The ESF Forces' and A-Laws' GN-XIII are also known as "GN-XIII ESF Type" and "GN-XIII A-Laws Type" respectively, and they have different colors – the ESF Type have a blue color scheme, while the A-Laws Type have a red and white color scheme. Nanomachines on the mobile suit's armor's surface are responsible for the colors, and if they are removed, the GN-XIII will be in the same colors as the original GN-X.[18] Besides the different colors, the ESF Type and A-Laws Type have identical basic performance. However, the A-Laws Type can be tuned to match its pilot's characteristics, with many having slightly higher output, and this resulted in better performance than the ESF Type. On the other hand, the ESF Type can be adjusted to match the characteristics of its operating areas. The most common configuration for the ESF Type involves reduced output and suppressed particle consumption so as to extend the GN-XIII's operating time, thereby counteracting the limited operating time of GN Drive Tau-equipped mobile suit. Despite being a mainstay mobile suit, the GN-XIII's deployment numbers are insufficient, and so older, non GN Drive Tau-type mobile suits are still operated by the ESF Forces.