Archangel Class Assault Ship - Design and Construction

Design and Construction

The Archangel-class assault ship was developed to support the mobile suits developed under the G Project. The G Project, which was initiated by Earth Alliance with support of Morgenroete Inc., developed the base unit GAT-X102 Duel, heavy assault unit GAT-X103 Buster, stealth unit GAT-X207 Blitz, high-powered commander unit GAT-X303 Aegis and most famous of the five, the multi-mode GAT-X105 Strike. For this intent, she is equipped with two linear catapults for supporting launches of mobile suits.

Her design is based on the Orb Union's Izumo-class battleship. Some elements of Izumo's design which was also used in the construction of the Archangel-class assault ships include the "Lohengrin" positron blaster cannon and "Gottfried" Mk.71 dual high-energy beam cannon. She is also equipped with laminated armor, which provides protection against beam weaponry by dispersing them across the entire surface of the armor. Due to extensive automation, the Archangel-class can be operated even by a small crew.

Two Archangel-class ships were built during the war: the Archangel and the Dominion. In addition, the Archangel-class had a special tender vessel designed for it, called the Cornelius-class. The prototype for the Archangel's tender would later be acquired by the Junk Guild and modified into the ReHOME. The production vessels of Cornelius-class were seen with the Dominion when she was at the Earth Alliance Ptolemaeus lunar base.

Later, after the Bloody Valentine War ended, the Archangel was refitted with underwater operation capabilities, making her almost invincible underwater because most beam weapons (which is the main armament of mobile suits and ships) do not work underwater while she can use her "Valiant" Mk.8 110 cm linear cannon, a projectile based railgun, underwater. This is proven in underwater battles during the Second Bloody Valentine War. In addition, this capability makes the Archangel difficult to detect. After being refitted, the Archangel also had improved control systems that allowed it to be operated by an even smaller crew.