In C.E. 71, ZAFT learned that the OMNI Enforcer possessed mobile suits of its own following the Battle of Heliopolis. In response, they began modifying the existing TMF/A-802 BuCUE for anti-mobile suit combat while simultaneously developing a high-performance successor unit. The result was the TMF/A-803 LaGOWE, which was developed based on the TMF/A-802 P-Mod.W BuCUE Waltfeld Custom Type.
The LaGOWE maintained the BuCUE's ability to transform between a quadrupedal mode and a cruising mode. Unlike its predecessor, however, the LaGOWE was designed with close combat and anti-mobile suit combat in mind. It was equipped with an enlarged head-mounted sensor array that allowed better intelligence gathering, a twin beam saber in its "mouth", and claws that could function as melee weapons. Its back turret weapon was also changed to a twin beam cannon. Both the twin beam saber and twin beam cannon were developed using data from the captured G Project mobile suits.