Arm Slave

Arm Slaves are fictional mecha from the light novel, manga, and anime series Full Metal Panic!. These huge, tall robots are used primarily by military forces in the Full Metal Panic! universe, most especially by MITHRIL and Amalgam.

Arm Slaves used by MITHRIL.
Front: ARX-7 Arbalest used by Sousuke Sagara.
Middle: M9D Falke on the left, used by Belfangan Closeau, M9E Gernsback on the right used by Melissa Mao with an antenna on top of the units head for electronic warfare purposes.
Rear: Regular M9E Gernsback used by Kurz Weber.

Overview

The term "Arm Slave" is the shortened form of Armored Mobile Master-Slave System.[1] They are largely humanoid powered suits operating in a semi-master–slave system to coordinate with the pilot (aka master).[1] Developed in the early 1980s under the Reagan Administration, the average Arm Slave (or AS for short) is roughly 8–10 meters tall. This places the craft smaller than most mecha in size. The size of the Arm Slave as shown in the anime is roughly 15–18 meters, conflicting with the figures stated in the novel.

It is one of the sum achievements of many different pieces of Black Technology.[1] In a way, it can be said that all black technologies were created in this fictional universe to rationalize the existence of these humanoid combat machines.

In the first series, they are manufactured and used by the majority of First World nations' armed forces revolutionizing the meaning of the term "mechanized infantry". Nations confirmed as manufacturing Arm Slaves include the United States, Germany, USSR, France, and Japan. The most advanced of these units are used by the unknown terrorist organization, Amalgam, and the elite mercenary counter terrorist organization Mithril, of which the primary characters are members. Sousuke Sagara, Kurz Weber, and Melissa Mao are all Arm Slave pilots.

Within Full Metal Panic!

Arm Slaves occupy a similar cultural position to modern combat jet aircraft. Names and general information are well publicized and are a matter of public record. And like combat aircraft, detailed specifications and capabilities are kept classified. The Arm Slave has however captured the popular imagination, and even extremely advanced units such as the XM9 (M9) Gernsback have some civilian recognition through the media.

It is noted that the Arm Slaves of the Eastern Bloc have been given NATO reporting names, very much like the real-life aircraft and missile systems. The names given to the Soviet Arm Slaves, Shamrock, Savage, and Shadow indicate Arms Slaves are designated with the letter "S". This letter is shared with anti-tank and surface-to-surface missiles.

Dialog in episode 1 of the anime series indicates that periodicals, such as Jane's Arm Slave Recognition Guide, are published about Arm Slaves that contain detailed information useful even to the specialist pilots.[2] These are considered to be Arm Slave equivalents to magazines such as Combat Aircraft Magazine published by Ian Allan Publishing and Jane's Fighting Ships published by Jane's Information Group.

These publications are purchased regularly by characters such as Shinji Kazama, but the publications, like their real world counterparts are specialized and niche products with limited mass market appeal.

The only trace of the Arm Slave present in the series Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a miniature Arm Slave developed by Sousuke Sagara. Sousuke's Bonta-kun units however have several comedic flaws.

History

The Arm Slave is a development of the Reagan Administration Strategic Defense Initiative's research in the 1980s[3] into powered exoskeletal suits to increase the ground soldier's combat capability. Called the XM3, the first powered suit was nothing more than a powered exoskeleton sized around 2 meters tall. This proved to be of low combat effectiveness as it offered little advantage in protection in exchange for its limited mobility. This early prototype was hampered by the lack of a suitable power source that did not burden the unit past its useful load.

The designers took an unorthodox approach in the development process at this point. While technology usually is refined to become smaller and more compact, the successor XM4 project took an opposite direction. By increasing the size of the suit from 2 meters standing to around 8 meters, the designers were able to change the power source from an electrical battery system to internal combustion engines. With the advances in material sciences and engineering at the time, the tremendous increase in power-to-weight ratio of diesel engines and the artificial muscles constructed from electroactive polymers (EAPs) (later refined and called Muscle Packages) made the XM4 a viable weapons platform with a sizable payload. By increasing the payload of the powered armor, and expanding the capabilities of the unit by various electronic warfare packages and options the first generation, and inaugural Arm Slave was introduced to the world as the M4.

One of the most notable aspects of the development of the Arm Slave is the curiously short development span. It took only three years from start of the XM3 project to the resulting M4, an unheard of development span in weapons technology when equivalent civilian robotics was struggling with bipedal motion. The unnatural advance in technology was attributed to extraterrestrial sources by some publications, and managed to fuel a new generation of conspiracy theorists. Soon, the explosive evolution of the Arm Slave in the battlefield reduced its prominence to just another high tech weapon system, alongside the cruise missile and stealth jet fighters.

First Generation

The M4 was the first-ever military Arm Slave. With the technology still in its infancy at the time, the M4 only found limited use in ambushes or urban combat. Military doctrine regarding Arm Slaves at this time was still immature, and more focus was placed on testing the limits of the newfound technology.

The M4 is markedly slower in response time than the average second generation Arm Slave from its dependency on mechanical and hydraulic propulsion. The Muscle Package did not exist in the current form of modular bundles. This led to an extreme difficulty in maintaining the effectiveness of the polymers as they degraded. Combined with simplistic joint anatomy, the low-powered primitive EAP "muscles" did not allow for the M4 to exhibit flexible motion or fast response and agility. However, the M4's general utility and ability to cross varying terrain while retaining combat effectiveness gave the United States enough reason to further refine the Arm Slave.

The First Generation Arm Slave is obsolete at the beginning of the story of Full Metal Panic!, and has been completely replaced by the Second Generation Arm Slave.

Second Generation

The USSR had joined the United States in using the newfound technology. It is assumed that the USSR was also the first ones to field the Arm Slaves later classified as Second Generation. One of the earliest units of this type is the Rk-89 "Shamrock" and later, the Rk-91 and Rk-92 "Savage". These machines stand at roughly 10 meters tall, and were initially powered by diesel piston engines, later upgraded to high-efficiency gas turbine engines. The new weapons found new use as all-weather, all-terrain ground fighting vehicles. The ability of these machines to cover any terrain at speeds above 100 kilometers per hour, and the flexibility in armament from the manipulator arms cemented the position of these machines as king of ground armored fighting vehicles. This allowed the USSR to win the war in Afghanistan (Helmajistan in the anime). Spurred by the victory of the USSR in the Afghan Theater of war, the United States developed and fielded its own advanced Arm Slave, the M6 Bushnell.

Rk-92 Savage armed with BK-540 assault rifle; Used by North Chinese military standing guard in a Vehicle Check Point in Kowloon.

The M6 Bushnell and the Rk-92 Savage are the best known examples of the second generation Arm Slave. Joining them is the German "Drache", English "Cyclone", the French "Mistral II", and the Japanese "Model 96". These have been found stationed around the world in numbers equal to tanks.

What separates them from the first generation models is the largely the use of the modern Muscle Package to impart the Arm Slave with both fast response time and precision movement. Advancements in vetronics (vehicle electronics, a ground based equivalent to avionics) and general engineering are also counted as Second Generation improvements. The M6A1 is notable for being the first Arm Slave to be equipped with an ECS. From shortfalls in generator output, these units are built with binary drive systems combining hydraulic mechanical systems with Muscle Packages. Second Generation units are also notably loud, as their gas turbine generators emit a tremendously loud howl when running.

Third Generation

The Third Generation Arm Slave is exemplified in the M9 Gernsback, the first of its kind.[4] It was thought that MITHRIL was the only organization operating Third Generation Arm Slaves in combat by its Response Teams.[5] The same M9 Gernsback is officially undergoing OPEVAL (operational evaluation) by the United States under the prototype designation of XM9. The Zy-98 "Shadow" is the USSR equivalent and is in limited production as of the beginning of Full Metal Panic.[6] The Plan1056 Codarl and ARX-7 Arbalest, both utilizing the Lambda Driver, are Third Generation Arm Slaves fielded by Amalgam and Mithril, respectively. Additionally, the Codarl frame is based on the Zy-98, while the Arbalest is based on the M9. Later in the events of the episode "Get Together and Make My Day", another type of Arm Slave called the Eligor appears, based on the design of Codarl, and which is even more powerful than Codarl and M9. It is unknown if the type is still classified as a Third Generation Arm Slave, however.

Powered by a lightweight and high-power palladium reactor, the M9 Gernsback features pure Muscle Package drive mated to complex joints that far closer mimic the flexibility and mobility of the human body. Although not obvious, the M9 Gernsback uses lessons learned from insect and animal physiology. Its legs are roughly modeled after a grasshopper and cat joints in construction. These developments allow the M9 to execute its tremendous leaps and absorb the shock of high drops.

The Gernsback's transition to sole Muscle Package propulsion vastly increased the power-to-weight ratio. For comparison, the palladium reactor on an M9 Gernsback is rated at 3,300 hp (2,500 kW) in comparison to the 1,200 hp (890 kW) of the Rk-92 Savage diesel generator. At the same time, an M9 only weighs 70–80% as much as a Rk-92, depending on weapons loadout. With an output more comparable to a jet aircraft, the M9 is capable of punishing maneuvers that can easily injure, disable or kill the pilot. Use of the ECS combined with the very quiet operation of the palladium reactor and the Muscle Package renders the M9 extremely difficult to detect. It is often said that the Arm Slave has reached the man-machine limit, and cannot be improved in mobility. The increased power is instead used to increase the payload capacity of the craft without affecting combat effectiveness.

The increased payload has allowed the installation of an array of electronics including advanced vetronics, fire control systems, damage control, ECS, ECCS, and electronic warfare modules tied together under advanced artificial intelligence. This has allowed for the individual Arm Slave to be a powerful command and communications platform while allowing the pilot to concentrate on combat.

The abilities of the Third Generation Arm Slave are shown in less threatening experiments. For example, two M9s are exhibited practicing the tango under autonomous operation.[7] This experiment requires and shows the flexibility and agility of its complex joint and internal physiology, while highlighting the capabilities of the AI systems controlling the craft in complex interaction and motions. These could never be found in an older Second Generation RK-92 or Bushnell model.

Arm Slave operation

An Arm Slave is operated in a semi-master–slave system. This is an operating method which has the slave arm (machine motion) trace the movements of the master arm (pilot motion). The Arm Slave is not a complete master-slave piloting arrangements, as full motion tracing is impractical within the limited space of the cockpit. This limitation is solved by the Arm Slave amplifying the motion of the pilot. The "semi" designation of the piloting system refers to this machine-assisted motion management.[8]

The simplest and most obvious aspect is the Bilateral Angle, or the BMSA. BMSA is the amplification factor of the master movement by the slave trace. With a BMSA of 3, a pilot motion of 30 degrees is amplified to 90 degrees. Lower BMSA values are used in training, and more accomplished pilots make use of higher values. The usual range is between 1.3 (training) to 2.4 (standard) to 3.5 (high).[8]

While the Second Generation Arm Slaves were limited in joint flexibility and overall anatomy, Third Generation units are mechanically capable of motions difficult or impossible for humans. A full master slave system, perfectly tracing the motion of a pilot would be limited to the same capabilities of the pilot. The semi-master–slave operation, controlled by complex software systems commonly called motion managers are capable of translating pilot motion into maneuvers impossible by the human body.

Skilled pilots spend a significant amount of time in optimization and personalization of the these motion patterns. Arm Slave vetronics including the motion managers form a critical component of arm slave performance characteristics. The M9 AI systems are indispensable in controlling the Arm Slave, allowing the pilot to make use of the full capabilities of the craft.[8]

List of Arm Slaves

Countries

United Kingdom
Type Notes
Cyclone Made using the combined know-how of all the country's airplane manufacturing companies, resulting in a light machine with exceptional mobility. An upgraded version called the Cyclone II packs two generators.
Italy
Type Notes
Tornado
France
Type Notes
C3-5 Mistral II The only known Arm Slave in the series to not have a pure humanoid shape, the Mistral has two arms extending from the front of its body.[9][10] It is mostly seen in the Second Raid episode "Ending Day by Day" in the Balic military's service. Most of their weapons and equipment have been supplied by Amalgam via French arms manufacturers such as GIAT when they engaged in a civil war against guerrillas and were known to be involved in an attempt to perform ethnic cleansing on Balic's refugee populations.
Germany
Type Notes
Drache Made using technology and know-how from the nation's tank manufacturers, it boasts exceptional armor strength.
Wolf Appearing in the Full Metal Panic! Another manga series, the Wolf is Germany's first third-generation AS. It is also believed to surpass the M9 in terms of performance.
Japan
Type Notes
Type 96 Models include T96 models modified for one or two pilots. The Type 96 is a design modified from base M6 design, similar to the relationship between the F-2 and F-16. In the Full Metal Panic! Another manga series, the JGSDF fields an upgraded version called the Type 96 Kai.
AS-1 Blaze Raven The main AS of Full Metal Panic! Another, the Blaze Raven sports an appearance akin to samurai warriors, right down to the Type-10 monomolecular cutter, which looks like a katana. The AS-1 is an advanced late third-generation prototype AS developed by a Japanese consortium including the MOD's Technical Research and Development Institute (also referred to in-universe by its role as the Technical Design Group for the project), Ebisu Heavy Industries (EHI), and other domestic manufacturing groups.[11] (Note that Ebisu Heavy Industries appears to be an expy for Fuji Heavy Industries.) At full height it stands at 8.6m (28.21ft), with a fully loaded weight of 9.8t. It has a Hitachi PRH-281 Palladium reactor rated at 3400kW. This allows the highly maneuverable AS-1 to remain operational for a maximum of 70 minutes under average combat conditions.
United States
Type Notes
M4
M6, M6A1, M6A2 Bushnell The main Arm Slave of the US Army and the US Marine Corps. The USMC M6A2 uses a large reactive armor shield as optional equipment. In the Full Metal Panic! Another manga series, the Bushnell appears as a heavy weapons version called the M6A2 Bushmaster.
M6A3 Dark Bushnell Enhanced model for special operations, similar to the relationship between the MH-60 and UH-60.
XM9 U.S. Army OPEVAL unit. A provisional order for 26 units has been tabled as of the beginning of Full Metal Panic.
M9 Gernsback Armored A production version of the XM9 AS deployed by the US military, the Gernsback Armored sports multiple armor plates.
M9A1E1 Gernsback Arsenal A heavy-weapons version of the Gernsback, the Gernsback Arsenal is equipped with a large cannon and a UAV command interface.
USSR[12]
Type Notes
Rk-89 "Shamrock" First saw action in Afghanistan, almost totally phased out of the Soviet Army.
"Savage"
Rk-91 / Rk-92
Front-line Soviet Army unit; a common Arm Slave in the hands of terrorist organizations. One of the titular second-generation Arm Slaves created by the Soviet Union in 1992 after the Gulf War,[13] the Savage is a mass-produced unit used by the Eastern bloc.[14] It has also been exported to other communist nations, including North Korea and North China.[15] The Rk-92 is an upgrade of the Rk-91 with a gas turbine engine.[1] Amalgam fields upgraded versions called the Rk-96M in later novels.
Zy-98 "Shadow" Created by the Zeya Design Bureau and secretly procured & deployed by Amalgam, the Shadow is the USSR's third-generation Arm Slave, presumably undergoing OPEVAL with the Soviet Army at the time of the original FMP series.[6][14] By the time of the follow up series (FMP!:Sigma) examples had begun to enter full service with Soviet elite front line & spetsnaz units. It is comparable to the M9 in terms of capability such as having ECS equipment.[6] This is said to be the reason why the Zy-98 received the NATO reporting name SHADOW, which name, much as in the case of its predecessor the Rk-91 (codenamed SAVAGE by NATO), was quickly adopted by its Soviet and other users as the semi-official name for their machines. Sousuke Sagara's close friend, Zaied, uses a red and black colored Shadow during the Wind Blows at Home episode arc. Amalgam deploys several Shadows during the events of the Second Raid episodes The Dungeon and The Dragon and Daylight. In the light novel "Always Stand By Me," Kurz Weber uses a special sniper version borrowed from the GRU. An export version (albeit upgraded by a certain PMC), called the Zy-99M, appears in the Full Metal Panic! Another manga series.
Rk-02 "Scepter" Appearing in the Full Metal Panic! Another manga series, the Rk-02 is equipped with a heavy armor system, and manipulators. but few orders have been placed because of the popularity of the Rk-96.

Organizations

Amalgam
Type Notes
Plan1055 Belial Leonard Testarossa's Arm Slave, which appears in the novel Continuing on My Own as one of the world's first fourth-generation Arm Slaves. Testarossa uses it to destroy the Arbalest.[16] Although it has no weapons aside from 40mm cannons, in the novel "Always Stand By Me," it is equipped with the "Isaiahan Bone Bow," an advanced railgun that counters the effects of the Laevatein's "Fairy's Feather" anti-Lambda Driver system.
Plan1056 Codarl Mithril codename "Venom", the first Lambda Driver-equipped Arm Slave in Amalgam's arsenal.[17] The Codarl series is based on the frame of the USSR's Zy-98 Shadow. Gauron pilots a silver Codarl during the Khanka hostage crisis in the Full Metal Panic! series episodes Whispered, Still Alive, Boy Meets Girl, and the three-part episode Wind Blows at Home.
Plan1058 Codarl(i) Mithril codename "Venom", ostensibly a refinement of the Codarl, but an entirely new Arm Slave. Gauron pilots a red-colored version during the events of the Full Metal Panic! episodes Venom's Fire, Field of Giants, and Into the Blue. Gates also pilots a red Venom in the latter episodes of The Second Raid.
Plan1059 Codarl(m) A mass-produced version of the Codarl which makes an appearance in Hong Kong during the final few episodes of the Second Raid. The unit is painted mostly in shades of green and is armed with various melee weapons.
Plan1051 Behemoth The largest Arm Slave in the Full Metal Panic! universe. Although it dwarfs other Arm Slaves, the mech is equipped with a Lambda Driver to help support its huge bulk. The A-21 terrorist group uses one Behemoth during its rampage in Tokyo in the first season episodes Behemoth Awakening and One Night Stand. Amalgam later deploys several Behemoths for the Mérida Island assault in the novel Continuing on My Own.[1]
Plan1065 Eligor Similar to the Venom, but more bulkier on the upper half and with a different heat-sink system. The Eligor's Lambda Driver exhibits more power than those from Codarls.
Plan1211 Alastor At around two meters, the Alastor is the smallest existing Arm Slave in the Full Metal Panic! universe and is also AI-controlled.[18] Two Alastors serve as Leonard Testarossa's personal bodyguards.
Mithril
Type Notes
ARX-6 Halberd Failed Lambda Driver Arm Slave prototype.
ARX-7 Arbalest Mithril's sole Lambda Driver–equipped Arm Slave, piloted only by Sousuke Sagara.[19][20] The AS would be Sousuke's main steed starting from the Khanka operation in the first animated series until it is destroyed by the Belial in the novel Continuing on My Own.
ARX-8 Laevatein First appearing in the novel Come Make My Day, the Laevatein is a new high-performance Arm Slave containing the Arbalest's salvaged Lambda Driver and AI system codenamed AL.[21] The AI joined forces with Sarah Miller,[21][22] the Whispered girl that Sousuke, Kurz and Mao rescued in the first episode of the animated series, to design the Laevatein and tailor it for Sousuke. While it has no ECS system unlike the Arbalest and Gernsback, the Laevatein is equipped with the "Fairy's Feather," a device that cancels all Lambda Drivers-even its own-when activated. Its weapons include a set of grenades, anti-tank daggers, a new Demolition Gun, and the Boxer II shotgun. It also has two manipulators hidden its chest to assist in carrying two assault rifles and is designed to take advantage of the new XL-3 flightpack.
M9D Falke An M9 variant intended to carry a Lambda Driver; plans for this were shelved and the two produced units were used[23] as testbeds for the Arbalest. One of them would become Mithril Mediterranean Sea Fleet officer Belfangan Closeau's personal AS.[24]
M9E Gernsback The world's first third-generation Arm Slave, the Gernsback is Mithril's standard line AS, believed to be ten years ahead of American AS.[4]

Reception

THEM Anime Reviews has noted that the Arm Slaves, like most real life vehicles, are done meticulously that fans of mecha series would "online catalogues for tech books and sketches."[25] Bureau 42 says that the "mecha[Arm Slave] action in the show is very well done. While I can’t compare the action with other more grounded mecha shows like Patlabor, the combat is very well done and easy to follow, and visually interesting."[26] Triforce commented that Arm Slave battles in the Full Metal Panic! series would be able to keep viewer's attention to the show.[27] Anime Chaos praises the 2D and 3D CG done on the 1st Full Metal Panic! season, with emphasis on the use of CG for the Arm Slaves.[28]

Negative criticism has surfaced on the role of the Arm Slaves throughout the Full Metal Panic! series. For instance, Ender's review states that their mecha roles are confusing that the Arm Slaves are both "08th MS Team soldiers and Dragon Ball Z-type fighters, hurling energy balls at each other and going "Super Saiya-jin."[29] Anime Database rated the Full Metal Panic! series 4 out of 5 because of the Arm Slaves battles since they start out from being good to being very unrealistic.[30] GameSpot Union comments on the relationship between the Arm Slaves and the animation done on Full Metal Panic!, saying both animation and camera views were bad.[31]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Full Metal Panic! Terminology". www.animeshinobi.com. 2006. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  2. Ikeda Takezo. "DVD Vision Japan's Full Metal Panic! Review". DVD Vision Japan. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  3. Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid: MITHRIL Report - Tactical Ops Booklet 1, Page 3.
  4. 1 2 "M9E Gernsback". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  5. "MITHRIL Datafile: M9 Gernsback". Archived from the original on 2003-12-06. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  6. 1 2 3 "Zy-98 Shadow". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  7. Full Metal Panic!: The Second Raid OAV.
  8. 1 2 3 Shouji, G. (April 2004). 音程は哀しく、射程は遠く. 富士見書房. ISBN 4-8291-1605-6.
  9. "Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid: Act III, Scene 01 + α MITHRIL Report". Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  10. "Mistral II". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  11. "Full Metal Panic contributions". Mecha Talk (www.MAHQ.net). Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  12. All USSR Arm Slaves names are NATO reporting names and are not official designations.
  13. "Savage Specs". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  14. 1 2 "RK-78 and 79 "Savage"". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  15. "MITHRIL Datafile: Rk-92 Savage". Archived from the original on 2003-12-06. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  16. "Plan 1055 Belial". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  17. "Full Metal Panic! Arm Slave mecha design". www.animeshinobi.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  18. "Alastor Specs". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  19. "Arbalest Specs". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  20. "ARX-7 Arbalest". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  21. 1 2 "ARX-8 Laevatein". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  22. "Sarah Miller". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  23. "Falke". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  24. "M9D Falke". Jindai High. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  25. Jason Bustard. "T.H.E.M. Anime Review's Full Metal Panic". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  26. Dave (2008-09-06). "Review: Full Metal Panic". Bureau 42. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  27. "Trifoce's Full Metal Panic! review". Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  28. "Anime Chaos' Full Metal Panic! Review". Anime Chaos. Archived from the original on 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  29. Ender (2005-10-16). "Anime Academy's Full Metal Panic! review". Anime Academy. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  30. "Anime Database's Full Metal Panic! Review". Anime Database. Archived from the original on 2004-04-11. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  31. Gr33nHippo (2008-07-12). "Full Metal Panic! Review". Anime Cafe, Gamespot Union. Retrieved 2009-09-07.

Bibliography

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