Combat Frame Data: CF-01-1

Model number: CF-01-1
Code name: Combat Frame Type One
Nickname: Type One
Classification: operational test type combat frame
Manufacturer: Seed Corporation
Operator: ZoDiaC
First deployment: CY -6
Crew: 1 pilot in cockpit in chest
Height: 17.5 meters
Weight: dry weight 50 metric tons, full weight 70 metric tons
Armor type: carbyne-laced titanium alloy
Powerplant: x2 cold fusion reactor, max output 611 KW each
Propulsion: rocket thrusters: 2x 98,811 kg thrust each, top speed 2160 kph; maneuvering thrusters: 17, 180° turn time 0.90 seconds; legs: top ground speed 195 kph
Sensors:  radar, thermal, optical array; targeting laser and main camera mounted behind visor in head
Fixed armaments: grenade launcher, mounted in chest, holds 6 flash/EMP grenades
Hand armaments: ramjet rifle, 12 smart rounds per magazine; carbyne zweihander, liquid-fueled, stored on back sword rack

The SOC’s mission to earth was on the brink of failure when the L3 Bank approached CSC Director Sanzen Kaimora with plans to mass-produce Tesla Browning’s combat frame concept. Sanzen granted Seed Corp an exclusive contract to manufacture military-grade CFs without waiting for the Secretariat’s approval.

Browning immediately got to work on a developmental prototype for a front line combat frame. He set himself the challenge of producing a unit that could dish out battleship caliber destruction in a CF-sized package. Though miniaturized energy weapons were still years off, Browning compensated by making novel enhancements to conventional ordnance. The prototype proved successful, and Seed Corp greenlit production of a second unit for operational tests.

The CF-01-1, which Browning dubbed the Combat Frame Type One, surpassed all CSC-mandated specifications. Its highly durable construction and carbyne-reinforced armor made the Type One all but impervious to standard anti-material weapons. Its own armaments made up for their rather unorthodox designs with unquestionable results. The Type One’s main weapon was a ramjet rifle chambered for 120mm self-propelled “smart rounds” equipped with guidance chips that would home in on targets painted by the CF’s targeting laser. The smart rounds’ ultra-high velocity and graphene components gave them a medium-range punch equivalent to later plasma weapons. A grenade launcher in the CF’s chest loaded with flash/EMP grenades served to soften up targets for the ramjet’s kill shot.

For close combat, the Type One carried a two-handed sword with an eight-meter, carbyne-laced blade. Rocket nozzles installed within rectangular vents along the blade’s spine could add crushing force to the CF’s swing. The sword also doubled as a shield capable of surviving contact with weaponized plasma for short periods of time.

The Type One boasted truly impressive mobility for such an early model. Its powerful rockets could propel the CF almost to Mach 2, and its array of maneuvering thrusters made the Type One deceptively agile. Its high-performance leg drives could achieve a top speed of 195 kph on level ground.

Powering the Type One’s systems required Browning to devise a creative energy solution. With cold fusion reactor miniaturization still in process, he carried over the twin powerplant design from his earlier prototype. A 611 KW generator was mounted to the back of each shoulder. The external placement allowed for bigger reactors, freed up internal space for weapons and structural reinforcement, and assisted with cooling. The exposed generators did present a clear vulnerability–a design flaw corrected in future CF designs as more compact fusion reactors were developed.

The Type One saw limited deployment during active combat field trials in CY -6. In every instance, it completely obliterated all opposition while receiving nothing more than superficial damage. Despite this overwhelming success, the Terrestrial Affairs Ministry refused to approval the Type One’s steep per-unit cost. Seed Corp drew up a cheaper, watered-down design based on the Type One that would see production as the first of the Grenzmark series.

As combat frame mass-production increased, the Type One was mothballed and eventually forgotten by all but a few. Among those who remembered Browning’s superior testbed unit were agents of ZoDiaC, the anti-SOC organization mostly composed of L3 citizens seeking to end the conflict their central bank had helped prolong. The mighty Type One was somehow smuggled out from under Seed Corp’s nose and hidden in a Sudanese bunker to await ZoDiaC’s key operative on earth.