Of the one hundred or so MS-06E Zaku Reconnaissance Types that were built during the One Year War, a handful were further upgraded into the MS-06E-3 Zaku Flipper. The Zaku Flipper was designed to play the role of a reconnaissance and scouting unit. The Zaku Flipper mounted the highest performance thruster array of the MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type, giving it three times the speed of a standard MS-06 Zaku II, as well as two additional thrusters in the chest and larger capacity fuel tanks.
To properly fill its role as a scouting unit, the Zaku Flipper featured several external cameras in both of its shoulders and its front pelvic armor, as well as high-tech sensory equipment and sonars in its head. However, the Zaku Flipper's standard Zaku head was replaced by a more sophisticated design, with extra equipment on a swiveling pivot so it could quickly flip backwards without having to rotate the head, or move past the fins projecting up from behind the Zaku Flipper's shoulders.