A series explaining the mechanics of battleships and other equipment appearing in the remake Space Battleship Yamato remake series, from Yamato 2199 to REBEL 3199. Part 11 introduces the Type-5 Mobile Space Armor, the latest model of mechanized infantry exoskeleton equipment operated as the main force of the Space Cavalry.
Text by Yuka Minagawa
Type 2 Mobile Space Armor
The Type 2 Mobile Space Armor was intended to serve dual roles as a space fighter and armored combat vehicle. However, units produced based on its design data during the Gatlantis Campaign are now also employed as work vehicles in various sectors, including Time Fault operations.
● Specifications & Performance
Name: Type 5 Mobile Space Armor
Category: Mechanized Infantry Exoskeleton Equipment (Space Cavalry Specification)
Total Height: 2.09m
Total Width: 1.30m
Depth: 0.96m
*Standard configuration
● Primary Equipment
Back hovering nozzle
Distributed thrusters (distributed throughout body)
Main thrusters (both sides of backpack)
Back mass balance control arm x 1 (also functions as tire and momentum wheel for movement)
● Primary Armament
Mounted Weapons (optional)
Right Arm: Self-defense 9mm pulse laser machine gun
Left Arm: Grenade launcher x 3, Rocket launcher x 2
Carried Weapons
12.7mm standard assault rifle
30mm autocannon (squad support weapon)
Smoke Discharger
The shoulders are equipped with chaff/flare dispensers and smoke dischargers for diversionary purposes. A separate smoke generator was used during the escape from the Grand Reverse’s thalamus chamber.
Adhesive Rappel Device
During the 65th Escort Squadron’s goodwill visit to Iscandar in 2205, Mobile Space Armor was carried aboard the supply carrier Asuka. During the voyage, acrobatic combat training using the adhesive rappelling device was conducted in coordination with the air wing.
Unit Structure
The torso is modularized, and multiple sizes are available to suit the physique of each unit’s operator. The chest armor is designed to allow the operator to insert their hands inside the armor and control both arms. By releasing the control handle, the operator can freely move their hands outside the armor, making it easy to jettison in an emergency.
Cavalry Combat Ship
Operations primarily involve troop transports and cavalry combat craft, modified from armored troop transports, for space maneuvering.
The Type-5 Mobile Space Armor is a mechanized infantry exoskeleton system standardized in 2205 and remains the primary equipment of the Space Cavalry as of 2207.
Following the Garmillas War, the Technical Headquarters advanced plans to enhance the mobility of armored space suits. It became clear that anti-personnel weapons were ineffective against android soldiers during the Garmillas War, and combat against unknown alien forces required the use of anti-materiel weapons and rapid mobile deployment. This necessitated equipment based on new combat doctrine. Development of the Type 5 Mobile Space Armor itself gained momentum when operational data from the independently developed Type 2 Armor on the Eleventh Planet was extensively incorporated into this plan.
The Type-5 Armor is positioned as infantry, primarily handling anti-materiel weapons against mobile space weapons. This stems from the intent to augment human size, enabling the use of large weapons difficult for standard infantry to carry, and anticipates combat against lifeforms exceeding the size of Earthlings or Garmillans.
Overall, it features light armor and reduced weight, bringing it closer to infantry size. The primary structure is based on a Y-shaped frame (Y-shaped spine) for the torso, with arms and legs connected, and a backpack with arms equipped for running and posture control. This Y-shaped frame improves adaptability to the wearer, enabling movements closer to those of a human.
The armor employs wheel dash and bipedal running/walking for mobility. Emphasis was placed on ensuring both space maneuverability and land mobility during trench warfare. Combining the momentum wheel on the back with crawlers (continuous tracks) on the legs enhances land mobility. The high-speed rotation of the wheel combined with arm movement enables mass balance-based posture control without thrusters, achieving high stealth during space maneuvers. Utilizing the dual crawlers on each leg also allows for ultra-precise turning on the spot (the leg tips feature iron claws to increase kicking power during close combat).
Furthermore, specialized electromagnetic adhesion devices on the arms and legs enable flexible coordination and ascent/descent operations against space fighters on walls, ceilings, and similar surfaces.
In addition to mounted weapons on both arms, it carries a 12.7mm standard assault rifle and can operate a 30mm cannon as a squad support weapon. The 12.7mm standard assault rifle is a compact bullpup design with a short overall length, making it highly maneuverable. Its energy rounds possess approximately ten times the destructive power of early 21st-century rifles. A grenade launcher is also mounted beneath the barrel. The 30mm cannon boasts firepower comparable to that of a space carrier’s main armament, capable of engaging mobile armor, carrier-based aircraft, and small vessels.
The Space Cavalry operates under the jurisdiction of the Earth Federation Space Marine Corps of the Earth Federation Space Force, and these equipment configurations are modified as needed for specific missions and operations.
Equipped with Type 5 Mobile Space Armor, the Space Cavalry operated in conjunction with the ground forces during the invasion of Dezarium’s new capital in 2207, and has since cooperated with Dezarium under the orders of the Defense Force Command, including providing security for the new capital.
