Technology & Combat Characteristics
This modified GM was part of the F Type series with enhanced armor and mobility. The modified parts were the same as the RGM-79F Desert GM, with dust-proofing applied to its joints and enhanced reactive armor covering the parts with a higher probability of getting hit. It was also equipped with a high-output backpack to compensate for the weight gain. The biggest characteristic of this unit was the new thruster system attached to its leg, which granted it excellent mobility and the ability to hover much like the Dom.
While the Armored GM might have lacked in firepower, the mobile suit's heavy armor and superb mobility easily made up for it. It was expected to be able to go toe-to-toe with the Dom which was feared by Federation forces on the frontlines. This unit was mostly deployed in the African warfront, but records at the end of the OYW showed that Earth Federation units outside of Africa made a rush of requests to deploy them due to their performance on the battlefield and high survivability. Like the GM, it was easy to maintain, standardized, and offered exceptional versatility.
History
The Armored GM was not deployed until very late in the One Year War, as late as November, and was designed primarily for ground combat. It's high mobility, survivability and ease of maintenance made it a popular MS in the African Front, being particularly favored by mechanics in the field as its dust proofing was much more thorough and effective than those of other machines fielded at the time by the Earth Federation. One of the few recorded instances of the Armored GM being fielded was January 1, UC 0080, in the vast stretches of the deserts of North Africa. The Midnight Fenrir Corps, answering a distress call from several Magella Attack tanks attached to Number 11 Supply Corps, fought off several waves of attacks by standard GMs, supplemented by a squad of the new Armored GMs. Despite it's popularity, very few of these machines were deployed due to Zeon's Desert Rommel destroying a warehouse containing the parts necessary to convert a GM into an F/D Type.