One of the central elements of Gundam
Wing's mobile suits is the use of Gundanium Alloy. What makes Gundanium so incredible is its properties: it is practically immutable, highly heat-resistant, and electrically neutral. These properties combine to produce a material that is extremely
hard to damage, lending to the Gundams' atmosphere of invincibility and intimidation. Additionally, heat and beam weapons produced using Gundanium are much stronger than similar weapons made using traditional titanium, thanks to its extremely high melting point allowing it to produce hotter and therefore stronger beam energy. The name is actually a misnomer, since Gundanium is not technically an alloy; it contains
non-ferrous metals and
non-metallic elements. Gundanium is very rare and
hard to make, since it requires the use of
super-heated plasma and nanomachines, and very few
people know exactly how to make and refine it. Further, it is said that Gundanium can only be produced at Lagrange points under zero-gravity conditions, putting a very powerful tool in the hands of the colonial rebels.
There is a common misconception that Gundanium is nigh-invincible; this has been disproven by several instances in Gundam
Wing and Endless Waltz where the Gundams were damaged, usually by beam weapons. However, this has also lead to the supposition that Gundanium is especially strong against
solid weapons, like traditional machineguns (as is the similar alloy Gundarium, from the Universal Century). This second theory
may have some
truth to it: according to the novelization of Gundam Wing, a physical impact roughly equal to the
force of a
train travelling at 120 kilometers per hour while towing
ten-plus transport cars would be enough to easily destroy Gundanium. This is also covered in the series where Heero attempts to destroy the Wing Gundam with several naval torpedoes detonated simultaneously, although no exact figures are quoted.
Gundanium's name is actually an acronym; it stands for Genetic on Universal Neutrally Different Alloy. The suffix -nium was added to distinguish it from similar alloys being made on
Earth. In the After Colony Universe, the word "Gundam" is derived from this acronym (GUNDAnium Mobile suit). Despite this fact, not every mobile suit made with Gundanium is a Gundam (examples: Vayeate, Mercurius).
