The Magella Attack was designed by the Principality of Zeon for use on Earth to support its infantry and mobile suits as a form of self-propelled artillery. It was composed of two parts: the hull, named the Magella Base, and the turret, named the Magella Top. The Magella Top's 175mm cannon was set high above the hull to facilitate long-range artillery fire, but it could not rotate. As a result, the entire tank had be moved in order to aim. The Magella Top also featured a simple canopy cockpit that gave the pilot, who doubled as the gunner, a wide view of the battlefield. The Magella Attack's most unique feature was the Magella Top's ability to separate from the Magella Base and fly using VTOL engines mounted in the wings on both sides of the turret. This enabled attacking ground forces from the sky and continued operation if the hull was destroyed. However, the accuracy of Magella Top's cannon was severely reduced while flying, and it only carried enough fuel to sustain flight for a few minutes.