Morpho

The Morpho (電磁加速砲型モルフォ ,) is the Railgun Type Legion unit which was used to destroy the Republic's Gran Mur and minefields. The unit was the host for the neural network of Kiriya Nouzen which was eliminated by the Nordlicht Squadron at the end of Run Through The Battlefront. The Morpho can only be deployed in certain situations, primarily in a battlefield installed with railway tracks.

An unfinished unit is found in the Charité underground complexes. Another unit is fielded on top of the Mirage Spire in Gun Smoke on the Water.

Description
As the Morpho is optimized in artillery warfare, it is vulnerable to explosives as well as direct ground assaults. To compensate, it is heavily equipped with anti-air armaments and has a strike force of Dinosauria at its defense. The Morpho's main armament is an 800 mm railgun capable of shooting spherical rounds at 8 kilometers per second or slightly above Mach 23 and has a maximum range of 400km. It is also armed with six 40 mm anti-air/ground electromagnetic revolving autocannons, which are capable of fending off enemy vehicles at close range, and protecting the Morpho itself from stand-off munitions, however, these turrets can be overwhelmed by saturation attacks and has a tendency to overheat after prolonged continuous fire, despite their multi-barreled nature.

Due to its railgun requiring massive amounts of electricity, it is significantly larger and heavier than other Legion types, thus requiring more resources in order to produce. In order to recharge, the Morpho employs the help of the Generator Type Edelfalter. The Morpho requires railway tracks in order to compensate for its mass and allow it to rapidly shift positions. It can cruise at a speed of 200km/h on railway tracks.

As the warhead's weight is multiplied by its velocity, the impact of railgun's projectiles possesses immense destructive power. Even the fortified base will crumble like a sandcastle if it is smashed with such a force. Its downside, however, is the long cooldown period. Due to the severe strain on the barrel, the Morpho need to wait for several hours before it can fire the next volley.

Due to the significant heat generated by operating its powerful weaponry, the Morpho is equipped with countless metal wires acting as radiators, which weaved into two pair of "wings". These wires can also be electrified to move and operate as striking weapons, or form a cage to protect the main body.

Trivia

 * Morpho's conception is based on the Schwerer Gustav railway gun built by Nazi Germany during World War II. They are very similar in physical dimensions, weight, and barrel length, and shares the same caliber of 800mm.
 * The schematics displayed during a meeting in Episode 17 is the Gustav itself.
 * In addition, Morpho was used to destroy the Gran Mur, which draws a parallel to the fact that the Gustav was designed to destroy the French Maginot Line fortification.

Morpho