“ Don't over-squeeze the trigger.
”― Kid[src]
An APU in action
The Armored Personnel Unit (APU) was a hydraulic mechanized walker designed for combat. They formed part of the primary line of defense for Zion.
More than 120,000 units were produced but, by the time of the Battle of Zion, only 350 remain (although when Captain Mifune gives his speech, there are only around 70 APUs present on screen). APU operators were required to pass a training program, after which, it still requires an immense amount of skill to operate successfully in combat.
They made their brief first appearance in The Matrix Reloaded, but were seen more prominently in The Matrix Revolutions.
More professionally built variants of the APUs are seen in The Second Renaissance Part II in The Animatrix.
Functionality[]
Zion model[]
The APUs are armed with two 30mm automatic cannons attached to each arm. APU ammunition is reloaded by hand with the help of a special crane located on the back of each unit. To reload the cannons, an ammo runner will have to run out to the middle of the battle while transporting a cart loaded with boxes of ammunition. It is an extremely dangerous operation which leaves both pilot and runner defenseless during the process necessitating cover fire from a small escort of infantry which is sent along with the runner; further exposing more soldiers to danger.
Once the boxes of ammunition are mounted into the receiving ports on the back of the APU, a flexible belt feeds ammunition from the receiving ports into the gun and, when the ammo has run out, the pilot is trained to pack their gun into their holster; allowing the flexible belt feed to reattach automatically once ammunition becomes available.
APU armor is meanwhile minimal, favoring speed and firepower over bulky protection. This design works great when facing off against a number of Sentinels so long as the APU is not swarmed by too large a number of enemies. Alternatively, grouping a number of APUs into a unit also increases their effectiveness against swarms.
UN model[]
The APUs from the very early years of the centuries-spanning Machine War had cockpits located in the center of the exoskeleton, in the "chest" of the APU. This version was piloted when the operator placed their legs and arms inside the exoskeleton joints and not by means of the flight sticks used in later Zion models. The pilot's limbs were then further secured with belts and straps and the cockpit was closed down to seal the suit, all to ensure that the pilot never loses control of the APU and specially not against any impact sustained during fighting.
A visor, placed in the hatch, provided the only visibility to the outside. Whether the visor was adjustable at all is unknown but it is possible that there was a height requirement to effectively pilot an APU.
Regardless, the resulting suit was heavily armored in addition to having incredible mobility in straight-line races, allowing it to reach extreme speeds using rear thrusters and allowing it to jump short distances.
Footage from the Zion Archives suggest an interchangeable weapon subsystem, with the barrel at the end of the arm next to its firing system and the ammunition possibly stored in the arm compartment to avoid ammo jams while in the middle of heated combat, a consideration when firing continuous shots while facing against the large waves of Machines.
The overall UN model's design resulted in a flaw where the pilot could not easily take off the exoskeleton without first lifting the cockpit hatch. In addition, both the pilot's arms and legs were tied to the exoskeleton, making escape impossible without outside assistance. During the war, Harvesters and Sentinels would sometimes restrain the APUs, tear off the armored hatch, and then forcibly separate the pilot from the exoskeleton, resulting in bodily dismemberment.
Despite the design flaws however, the APU was quite effective during the first years of human counteroffensive after the launch of Operation Dark Storm, being deployed in frontal assaults and in hit-and-run tactics against the legions of 01. Eventually, the Machines would simply overwhelm APU technology by using massive numbers of Sentinels and Harvesters to ward off escape, restraining the APUs. Fast flying Machines would also expose the APU armament's very limited mobility, further exposing the APU to various aerial attacks from Sentinels unless the APUs successfully stay in group formations.
History[]
APUs of the Second Renaissance[]
US APUs Enlist in Attack During Machine War
The earliest forms of APUs go back as far the beginning of the Machine War. These forerunners used by the UN forces of the time were multifaceted; featuring enclosed cockpits, reinforced armor, some flight capability and a targeting system interface. A drawback to this design was it didn't seem to have as much arm movement as a Zion APU and appeared very restrictive in its shooting as the enclosed cockpit and targeting system limit its line of sight. The first APUs fought against 01's Machine Army and were originally designed for combat with heavily tainted areas in mind, hence the enclosed design. During this time, the APUs used by the UN were involved in crude and destructive combat against the Machine armies of 01, during which time this APU model eventually became a mass production variant (such as that used in Zion centuries later), being distributed by the UN forces all over the planet.
Zion[]
After humans were enslaved in the Matrix and both Zion and the resistance was formed, production began on new APUs from the limited resources available. After a while, they were able to produce as many APUs as half of Zion's population. While lacking of jump booster seen in the earlier version, ironically this version's lack of targeting system actually allowed its pilot to train both of the gun much better. The targeting system is manual, relying on a simple reticle on the handle. The entire APU corps was deployed in defense of the Dock. All of the APUs except 13 units seem to have been destroyed during the brutal battle, and the remaining 13 were destroyed after the Mjolnir hovercraft activated its EMP inside the Dock, wiping out the first wave of Sentinels. Though they proved a formidable defense during the Battle of Zion, they were eventually overwhelmed by the large swarm of Sentinels that flooded the Dock.
Notes[]
APU schematics
- In the defense of the dock the pilots seem to operate in squads of three to four APUs back to back, allowing all arcs of fire to be covered. According to the artists working on the APUs, a cockpit would make practical sense but they decide that it would be a lot easier to identify characters such as Captain Mifune without one. The three man formation also enables faster response on 360 degree sign and survivability as the ammo recharging process can be guarded by the remaining APUs in the squad.
- The APU bears a resemblance to the power-loader utility exoskeleton from Aliens (1986) and, later, the Cyclops Power Armor seen in Halo Wars as well as the AMP Suit from Avatar (2009).
- A Half-Life mod called Zion Warcry was developed in 2007. The mod allows you to play as an APU in the Battle of Zion. As of 2019, it is 99% complete as a private project, but waiting for acknowledgement and approval from Warner Bros, before being publicly released.
- The armor originally used on APUs, as seen on the UN version, would do very little to defend against Machines that have proven many times to be capable of cutting open or slicing quite quickly through the toughest armors Zion can produce. To some people, this visible separation of man and Machine which excludes any cockpit is symbolic of who is in control and who is not.
Gallery[]
