The Gattle was one of the few space fighters in the Principality of Zeon's armed forces. It was classified as a "space fast heavy combat bomber". The cockpit was double-seated, with a separate pilot and copilot. The cockpit also served as an escape capsule, which could be propelled for short periods of time by rockets installed in the rear. It is armed with a total of four fixed 30mm Vulcan guns mounted on the underside of the cockpit, a set of five built-in missile launchers on the left and right units, and two armament stations (pylons) for large anti-ship missiles.

To increase maneuverability, it had attitude control verniers in various parts of the fuselage. However, it was not as efficient as the AMBAC system used in MS, and its combat time was not as long as that of MS. Due to this, they were often deployed and operated for fortress defense, rather than being mounted on combat ships as shipboard aircraft. The engines were noted to be powerful, capable of propelling the fighter at speeds similar to other mobile suits.