Technology & Combat Characteristics
A high-mobility space-use variant of the MVF-M11C Murasame, the Ootsukigata's main function is to attack enemy units from outside their attack range as other friendly units closed in for battle. Its armament is largely the same as the Murasame, except that the wing-mounted CIWS and the skirt-mounted missiles have been removed. Unlike the Murasame, the Ootsukigata does not have any wings, in their place are a search and targeting sensor and a railgun for long-range artillery attacks. Thanks to an improved fire control system directly linked to the suit's sensors, the Ootsukigata can recognize up to 128 targets and lock on to 32 targets, but these numbers are halved when under the effects of Neutron Jammers.
As the Ootsukigata is a space-use mobile suit, the air-tightness of its cockpit has been enhanced and additional cooling equipment for the suit's radiation protection system are installed in the skirt armor in place of the missiles carried by the Murasame. The suit also has a revised communication and AI system for improved coordination with the MBF-M1A M1A Astray. Like the Murasame, the Ootsukigata can switch between MA and MS mode, and has additional thrusters incorporated into the shield and leg units. These thrusters can also act as heat sinks and help in maneuvering the suit when in the lower atmosphere. To distinguish the Ootsukigata from their Murasame counterparts, the suit is painted in light blue.
History
An unknown number of Ootsukigata were produced and stationed at the lunar city of Copernicus as reserve forces. During the Battle of Messiah, the Ootsukigata were loaded onto and deployed from the Izumo-class battleships Tsukyomi and Susanoo. One such unit was piloted by Takito Haya Oshidari, and fought against ZAFT's ZGMF-X3000Q Providence ZAKU, which was ironically piloted by his former girlfriend, Rinna Sera Iyasaka. Both pilots survived the battle.