Ikaruga

The A141F5 Ikaruga (斑鳩) is the aerial carrier of the Black Knights. It is heavily damaged during the Battle of Mt. Fuji, after Lelouch detonates the Sakuradite mines within the mountain, crashing shortly after. Most of its crew survives the crash though being protected by Tamaki and Kallen.

Design and Specifications
It features the Druid System and Hadron Cannons of the Gawain, both salvaged from the Knightmare following its destruction, a number of Slash Harkens equipped with Harken Boosters, seven normal turrets, one large turret, and shielding based on the Guren's Radiant Wave Surger. Unlike the Gawain, which could fire its Cannons repeatedly, the Ikaruga's Cannons have a long recharge time after each shot. However, the Ikaruga's Cannons were upgraded to be more powerful and with much greater range than the Gawain's, and were designated as "Scatter Hadron Cannons". It also holds submersible capabilities.

History
Development

The Ikaruga was probably developed between 2017 and 2018 after Rakshata Chawla recovered the Gawain from the bottom of the Ocean and began designing the specifications of the Ikaruga. She hid along with Diethard Reid and Sayoko in Chinese Federation territory while she was developing the Ikaruga.

Operational History

The Ikaruga was first seen in When Shen Hu Wins Glory (episode). It helped Zero and company flee from the pursuing Chinese Federation forces prior to their ambush. It hid itself in the mountain of the tomb of the Tianzis, along with the other Black Knights that escaped the battle to regroup.

After its deployment in the Chinese Federation, the Ikaruga remained on Horai Island. It was later dispatched as part of a secondary force prior the Second Battle of the Tokyo Settlement in accordance with United Federation of Nations Resolution No. 1. While the main force under Li Xingke and Zhou Xianglin attacked the Kagoshima Settlement, the Ikaruga held position underwater near Tokyo Bay under the command of Kyoshiro Tohdoh and Kaname Ohgi. After Zero joins the battle, the Ikaruga and its escort moved in on the Tokyo Settlement, acting as a command center for the Black Knight forces in the area. It later escaped the destruction caused by the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead and served as a field hospital for injured Black Knights.

Immediately after the battle, Schneizel el Britannia visited the Ikaruga on a diplomatic mission, where he convinced the Black Knights to betray Zero. The senior staff moved to kill Zero, but are stopped when Rolo Lamperouge saves Zero using the Shinkirō.

The Ikaruga's next known deployment was to the area surrounding Mount Fuji, where it monitored the meeting between the U.F.N. and Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia. After the U.F.N. delegates are taken hostage, the Ikaruga fell back to Horai Island while Britannian forces moved to re-occupy Japan.

The Ikaruga was deployed alongside Damocles in the Battle of Mt. Fuji, where it acted as a secondary command center before Li Xinke ceded control of the Black Knights to Schneizel. During the battle, it used its Scatter Hadron Cannons to decimate the Britannian air power. The air carrier advanced forward with the Black Knights forces, but was caught in the blast when Emperor Lelouch detonated the Sakuradite under Mount Fuji. As a result, the carrier was heavily damaged and crashed soon afterwards. However, the superstructure and most of its crew were spared thanks to the efforts of Kallen Kōzuki and Shinichirō Tamaki. The carrier's final fate is unknown, though it is likely to have been scrapped due to the damage it incurred during the battle.