The Garuda-class is the largest aircraft ever made. It can reach as high as the stratosphere and remain in flight semi-permanently, resupplied by transport aircraft. As such, the Earth Federation Forces devised a plan to divide Earth into six air defense zones, each with a Garuda-class assigned to it, allowing their on-board mobile suits to quickly respond to situations happening anywhere in the world.
Inspired by the Gaw deployed by the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War, the Garuda-class is designed to carry 10-20 mobile suits, and a similar number of subflight systems such as the Base Jabber and Dodai Kai, and if need be can carry hundreds of personnel. Although the Garuda-class is not heavily armed, the mobile suits it carries can be deployed to defend it. The plane has a launch catapult at the front under the bridge, a set of large doors under the base of each wing, and a massive door at the back that serves as an exit for mobile suits and the primary cargo loading bay.