Technology & Combat Characteristics
One of the last machines in the Zaku II High Mobility Type series, the MS-06R-2 Zaku II High Mobility Type was Zeonic Company's entry in the competition for the Principality of Zeon's next generation space-use mainstay MS. It was a replacement for the beam weaponry equipped MS-11 (later the MS-14 Gelgoog) which was facing delays in development. The competition was one of Zeon's responses to the Earth Federation Forces' successful development of their own MS and their counter offenses.
The R-2 had a complicated development history that reflected the confusion that plagued the Zeon’s mobile suit development. It is based on the MS-06R-2P Zaku II High Mobility Test Type, which was intended to be able to use beam weaponry, but failed to reach a practical level. However, the suit exhibited high capabilities even without beam weaponry, and was later redesigned into the high mobility R-2 which uses normal Zaku II weapons. The R-2’s exterior is almost identical to the past Zaku II High Mobility Type machines, but it has been greatly altered in various areas, such as a new generator with higher output, a different chest piece, higher propellant capacity, and the use of lighter and better armor material in some sections. Thus, the R-2 has higher performance and is lighter than the R-1 and the R-1A Types.
The R-2 was reputed as a “Gelgoog wearing a Zaku’s skin” for its high capabilities. In fact, it used parts meant for the still in development Gelgoog in its construction. A result of this is that its legs’ internal structure has been redesigned. The R-2’s legs are also better armored compared to previous Zaku High Mobility Types, offering better protection against enemies attacks. These added armor also make the silhouette of the R-2’s legs more similar to that of the Gelgoog’s. It should however be noted that the shape of the leg armor can vary slightly from machine to machine. Like the other Zaku High Mobility Types, the R-2 has propellant tanks in the calfs and thighs to increase the operating time of the legs’ propulsion devices.
The suit’s backpack is based on those used by past Zaku High Mobility Type machines, but the propellant tank at the top is enlarged and holds 18% more fuel than the R-1A Type’s. Other features of the backpack remain the same, such as large thruster nozzles, an exposed roll bar at the top that could facilitate exchange of propellant tank or the entire backpack, and fin-shaped stabilizers at the bottom that can move together with the thrusters, granting the suit high mobility and maneuverability. The R-2’s communication and sensor systems are also enhanced like the past Zaku High Mobility Types. Despite having a blade antenna on its head, this does not indicate that the suit is a commander use machine as with the usual Zaku II. Instead, it is said that the suit’s designer included the blade antenna simply for decorative purposes, and it is present on all the R-2 machines during roll out. The particularly shape of blade antenna used is known as the stabilizer type.
Despite having better specifications, the R-2 lost the competition to the Zimmad Company’s MS-09R Rick Dom due to issues with cost and operating conditions. In the end, only four R-2 were produced, and they were deployed to ace pilots, such as Johnny Ridden.
History
Only four R-2 Zakus were produced before the MS-09R Rick Dom was chosen as the new space combat MS. They were assigned to Major Johnny Ridden (painted red and black), Lieutenant Colonel Gabby Hazard (painted orange and black), Colonel Robert Gilliam (painted blue and beige) and the fourth unit was given to test pilot Elliot Rem, which eventually evolved into the MS-06R-3S High Mobility Type Zaku. In the Spirits of Zeon video game, the fourth unit is assigned to Kurt Roswell (painted maroon and gray).