Formula Project - F90 Gundam Formula 90

F90 Gundam Formula 90

After securing the Federation's contract, SNRI's first task was to develop a smaller, lighter, and more efficient mobile suit which could be adopted to various mission roles. Under the flag of the "Formula Project", SNRI designed and rolled out the F90 Gundam "Formula 90". The Gundam F90 certainly filled the EFF's bill, weighing in at a mere 17.8 tons fully loaded, packing enough rocket thrusters to achieve a maximum acceleration of 4.2 Gs, and equipped with 11 hardpoints all over its body, which would allow the Gundam to be equipped with a wide variety of external weapons, armor, or other equipment. Despite its slightly smaller size and lighter weight, the F90 still carried a standard armament of Vulcan guns, beam sabers, a beam rifle, and a shield in its "basic" configuration. However, the hardpoints - and the vast array of new weapons and equipment designed to be mounted on them - allowed for as many as 26 different variations on the basic F90 frame, making this Gundam a true multi-role unit. Initially, two F90 units would be constructed for test flights and evaluations by the Earth Federation Forces' 13th Autonomous Fleet.

However, the timing of the Gundam F90's rollout could not have been a mere coincidence when a remnant Zeon force, calling themselves the "Oldsmobile Army", made its appearance. During a test flight near Side 4 on October 28, U.C.0120, Gundam F90 Unit 2 was stolen by the Oldsmobile Army. This unit would be overhauled and deployed by the Oldsmobile Army, reconfigured into the OMS-90R Gundam F90, with Lt. Bosch, a Zeon sympathizer acting within the EFF, at the helm. After arriving on Mars, F90 Unit 1, piloted by EFF test pilot Def Stallion, encountered Bosch and the OMS-90R, leading to an intense battle in which Bosch revealed that most of the F90's skills were thanks to two unique AI systems in the Gundams: The "A.R." system in Unit 1, and the "C.A." system in Unit 2. By the end of Def and Bosch's fight, the OMS-90R was destroyed, while the F90 Unit 1 had been severely damaged, losing its head and left arm. Although the EFF was victorious in the fight against the Oldsmobiles, with Def and the F90 Unit 1 returning from the fight, the destruction of both units dealt a severe blow. However, development of the Gundam F90 would continue for at least two more years, until the development and deployment of the much more advanced Gundam F91.