The Morpho (電磁加速砲型, Morufo?) 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, more than 30 meters long, capable of shooting spherical rounds at 8 kilometers per second or slightly above Mach 23[1] and has a maximum range of 400km. It is also armed with six 40 mm six-barrel anti-air/ground electromagnetic Vulcan 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.
The Morpho unit deployed at the Mirage Spire is equipped with additional 40mm rotary cannons mounted on mechanical arms controlled by a secondary processing unit that controls said arms. Eintagsfliegen units can be used to conceal the orientation of these arms by using their optical deflection abilities.
In order to improve its ground defensive capabilities, Morpho is equipped with an explosive reactive armor (ERA) module against anti-tank ammunition. Each element of this armor is filled with explosive, which detonates to damage the penetrator and prevent penetration.[2]
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.[3]
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[4].
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[5].
- 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.
- The six electromagnetic cannons which the Morpho is equipped with are based on the M61 Vulcan, requested by the United States Army to General Electric in 1946 and capable of firing 7.200 rounds per minute. It also shares the same six-barrel configuration. But their caliber have been increased to 40mm and are electromagnetic in nature, making them more akin to Gauss cannons. While the latter enhancements granted it far greater projectile velocity, it also make the weapon far more prone to overheating.
- As Frederica states, Morpho's kernel, where resides Kiriya Nouzen’s neural network, is located behind the main armament, between the first pair of “wings”.[6][7]
- Although in the light novel it has black armor modules, in the anime it is depicted as the same color as standard Legion types.[8]
- On the front it has a blue optical sensor similar to the one which the Ameise is equipped with, but in Volume 8 it's stated that the Morpho's sensor capabilities are as weak as the standard Legion's.