Most of the GINN's weapons were designed to combat the OMNI Enforcer's mobile armors, including its main weapons, the 76mm heavy assault machine gun and the heavy blade. To adapt to various battlefield situations and combat requirements, such as anti-ship combat or fortress assault, a wide range of optional weapons were developed for the GINN. Among them was the D-type (meaning "destruction") equipment, the heaviest of GINN's weapons, designed for anti-fortification operations.

The combat abilities of a single GINN was said to be equivalent to that of three to five TS-MA2 Moebius mobile armors used by the OMNI Enforcer, and it could single-handedly destroy an enemy escort ship. This led to ZAFT gaining an upper hand in the early stages of the war. Due to the GINN's excellent versatility and expandability, many variants were developed and deployed, such as the ZGMF-1017M GINN High Maneuver Type tuned for ace pilots, and the ZGMF-LRR704B GINN Long Range Reconnaissance Type for reconnaissance. Additionally, there existed GINN units customized to suit their pilots, such as the ZGMF-1017 Miguel's GINN piloted by Miguel Aiman.