Technology & Combat Characteristics
Like many mobile suits designed around the time of the Gryps Conflict, the Gaza-C series from Axis Zeon were built around the concept of a versatile transforming frame. Although the Gaza-C was put into mass production, there were minor flaws in the design, and the manufacturing resources of the Axis asteroid was limited, so many of the Gaza-C's parts were recycled from older Gaza-A and Gaza-B construction mobile suits.
Despite this, the Gaza-C was a successful design that provided an excellent balance of speed, maneuverability, and firepower for little cost and was the first mass-produced version of the Gaza series. However, one major problem with the Gaza-C is that due to its flimsy construction, the mobile suit would literally fall apart after using its transformation systems only a few times; the average lifespan of a Gaza-C would be three combat missions. This flaw was remedied in later Gaza models.
History
During the conflict in U.C.0087, the Axis Zeon deployed over 100 Gaza-Cs when the Axis asteroid entered the Earth Sphere.
Following the end of the Gryps Conflict, the Axis Zeon was renamed into the Neo Zeon, and the Gaza-C continued to be deployed. At the same time, the Neo Zeon also began to deploy newer mobile suit based on the Gaza-C, such as the AMX-006 Gaza-D. It was estimated that nearly 250 Gaza-C units were produced.
Although production of the Gaza-C ended during the First Neo Zeon War, a number of these mobile suits survived and continued to be used by Neo Zeon remnants groups, such as the Sleeves. Since the Sleeves lacked the resources to compete with the Earth Federation's production capabilities, they deployed any mobile suit they could get a hold of, even outdated machines as far back as the One Year War. These Gaza-C units would be repainted in a green color scheme and given the distinctive markings featured on many of the mobile suits used by the Sleeves. Several Gaza-C units were deployed by the Sleeves during the Federation's attack on Palau, where they performed poorly against the Earth Federation's more modern and advanced mobile suits.