The Third Generation of Patlabors is the patlabor generation that began around the year 1999. Unlike the Second Generation, the third generation was not defined by a major shift in design philosophy or equipment, but rather by a leap in general performance. The third generation is comprised of entirely different labors in the Original Animated Timeline and the Television Timeline, creating two separate histories which happen to coincide to a degree.
History[]
General History[]
Although the AV-98 Ingram had cemented itself as the quintessential patlabor, the type was not without its flaws. It was difficult for an inexperienced pilot to maneuver and was still demanding for a skilled pilot, which resulted in several cases of collateral damage. Additionally, the continuous advancement of labor technology slowly decreased the overall effectiveness of the Ingram. Shinohara Heavy Industries (SHI), at this point the only notable patlabor manufacturer in Japan, sought to release a successor to the famed Ingram.
Original Timeline[]
In 1999, SHI debuted the AV-X0 Prototype, a prototype patlabor with a focus on close-quarters combat. The type was highly advanced, with maneuverability and strength that was completely unmatched. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicles Unit, Section 2 was in the process of adopting the labor for use when it was caught up in a plot to turn all labors in the greater Tokyo area berserk. The AV-X0 was critically damaged in combat with members of Section 2, and the project was cancelled shortly after.
Later in 1999, SHI would unveil the AV-02 Valiant, a unit that more closely resembled the Ingram. While it was not quite up to the standard of the AV-X0 in terms of strength and agility, the Valiant Buster was a great improvement over the Ingram and saw widespread use in the Tokyo Police.
Television Timeline[]
In 1999, SHI showed off a prototype patlabor that would be released in February 2000 as the AV-0 Peacemaker. The Peacemaker would first be deployed to Special Vehicles Section 2, Division 1 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, where it replaced their far outdated MPL-97S Python labors. The type was not only a general improvement over the Ingram in terms of agility and strength, but it was also equipped with a highly intelligent neural network computer, which took the learning computer of the AV-98 to a new level. This computer was capable of piloting the Peacemaker with proper training, and automatically stopped the type from colliding with objects and buildings. That aspect of the Peacemaker's design caused minimal collateral damage in field operations, but could be exploited by a skilled opponent, as shown by Bud Rennard's victory over Division 1's Peacemakers in the New Files OVA.