Technology & Combat Characteristics
The MS-07B Gouf is designed specifically for Earth-based, close-quarter MS combat. It featured much-improved mobility with a powerful backpack and leg-mounted thrusters for jet-assisted jumps based on the YMS-08A High Mobility Test Type. For armaments, it has the 5-barrel 75mm machine gun in its left hand and a heat rod, which could be used as a superheated slicing weapon or as a grappling weapon with a powerful electric shock effect. It also had a powerful heat sword stored within a shield, and could also use the standard Zaku II weapons, such as the 120mm machine gun or the 280mm bazooka.
The Gouf outclassed the MS-06 Zaku II in terms of speed, power output, and melee combat ability, but its overall performance was not great enough to be justified by its increased cost. The Gouf's production was cut short by the development of a more cost efficient unit, the more powerful and nimble MS-09 Dom. Despite its very short production run, several variations were produced in limited numbers and it was still deployed across the world alongside Zakus and Doms. One customized unit was piloted by Visch Donahue, which had the original 5-fingered machine gun left hand replaced by a normal manipulator hand, in its place a 3-barrel 35mm machine gun was mounted on the left forearm.
History
Soon after its initial introduction, the early model MS-07A Gouf was replaced by the completed MS-07B Gouf model. The Zeon pilot Cpt. Ramba Ral played havoc with the crew of the Pegasus-class White Base carrier and the young pilot of the RX-78-2 Gundam Amuro Ray with his YMS-07B Gouf, a prototype of the standard B-Type Gouf. The Gouf was used all around the world as a means of advancing Zeon's ground campaign as the Zaku slipped into obsolescence.
Shortly after the Gouf's introduction, its production was halted in favor of the more powerful MS-09 Dom. However, research into the Gouf's basic design would continue which would lead to the development of several improved models that would see limited production. Despite this, none of the Gouf's models would see development in the United Maintenance Plan that the Principality of Zeon initiated to improve existing mobile suit designs, likely due to Zeon putting more focus into the One Year War's space front at the time of the plan's initiation and the lack of development in a space-capable Gouf model.