Gloucester

The fifth-generation Gloucester (グロースター) is a remodeled Sutherland with focus on close combat. Ordinary models are painted a flat, dull purple, but a few ranked-officers units are known to be custom painted. For example, Guilford's and Darlton's units sport a more vibrant deep-purple color scheme, while the elite Glaston Knights mostly retain the standard colors except for their shoulders and the sides of the head, which are blue. The cape on standard-model Gloucesters are a muted dark blue-grey, while those of Guilford, Darlton, and the Glaston Knights are navy-blue.

Following the failure of Zero's Black Rebellion, the Gloucester replaces the Sutherland as Britannia's mainline Knightmare while maintaining its high performance unit status.

Design and Specifications
Featuring enhanced hand-to-hand capabilities, in addition to standard Sutherland equipment, the Gloucester also uses a large jousting lance and, to further draw into a medieval knight's motif, is occasionally draped in a cape - Cornelia, her knight Guilford, and the Glaston Knights habitually equipped capes to their units, though Andreas Darlton did not. The lance incorporates a set of expanding prongs on four sides that makes possible to trap and disarm enemy weapons. Combined with the Gloucester's high mobility, this fearsome weapon can be used to penetrate right into an enemy Knightmare's cockpit, killing the pilot and preventing him from escaping via the standard ejection system.

During the Area 18 campaign, several Gloucesters were equipped with sand panels similar to those used by the Z-01 Lancelot in the Battle of Narita. Furthermore, it can be fit with an optional Float Unit backpack, consequentially changing the machine designation to RPI-209FA Gloucester Air (グロースター・エア, Gurōsutāea).

Exceptionally, the Glaston Knights units were shown to equip two "Sattel Waffen" five-barrel missile launchers attached to the sides of the cockpits, while Guilford's Gloucester has been fit with a pair of MVS stored in black scabbards on the sides of the Gloucester's cockpit.

Gloucester Glinda
The RPI-209/G Gloucester Glinda is a variant of the Gloucester that appears in the manga and photo story, Code Geass: Oz The Reflection. The Gloucester Glinda is a Gloucester frame that has been modified for the Glinda Knights. Besides its lance and other regular Gloucester armaments, it is equipped with two powerful oscillating Maser Vibration Swords, but since using them consumes a lot of energy, it cannot be used in prolonged battles. Its operational history consists of a single battle simulation, where it was piloted by Oldrin Zevon against the Guren Mk-II.

Gloucester Air Custom
The RPI-209AFA/C Gloucester Air Custom is a machine of unknown affiliation that aimed at Marrybell's life. Head has been changed to an unregistered unit, and registration number has also been deleted. However, a base machine like a Gloucester equipped with a Float Unit was very rare at the time compared to a Sutherland so only a person of high societal status is perceived to have access to it.

Code Geass: Akito the Exiled
The Gloucester is a fifth-generation Knightmare Frame that was developed from the Sutherland. The close combat performance of the original series' Knightmare Frame was improved. This Knightmare Frame belongs to the European knights of Britannia and they are primarily used by the captains of the Knight Orders. The Knights of St. Raphael Gloucesters are silver and purple while the Knights of St. Michael are white and red. Ashley uses a uniquely customised red Gloucester. The Gloucesters used by the knights seems to prefer swords over lances.

Trivia

 * The Gloucester is named after the city, district and county city of Gloucester in Wales.