162. MS-09 Dom

MS-09 Dom is a mass-production ground combat mobile suit,the unit makes its first appearance in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. It is most well known to be piloted by the Black Tri-Stars, along with the pilots Abraham and Rayburn.

The MS-09 Dom was the successor to MS-06F Zaku II and MS-07B Gouf mobile suits, and far surpassed both in terms of performance. Developed as a heavy-type, high performance mobile suit, the Dom could outmaneuver the Federation's new mass production mobile suit, the RGM-79 GM. While the Dom can use many of the Zaku II and Gouf standard armaments, it was Typically equipped with a new 360mm Giant Bazooka, which could easily blow apart a mobile suit. Later, a new 880mm Raketen Bazooka was also developed that could destroy almost anything with one hit. The Dom also had a new Heat Saber, shaped very much like a beam saber, that was used for close combat. Lastly, the Dom featured a scattering beam gun, too weak to damage mobile suits, but powerful enough to blind a pilot for a few seconds.
The Dom's main advantages were its speed, agility, and maneuverability. The Dom had massive legs and a "skirt," under which were several high-powered thermonuclear jet engines that allowed the Dom to hover over the ground. These gave it a 240 kilometer per hour hovering speed, which far surpassed the Gouf's running speed of only 99 kilometers per hour. The Dom's superiority was blatantly evident to the Zeon forces and the Dom went quickly into mass production.