Technology & Combat Characteristics
During the initial development of the RCX-76-02 Guncannon First Type, differently equipped units were produced for evaluation tests. The RCX-76-01B was designed to test equipment for long distance support. A large caliber gun is equipped on the weapon platform on both shoulders, and the right arm has been replaced with a quadruple gun for short range combat. The RCX-76-01B also had a second cockpit on the head, manned by a gunner which controlled the weapons, while the control of the machine was done from the abdominal cockpit. It was found that the recoil received by the MS during the test of the large caliber cannon was greater than expected, so its use in the Guncannon First Type was rejected
History
Anaheim Electronics, which had obtained information about the new type of mobile suit that was being developed in secrecy by the Autonomous Republic of Zeon, put its sense of smell to work as befitting a military-industrial complex, and embarked on the development of its own mobile suit. The Von Braun Plant, the largest plant of all plants scattered throughout the geosphere, was to inherit the RCX-76 Guncannon First Type Rollout Unit 1 that was developed by Dr. Tem Ray, by producing a prototype with different equipment for evaluation testing. The RCX-76-01B Guncannon Firepower Test Type (produced after the RCX-76-01A) was tested for long-range, terrestrial, and aerial combat equipment. It had a cockpit in its head, and adopted an operational system where a gunner boarded the head to engage fire control, and body movements were operated in the belly of the mobile suit. Data obtained from the RCX-76-01B was amassed at the Von Braun plant, and was used to determine the armament and specifications of RCX-76-02 .
Detailed materials on the Guncannon First Type had not been revealed for a long time, but its development process had finally come to light in a then-recent survey. Perhaps from the trauma of losing the Battle of Mare Smythii, relevant data had been kept under lock and key in Anaheim Electronic's Von Braun Plant. The image materials that were obtained were those of the Mobility Test Type and Firepower Test Type .