile suits of the time, it excelled at high speed assaults. The division within Anaheim Electronics that produced the Gebera was created from the Zeonic Company (which still had strong loyality to Zeon) and was approached by the Delaz Fleet. By request, the division revised the design of the Gerbera and produced the AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra mobile suit.
The Gerbera Tetra carried a powerful beam machine gun, and could be equipped with a "stürm booster" (similar in design to the Gerbera's), which was ultimately a giant external propellant tank with extra thrusters. The "stürm booster" would make the Gerbera Tetra the fastest and most maneuverable mobile suit in existence at that time.
In UC 0083, the Delaz Fleet launched Operation Stardust, an uprising against the Federation. Anaheim Electronics (playing both sides against each other to make a quick buck) offered to support to Aiguille Delaz when Vice-President O'Sullivan gave the completed Gerbera Tetra to Lieutenant Colonel Cima Garahau as a political gesture.
Some say that branch of the Earth Federation which later developed into Titans cancelled the development in order to provide in secret this mobile suit to the spy Cima Garahau. Although highly possible, no actual record could be traced to support this argument.
During the last stages of Operation Stardust, Cima was killed (and the Gerbera Tetra destroyed) by Federation pilot Kou Uraki (piloting the RX-78GP03S Gundam Dendrobium Orchis).
Shortcomings of the modification
Although the GP-04G surely is the most powerful (and most expensive) mobile suit designed and manufactured during the period, the modification to AGX-04 would be the most devastating down grade to the mobile suit. AGX-04 is only GP-04 in disguise, however, the armour of the unit have been placed in different positions and spreading the mass outward from the center of mass. This would ultimately decreasing the turning speed of the unit and thus decreasing the manuverablity of it. The 2 boosters of the GP-04G would be merged into one big booster in the back of the AGX-04, and decreasing the efficiency of the booster by having more material. The shoulder boosters have been enlarged and this would cause turbulence to the outlet nozzle and thus also reducing the maneuverability.
Variants
A AGX-04 A1 unit was designed to improve the AGX-04's short comings in the modification. It is a unit with less modified parts from the GP-04G and would be able to maintain more specification of the GP-04G. However, this design would only be a design for the Gundam Fix Figuration series from Katoki Hajime and does not appear in the UC timeline in any story plot.
Specifications
AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra
Manufacturer: Anaheim Electronics Company
Operator: Cima Fleet
Unit type: prototype general purpose assault mobile suit
Dimensions: overall height 18.0 meters
Weight: empty: 46.7 metric tons standard, 48.5 metric tons with sturm booster; max gross: 73.2 metric tons standard, 86.0 metric tons with sturm booster
Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1710 kW
Special Equipment: optional sturm booster, stores extra propellant, mounts additional thrusters and 2 x ejectable external propellant tanks
Armament: 4 x 110mm machinecannon, mounted in pairs in arms, each pair fire-linked; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in hip armor, hand-carried in use; beam machine gun, powered by rechargeable energy cap
Pilot: Cima Garahau